Appearance pkg--19" tires in 1st snow...questions
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Newbie
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 21
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From: Falls Church, VA
2006 ML350, silver, appearance pkg, ent. pkg, MR pkg, heated seats.
Appearance pkg--19" tires in 1st snow...questions
Just bought my '06 ML350 last week and was worried about the tires in snow (Bridgestone performance summer tires). We got about a half inch a couple day's after, so I was able to test the tires in this condition. After a few tries braking and accelerating, I quickly came to the conclusion that they are not appropriate at all! I went back home and ordered 4 new tires!
Since I did a 24 month lease for this vehicle, I did not want to invest a huge amount in tires, nor did I want a dedicated winter tire, since we only get snow 3-4 times in a typical winter anyway. I also didn't want to have to switch tires every season. So I ordered the 19" performance all-season tire from Kuhmo from Tire Rack. They'll be here soon and I hope they are better. Anybody have any experience with those tires?
What should I do with the Bridgestones? They are basically brand new (less than 100 miles)? I noticed Tire Rack sells them for about $292 a piece. Should I sell them or keep them to put them back on the car before I turn it in? If I sell them, would MB care at the lease turn in that the car has a non-OE tire on it?
Since I did a 24 month lease for this vehicle, I did not want to invest a huge amount in tires, nor did I want a dedicated winter tire, since we only get snow 3-4 times in a typical winter anyway. I also didn't want to have to switch tires every season. So I ordered the 19" performance all-season tire from Kuhmo from Tire Rack. They'll be here soon and I hope they are better. Anybody have any experience with those tires?
What should I do with the Bridgestones? They are basically brand new (less than 100 miles)? I noticed Tire Rack sells them for about $292 a piece. Should I sell them or keep them to put them back on the car before I turn it in? If I sell them, would MB care at the lease turn in that the car has a non-OE tire on it?
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,957
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That's a bummer... You may want to hold onto them and just mount them up prior to turning your car in at lease end. When they do the lease end inspection they will be looking for a "OEM-like" tire and one with usable tread left. Your all-season tires may be acceptable as "like" tires or they may not. It all depends on who does the inspection and if they are picky or not. Generally they just want to make sure the tires have some usable life as measured by tread depth. You could try selling the tires, but you may find that since they are now "used" you may not get the real value out of them.
Nice wheels and high-performance summer tires are always an issue in the cold and snow. The cold itself usually turns these high-performance summer tires into bricks, which makes for some interesting driving even with 4WD! Happy and safe motoring on your new rubber!
Nice wheels and high-performance summer tires are always an issue in the cold and snow. The cold itself usually turns these high-performance summer tires into bricks, which makes for some interesting driving even with 4WD! Happy and safe motoring on your new rubber!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
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From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
Tires
Originally Posted by jcr22042
Just bought my '06 ML350 last week and was worried about the tires in snow (Bridgestone performance summer tires). We got about a half inch a couple day's after, so I was able to test the tires in this condition. After a few tries braking and accelerating, I quickly came to the conclusion that they are not appropriate at all! I went back home and ordered 4 new tires!
Since I did a 24 month lease for this vehicle, I did not want to invest a huge amount in tires, nor did I want a dedicated winter tire, since we only get snow 3-4 times in a typical winter anyway. I also didn't want to have to switch tires every season. So I ordered the 19" performance all-season tire from Kuhmo from Tire Rack. They'll be here soon and I hope they are better. Anybody have any experience with those tires?
What should I do with the Bridgestones? They are basically brand new (less than 100 miles)? I noticed Tire Rack sells them for about $292 a piece. Should I sell them or keep them to put them back on the car before I turn it in? If I sell them, would MB care at the lease turn in that the car has a non-OE tire on it?
Since I did a 24 month lease for this vehicle, I did not want to invest a huge amount in tires, nor did I want a dedicated winter tire, since we only get snow 3-4 times in a typical winter anyway. I also didn't want to have to switch tires every season. So I ordered the 19" performance all-season tire from Kuhmo from Tire Rack. They'll be here soon and I hope they are better. Anybody have any experience with those tires?
What should I do with the Bridgestones? They are basically brand new (less than 100 miles)? I noticed Tire Rack sells them for about $292 a piece. Should I sell them or keep them to put them back on the car before I turn it in? If I sell them, would MB care at the lease turn in that the car has a non-OE tire on it?
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 49
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From: Cornhusker State
ML 500, John Deere tractor
If you have the Bridgestone Turanzas on your vehicle you are wise to get something else. They are good dry pavement tires but that's about it. I ordered 18" rims and Blizzaks from the tire rack. But then I'll likely keep my ML500 three or four years and have 100k plus on it by then. I'm hoping that the two sets of tires will get me there.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: troyes, france
ML 320 CDI
I also drove my 320 CDI (17 inches standard wheels with summer tyres) on the snow yesterday and it felt quite unstable under braking. The ESP didn't light up but you could feel it. The snow in my place is rare so I won't invest in some winter tyres but it would make sense if I was living in a place with a real winter season.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
Unstable
Originally Posted by Paul Le Corre
I also drove my 320 CDI (17 inches standard wheels with summer tyres) on the snow yesterday and it felt quite unstable under braking. The ESP didn't light up but you could feel it. The snow in my place is rare so I won't invest in some winter tyres but it would make sense if I was living in a place with a real winter season.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Athens, Greece
2006 ML 350, Iridium Silver, Premium Package, ORP, Airmatik, Sunroof, PTS, Bi-Xenon etc.
Originally Posted by Paul Le Corre
I also drove my 320 CDI (17 inches standard wheels with summer tyres) on the snow yesterday and it felt quite unstable under braking. The ESP didn't light up but you could feel it. The snow in my place is rare so I won't invest in some winter tyres but it would make sense if I was living in a place with a real winter season.
Rgds Drak
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 21
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From: Falls Church, VA
2006 ML350, silver, appearance pkg, ent. pkg, MR pkg, heated seats.
My all-season's will be mounted tomorrow, so we'll see how they perform. Gotta wait for more snow to see how they do in that, though.
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Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Falls Church, VA
2006 ML350, silver, appearance pkg, ent. pkg, MR pkg, heated seats.
By the way, I think I'm going to sell the Bridgestone's--they have about 100 miles on them. They would be a good value to someone I'm sure.
