My only complaint with my 2013 ML is the stock Continental tires. I like the ride with them in good weather conditions but have found them prone to hydroplaning on wet roads and I was less than impressed with their performance in recent snow. Thus, I was wondering what experiences folks have had with the Michelin Latitudes, Pirelli Scorpions and Pirelli Verdes (or any others) in terms of a) wet weather, b) snowy/icy, and c) good conditions. I'd also be interested in impressions on tire life. Thanks!

 

I have the 20" Continental tires, they always sound like they are using suction cups on the road. I've noticed this whenever I open the window. Someone suggested they were under-inflated, and possibly they are. If I increase the tire pressure, they hydroplane if I leave them at the suction cup inflation level they suck down on the road. I can live with the sound as I don't normally drive with the window open.
For the winter I purchased 19" Michelin tires and MB rims and in soft snow the back of the car likes to try and pass the front end because the whole car is floating on the snow and this is a nightmare. On compacted snow and ice they work exceptionally well. I've tried numerous times to get a four wheel drift and just can't accomplish it.

 

I posted the below in a Canadian forum before. I am copy pasting the same here and want experts to comment please.

So I asked the MB dealer here if all season tires are good enuf on 2012 ML350 4Matic for winter and he said they should hold good. However reading all the stuff out there online I am somehow not convinced. Can you please recommend if Pirelli Scorpion Winter or Ice/snow is a good choice? I see them available in Sams and not in Costco which I am a member of. Tirerack carries them but then shipping and mounting/balancing hits you hard. Can anyone please answer my queries below?
1. Are winter tires a must on 4Matic. How do all season tires perform in snow? I live in Minneapolis and winters are harsh. I can safely say I am a cautious driver though.
2. Which winter tire do you recommend which is economical?
3. Can you take the ML350 to a costco/Sams/discount tire/tirerack affiliated tire store and get the tires changed or is it more safe to take it to the MB dealer considering the sophisticated mounting/balancing on the ML350?
4. While we are at it can anyone also please recommend where is it safe to get the alignment too; MB dealer Vs say a firestone/discount tire etc?

 

I have a 13' ML550 with 37k miles on it. I purchased Pirelli Scorpion Winters in 275/45-20 and have used them for three seasons. Their traction is amazing. The last few winters have been pretty bad in NY and the traction is pretty shocking. I have the on/off road package and with it raised to max I've driven right through 12+" with zero issues. I've also pulled escalades, full size pick ups etc. out of snow banks with my tow strap.
I consider them necessary in NY so I would certainly be getting a set were I living in Mn.
Mine were installed and balanced at a local tire shop and were perfect. I'll be buying the same set next fall because my tread is getting a little low. Good luck.

 

My 2012 ML350 came with the Dunlop Grandtrek tires. They have been just okay but of course there are many better ones out there. If I were to keep my car longer than I plan I would buy the Michelin Latitudes which I have owned before on another vehicle. I have 25,000 miles on the Dunlops and from the looks of the treads I should replace them soon. I will not keep the car after the warranty expires in one year from the end of this month and have decided to replace them with another set of Dunolps because they are fairly inexpensive. I drive about 8,000 miles a year so I do not need any better tire for only 8,000 miles.

The question someone asked above about buying tires at Sam's vs. MB dealer is very valid. Although I can get a set of these tires at Sam's for about $250 less than I would have to pay at the dealer, I am not sure I want a place like Sam's or Walmart working on my car. This is true no matter what tire I would buy. Besides the mounting/balance issue the poster mentioned, I am not sure they could deal with problems that might come up with the air pressure sensors. My MB dealer's service department is quite good and I think I will just pay the $250 difference. Although there is never a guarantee the dealer will not mess up, I will at least have a little better assurance that the job will be done right.

 

My '12 350BTC came w/ the Dunlop all seasons. They sucked in the snow. To be honest, the winter before getting the ML, we were driving a fwd Honda Accord and an awd Acura MDX, both vehicles on Bridgestone Blizzaks each winter. So my expectations could've been somewhat skewered but turning onto my street is a small incline that the ML would slip a little. And leaving the house as well, going back down that same spot was hair raising stopping at the stop sign. I don't remember hydroplaning being a big issue except where expected as in the left lane on the highway going through a puddle of water too fast.

I ended up buying a set of aftermarket 18" wheels w/ pressure sensors and Blizzaks which made a world of a difference. Then last summer when one of the Dunlops fell victim to a curb, I replaced them w/ a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Suv 4x4 which is a sport summer tire. Big difference especially noticed on wet roads and in heavy rain. Those same puddles on the highway where you would expect to hydroplane, the Goodyears retained their grip.

So while I know I haven't answered the OP's question in regards to the specific tires he listed, just realize that all season tires are a compromise to be all things at all times. Of those, I personally like the Michelin Latitude Tour the best as they came stock on the MDX and I had no complaints w/ them. Taking into account the cost of a 2nd set of wheels & sensors as well as storing an extra set, then putting them on and off the car twice per year, if you can swing a dedicated summer set and a dedicated winter set, you have the best of both worlds. And no, not trying to start up an all season vs snow tire debate, each person has what works for them.

I think tires are tires and decent tire shops shouldn't have any issues with the mount and balance. A mom and pop tire shop in east nowhere (and I love to support local business) would have me thinking twice dealing w/ 19" or 20" wheels and the pressure sensors. The 21" or 22" wheels I would go to the dealer or a shop that routinely handles such ones on a regular (daily?) basis. For the alignment, I wouldn't be comfortable w/ a Walmart, Sullivan Tire, Firestone, or Town Fair Tire but stick to the dealer instead.

 

While the tires at these places are the same tires as the MB dealers, at the above mentioned places they will install the tires with an air powered impact wrench with high torque. They are supposed to be installed with a torque wrench so as not to warp rotors.

Also, they are mounted and installed with mass market, mass installed tire mounting people who are more likely to damage/scratch an expensive wheel, as they have no idea of the cost of MB wheels and the great care and respect one must have with them. An MB mechanic will care for those wheels because he has been put on notice to make sure they stay mint by management who will otherwise be subject to a damage claim.

It depends on how "nutty" the vehicle's owner is about his car's appearance as to whether to buy tires there.

 

My 2012 ML350 4matic is at 72k and I just put on my fourth set of tires. I live in Dallas. They came with the Continentals, replaces those at 5k since they sucked with Michelin Latitude Tour HP. Awesome tire in all conditions and performance. Only lasted 30k miles. Discount Tire suggested I try Pirelli, same performance but a little longer lasting and a few bucks cheaper. I did and got money back from Michelin since the tread life warranty was 50k miles. The Pirelli Scorpion Verde lasted 36k miles and I just replaced them with the Scorpion Verde Plus. I got credit from the tread life warranty again since the first set of Scorpions was a 55k mile warranty and the new Scorpion Plus has a warranty of 65k miles. I bet they'll last 40 miles.

Discount tire is the best in my opinion. Great pricing, road hazard warranty and good service.

 

2013 ML550; 255/50/19

I replaced OEM Conti CrossContact LX Sport at 22k miles in Jan 2015. Poor factory alignment led to uneven wear. These OEM tires were quiet with nice ride quality, although I agree with the earlier comment that they didn't handle wet roads all that well. Tread life was not great but concrete roads and ML's weight combine to eat up tires here in Big D.

While I seriously considered the Mich Latitudes, ultimately I went with Conti CrossContact LX 20 with ecoplus. Tirerack.com reviews for this Conti were consistently good, even better than the comments on the Mich Latitudes I though. Bonus: longer tread life rating and significantly cheaper than the Mich. I've had these dogs on for 5 months now, and I have no regrets whatsoever. They run quiet, great traction in dry or wet (and we've had a lot of wet here this spring), and I think the ride quality surpasses the OEM Contis, even when I keep them at 40 psi as is my practice. Can't speak to ability to handle snow, but that's not an issue here. Give them a look; I would buy them again without hesitation.

 

I went to a local costco here and asked if I could get my own winter tires for them to install but they said thats not possible. On other other hand the guy I spoke to also said they do not have the hunter road force balancer that is required to install tires on mercs/high end vehicles. He said it would be my choice to get the tires installed since he has seen customers with mercs having their tires installed in there. Now obviously I would assume they would not say to anyone unless you specifically asked if they had the road force with them. Anyways, question here is if we need to go the dealer since I believe they would definitely have it since I have heard it is required for high end vehicles or is it ok to just go to sams or a costco. Can anyone confirm?

 

You are correct that Costco doesn't have road force balancing equipment. Several other tire dealerships do carry the road force equipment though, including Discount Tire in our area. Is road force balancing a better way to balance tires/wheels? I say yes. Is it necessary? Depends. Just because your car is a MB doesn't automatically mean it somehow needs the tires balanced on road force equipment. That's a marketing ploy. If a spin balance doesn't result in a smooth ride, then maybe you need a road force balance. This equipment does a far better job of identifying the relatively heavier and lighter sides of your wheel (tire included), and then the operator will spin the tire on the wheel to find the best balanced position for the tire on the rim. Road force balancing has become more common with the lower profile tires now present on many cars. The lower the tire profile, the more noticeable an unbalanced tire/wheel combination becomes to the driver.