Post some pics if you have time. I'm one of those who likes some rubber visible, which is why I bucked the trend to go to 22' rims and stuch with 20's. I feel the tire left with 22's is so thin that is out of proportion for the ML. Of course this is subjective and the right rims can somewhate negate this with smaller rim lip.

 

I regret to admit that I have no skills whatsoever when it comes to posting photos and such, but I will give it a try. I can tell you without qualification, however, that the 305/45's make the ML63 look much more aggressive and serious without being "cartoonish." In addition, now that I have put some miles on them for the past 24 hours, I can report that they also handle quite well. I am not a big fan of bigger wheels - I'm more of a fat tire kind of guy, and the combo of the stock 20" wheels and the big tires is just too cool, IMO. I'll see if I can get some pics.

 

HI Bernie! Sorry for the delay...been on vacation and away from the truck..will check for you tomorrow, but my recollection is that the switch is gone from my ML 63 as well....stay tuned!
D.

 

Here it is Bernie....NO switch on my 2008 ML 63...guess I will have to trade it in for an 09 now...wait, I don't have kids, so who cares!

Don't you love the "truck"?!

D.

 

I am debating between SRT8 and ML63 right now. Can you comment on your + - ?

Thank you

 

When I got my GC SRT-8 at first I loved it, raw power. It did have some minor issues with tranny leak, electrical (window switches), tranny not shifting which was just a flash, paint peeling on the front bumper. I drove it during the winter here in Calgary and I was not impressed. I also had a limited 4 runner that was about a year old and to compare the two SUV's on winter roads was like comparing a Camaro and a 4 wheel drive, the 4Runner being the far superior winter vehicle of the two that I had. Now when I am talking about snow, I don't mean an inch of snow as some people on some forums are saying that their Jeep GC SRT-8 rocks in the snow, I mean several inches of snow that stays around for a while. The 4 wheel drive system in the SRT-8 is not the same as they have in their normal jeeps because of the torque and high HP. On icy and snow covered roads it would feel like it was jerking all over the place as the brakes would be applied to the wheel that was spinning, I found this very annoying and it pissed me off enough to sell it and I sure appreciated my 4runner so much more....
Another reason why I sold the jeep was due to the ****ty service I got at several dealerships. I went to 3 different dealerships here in Calgary and I found that Renfrew was the best one but by that time I had already made up my mind to get rid of it......

I have yet to drive the ML63 in the winter but I think it should hold up pretty well with it's 4wheel drive system. I have had the traction control kick in and I didn't even feel it kick in so I have my fingers crossed.

I like the ML63 hands down over the Jeep, sure the MB is more money but you get what you pay for. Ride quality, interior finish, exterior finish and performance are all superior in my mind in the ML63. Having driven the ML63 for about the same distance as I did in the GC SRT8, the ML has only been in the shop for 1 service and it was just for and oil change, the jeep on the other hand was in the shop 6 times. Service is better at MB and they even give you a loaner while you are getting it serviced.

On a fuel consumption comparison, the ML63, believe it or not has a better fuel mileage. I can get about 12.5 Liters per 100km on the highway at speeds of about 120-140km/h and in the City I am at about 15L/100KM + if I want to have some fun

So if you have to pick one, I would recommend the ML63.....hands down.
(this is just my opinion and based on my experience)

The Jeep is cheaper and you will see the difference from the interior finish to chrystler service when you compare it to the MB.

 

I guys,

I am a newbie on this forum. I will get my ML 550 with AMG body kit this Tursday I am based in Switzerland and winter is about to come in. So I am wondering about winter tires as well.

I would like (as most of you) keep the 20" AMG wheels during winter but on the other hand I don't want to get winter tires 295 wide. So my question is :

What is the minimum tire size (wide) to be fitted on the 10J x 20" AMG rims ? Is it 265 ? Assuming it is 265 or wathever size what is the exact tire size ? 265/40/20 or 265/45/20 or something else ?

Thanks for your help.

Fab

 

i got Nokian WR SUV XT for my ml63
275/40/20

good tires with speed limit over 230 km/h

 

Thanks for the infos.

Have you ever experienced snow drive with them ? If Yes how did the car feel i.e. traction, braking, cornering ? Was it stable enough with such tires wide ?

 

it is more stable then stock... but i never used it in snow.it will start snowing here in ST Petersburg (Russia) in a week or so... then i will msg you about traction, braking, cornering and etc if you wish

if you have no ice but snow in winter - it is better choice for u imo

 

It is snowing like crazy right now here in Calgary. Go figure it was plus 20c today and tonight we have snow...

I will test the stock tires in the am as my winters are in the garage...to be installed tomorrow night.

 

looking forward to your snow feedback

I asked AMG about the tire size. Their straight forward answer is : on your stock 10Jx20 rims witner tires are the same than summer i.e. 295/40/20

A bit to wide I think. I will probably go for 275/40/20 in a couple of weeks when hopefully weather starts to be more snowish

I pick up my beast today 5:00 pm CET

 

The roads were snow covered last night when I went to bed and the roads were all clear this morning....

 

Just to let anyone know who is on the fence like i was about whether the 63 needs winter tires, it definitely does. we had a little snow fall here, and the car is absolutely useless on the stock tires.

 

yeah we had some snow here as well yesterday and with the scorpion ice and snow it did handle pretty good which is better than what I expected.

 

did you go with 295 or 275 in the end? i just ordered a set of 275's as my dealer promised they would fit on the stock rims.

 

I ended up with the Scorpion ICE & Snow in the 295/40/20 size. Narrower tires are better for snow but I have not been able to test them in deep snow. We only had a couple of inches at the most and now the Chinook is here and the snow is gone. I will report as soon as we get a big dump.

 

275s should fit on the stock-rims. They are actually recommended by tirerack.com for the stock ML63-wheels. Here's an interesting link with a tire-recommendation for the 2008 ML63:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....cleSearch=true

 

I have been blown away with the Vredestein Winter Trac 4 tires on my ML63 -Sure, they are EXPENSIVE, but having had Scorpions and Blizzaks - these really are Great - handling near or on par with stock tires and in the wet they are awesome. Snow performance is exceptional.

They are even a bit more comfortable than stock on rough roads - I sometimes think I will just keep them on in the spring and summer they are so good.

 

I guess you are talking about this one:

http://www.tiresbyweb.com/showproduc...&ProdVar=29162

They look good as well...

 

$440 per tire, that is what the stealership was going to charge me for the Scorpions

www.TireRack.com by far the best deal out there.

 

I guess you have to compare the prices of each tire individually. I think Vredestein has a different MSRP than the Scorpion, so not every tire at $440 should be considered too expensive.

I do agree that tirerack.com has the best deals out there - but they simply don't offer Vredestein.

 

Yes, those are them. I think list price is a good $100+++ more - so $440 is a great deal. Again, they are awesome - so far ahead of anything else I have tried.

 

Comment from Finland:

If you really have winter conditions use Nokian, Continental or Michelin. Those are the only ones that work on ice and snow.
I know that some of you might need something similar to central europe weather, where 95% of the time roads are dry/wet. Then Pirelli or any other summer tire brand will do ok.

Some links:

Nokian:
http://www.nokiantires.com/en/tire_h...?season=winter
Conti:
http://www.conti-online.com/generato...winter_fi.html

 

FYI

For the curious few, the Pirelli Scorpions are doing just fine during the unusually snowy winter in Madison, WI....sigh....Spring can't come soon enough though!!

D.