Driving with Michelin Primacy HP's in the snow
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 4,242
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From: Chicago burbs
2015 S550
Driving with Michelin Primacy HP's in the snow
Don't do it! These are the stock tires that MB puts on the S600 with the 18" wheels with 255/45/18 on the front and 275/45/18 on the back. I purchased this car from a dealership in the San Diego area, so obviously the first owner had no worries driving in snow.
These tires are absolutely brutal with anything cold and slippery under them. They basically turn into hockey pucks in the cold. What is frustrating is that MB wouldn't put an all season tire on the car from the factory. It's not like these are great handling tires on dry roads any way being a taller tire, so why not go with a touring all season tire?
After my first experience on anything slippery since purchasing the car, I decided I needed to find some dedicated snow tires. I wanted to put them on the stock wheels since I'm looking to upgrade my wheels in the spring. What a PITA it was searching for snow tires that would match the sizes of the stock tires. THEY DO NOT EXIST anywhere in the world from any tire manufacturer. I ended up purchasing some Falken Eurowinter 449's in size 255/45/18 which are V rated performance snow tires. Dirt cheap at just $131/tire. With going the same size all around, albeit on 1" wider rims on the back, I'm losing .7 inch in tire height at the rear, so I imagine that my speedo will be off slightly...maybe reading 1-2 mph high at 55 mph.
Has anybody run these Falken's on their S-class in the winter? If so, what was your experience? Mine will be here in a couple days, so I have to be a white knuckle driver for a couple more days.
These tires are absolutely brutal with anything cold and slippery under them. They basically turn into hockey pucks in the cold. What is frustrating is that MB wouldn't put an all season tire on the car from the factory. It's not like these are great handling tires on dry roads any way being a taller tire, so why not go with a touring all season tire?
After my first experience on anything slippery since purchasing the car, I decided I needed to find some dedicated snow tires. I wanted to put them on the stock wheels since I'm looking to upgrade my wheels in the spring. What a PITA it was searching for snow tires that would match the sizes of the stock tires. THEY DO NOT EXIST anywhere in the world from any tire manufacturer. I ended up purchasing some Falken Eurowinter 449's in size 255/45/18 which are V rated performance snow tires. Dirt cheap at just $131/tire. With going the same size all around, albeit on 1" wider rims on the back, I'm losing .7 inch in tire height at the rear, so I imagine that my speedo will be off slightly...maybe reading 1-2 mph high at 55 mph.
Has anybody run these Falken's on their S-class in the winter? If so, what was your experience? Mine will be here in a couple days, so I have to be a white knuckle driver for a couple more days.
Last edited by DaveW68; Jan 7, 2015 at 02:29 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,560
Likes: 207
From: Maryland
Depends on the weather
I'm running Falken Azenis All Season on my new wheels. They are super quiet and we got about 5 inches of snow yesterday and they handled it perfectly fine, no slipping or sliding at all.
I've only had them on for about 600 miles but I love them. When on the highway you forget this is even ground under you, it's buttery smooth.
I've only had them on for about 600 miles but I love them. When on the highway you forget this is even ground under you, it's buttery smooth.
