A few wks. ago, I sold my 221 platform/S550. I now have a 2012 Cl550 4-Matic. I moved from 221 platform/S550 to the CL in April.

At the risk of offending CL owners, I post here, as the AWD CL and 550 platforms are separated by two doors, for all purposes.


If there's an existing thread, pls. direct me.

If not, my 2012 CL, w/ 27 k miles on the original Conti's, needs rubber. I live in snow country and need to move w/in wks. I have the AMG pkg., w/ 20" AMG logo'd wheels, not chrome, so looking for year-'round tires.

I had put Conti DWS on my 550 4 Matic. Put maybe 25k miles on the stock 18" wheels. Maybe imagination, but I found the road noise distracting w/ the Conti DWS'. Otherwise, I found them a reasonable value, ride, traction and cost/benefit-wise.

Sooo, what have readers here done? What, brand and model/style has given the most drivers the greatest satisfaction, all-around comfort level and value on their 221/S550? I think the ride/value/wear would be virtually the same on an S550 as a CL550.


If my logic (similar platforms, this similar tire needs) is in error, pls. advise. If not, all advice is solicited.

Thanks.

Cooper Zeon. Helluva tire at any price and the price is right.

I've always used Michelins. The price may be higher bot I believe you get what you pay for.

I am looking at the conti DWS 06, coming from contipro's that only lasted 25k miles. I am still considering other tires, but I did drop the Michelin A/S 3's due to poorer snow performance than the DWS 06 - according to some members in other forums.

The Conti DWS 06's are available for $209 at Tire Rack, 224 at Discount Tire.

Stay away from Coopers. They are complete garbage and don't last even half as long as their mileage warranty before the tread starts coming apart. Just do an online search if you doubt that. If you're looking for a great performing all-season tire, the Hankook Ventus S1 tires perform pretty much identical to the Michelin Pilots for a lot less money. 60k mile warranty too.

I like the michelins, however if you are looking for a Good all season winter tire I'd recommend the DWS or something close to it.

Btw what is a "platform" s550?

I hav a fresh set of staggerd conti dws on 20's so far so good.

Wilassasin...."Platform".


My phrasing was meant to refer to a genre' or common background. Similar to the Mac computer operating system is the platform from which a variety of apps operate. My analogy is the S Class platform or base is used on CL's and variants. Maybe a reach of words on my part; maybe not even valid.


Thanks to all posters for the advice on tires. Probably like asking what shade of the color blue is best. There is no final, one correct answer.


I don't do a lot of highway driving, so the miles I got out of the DWS' (about 25k) on the S550 were below the norms, imo.


The Conti Contacts on the CL have about 27k on them and getting close to the wear bars. So that jibes.


Am considering the DWS06's strongly.

I've had the Contis, the Sumitomos, and Bridgestone Potenzas for reference. All three of those provided a similar ride quality, and wore somewhat quickly, at which point they started getting progressively more noisy and less smooth. They were relatively inexpensive which was why I tried them.

In a class by itself (at least on the S/CL) is the Michelin Pilot Super-sport. They take quiet and smooth to a different level. You'll notice it immediately after they're mounted. Durability is good, you'll get about 15k miles from the rears (if staggered) and 20k from the fronts. On a square set up where you can rotate they're warrantied for 30k.

Price is around $1200 on a staggered set up, couple hundred less square.

Thanks for the advice. But, I seek all-season. The only Michelin "performance" all-season I find are Pilot® Sport A/S 3. Are these an equally wearing tire as your suggestion, which I assume is a "summer" tire?

They'll wear quite a bit better...they aren't as gummy. But to be A/S the tread block has to be pretty heavily segmented on the horizontal axis. That and a stiffer compound equates to more noise and a less compliant ride.

I guess the Conti DW would be the best compromise. Just keep an eye on the little DW logo embedded in the tread. When the W is no longer visible the tire is just rated for Dry at that point.

How about a spare set of wheels and do a Summer/Winter?

I do have a spare/extra wheels set, but they are 18". 19's w/ the AMG pop etc. still look commanding. Maybe grit teeth 'till March and put the 18's on w/ Arpin's or similar?

There are a few brands that have not been mentioned. BF Goodrich, Goodyear, Yokohama, and Kumho all offer 19" high performance all-weather tires for the W221 and C216.

...utter nonsense.

Myself and thousands of other people speak from experience. Just because you don't mind that garbage on your car doesn't mean they are good tires to put on a heavy Benz....or any vehicle weighing 2 tons for that matter. Coopers might have been ok tires 20 years ago, but they have not advanced like almost all other manufacturers. Generals are also crappy tires that should be avoided.

Sounds like you haven't bought a set of Cooper Tires in 20 years?

According to this site the Cooper's have 3X the reviews and actually review marginally better than the Hankook's. (both review very well)

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Revie...RS3-A#features

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Revie...oble2#features

What am I missing? Or should I ask what are you missing?

Just because Cooper pissed you off 20 years ago doesn't mean myself and thousands of others should deprive ourselves of a very high quality tire for a very reasonable price. (and we have a set performing beautifully on a 2 ton Lexus)

PS...Pep Boys has a buy 3 get 1 free deal on Cooper all month.

You didn't comprehend my post very well. I said that they were ok 20 years ago....but they now suck compared to the competition. It's nice that your early impressions of your tires is positive. But that will likely change as the miles pile up. Or perhaps you don't have experience with other brands and don't know the difference.

Dave, when was the last time you owned a set of Copper Zeon tires? Obviously you had a suboptimal experience at some point, how long ago was that?

More positive reviews...beat out Michelin and Hankook here: http://www.windingroad.com/articles/...3-s-and-rs3-a/

And this reviewer arrived at same conclusions, better than Michelin & Hankook: http://autoweek.com/article/car-news...ver-tire-tires

I had Coopers on an LS400 about 20 years ago. Not a bad experience. Had Coopers on my wife's Odyssey about 5 years ago. Absolute garbage. Got less than 20k miles before the tread started coming apart. Read reviews on the tires and the general consensus was stay away from all Cooper tires, no matter which model.


I really don't think you're going to sell the OP into buying that trash. But I'm glad they have made you happy.

If you want an "all weather tire" that you wouldn't have to change during winter, the best tire you can get is the Nokian WRG3.

https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-wrg3/

Hmmm, what advantages does the Nokian have that we should consider, say in comparison to the Extreme Contact DWS 06?

Nokians would definitely be better in the snow....as they have a snow tread blocked pattern on them. I have a feeling that the handing in the summer would be much worse than the Contis or just about every other all-season tire.

The WRG3 is an "all weather" tire designed to have better ice and snow traction than an "all season" tire. The DWS is a UHP "all season tire" tire, and will have better dry and wet traction.

Surprisingly the reviews I saw stated that they are really good during the summer with handling. The WRG2's supposedly had a "drone" sound but that seems to have improved with the WRG3's.