S55 Winter Shoes are ON
12-23-2003, 11:10 AM
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W126 1991 350SDL
S55 Winter Shoes are ON
the Pirelli 240 Winter SnowSport shoes went on this morning.
special thanks to Luke at TireRack for all his help and advice on this forum and other mb forums.
i ended up getting one pair mounted on matching AMG rims (for the rears) and one pair that we swapped on the original front wheels.
i've only put 40 miles or so on them so far, and there's no snow on the ground right now, so not too much in the way of initial reaction. however, i can say they're no noisier than the stock tires. in fact they might even be a tad quieter, which i totally did not expect.
we'll see how things go when the white stuff is on the road
doody!
special thanks to Luke at TireRack for all his help and advice on this forum and other mb forums.
i ended up getting one pair mounted on matching AMG rims (for the rears) and one pair that we swapped on the original front wheels.
i've only put 40 miles or so on them so far, and there's no snow on the ground right now, so not too much in the way of initial reaction. however, i can say they're no noisier than the stock tires. in fact they might even be a tad quieter, which i totally did not expect.
we'll see how things go when the white stuff is on the road
doody!
01-11-2004, 01:07 PM
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2007 GL450
I put the same shoes on my 03 S55, but didn't buy any rims - put the same size on all four corners on the stock wheels.
Only have one experience in snow - about an inch on the roads - it was very good, not great. I'm comparing to my 00 S430 that had pilot alpins on it. But I think the difference is the S55 has a MUCH wider tire and twice the power.
Only have one experience in snow - about an inch on the roads - it was very good, not great. I'm comparing to my 00 S430 that had pilot alpins on it. But I think the difference is the S55 has a MUCH wider tire and twice the power.
01-14-2004, 12:31 PM
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W126 1991 350SDL
UPDATE
thought i'd post some anecdotal data about my snow shoe experiences.
i've had the chance now to drive the car a few times in snow and ice and slush. all in all, i'm quite impressed. i expected worse, and it's not that bad.
i'm not certain the key point is the tires or the computer though. the traction control computer is quite nicely done. on my previous M5 or 550, the traction control is a nasty beast that kicked in and then let go. the benz system is much more refined. example: i got onto an unplowed road and just stomped the gas pedal. the car didn't lurch or cut the fuel flow, but rather it said "you're a moron, dude, i'll accellerate, but at a reasonable pace" and it basically did. it sped up at the pace it could get traction at (the yellow warning light flashing throughout) and that was that. i was quite impressed.
i tried to do donuts with the computer on in an unplowed parking lot - no dice. though once you turn the computer off you can have some fun :-)
the pirellis definitely don't mind the cold like the stock tires did (no surprise). they feel much more assured right out of the garage - though i'm sure some warm-up time is still warranted.
i've never tried michelin alpins or blizzaks, so i can't compare, sorry.
this morning i drove across a part of my lawn 'cuz i wanted to see how the tires did on snow on grass. absolutely no problemo getting out of it - it didn't even blink.
i'm keeping the tranny in C mode unless it's clear and dry - just to be careful --- C for Careful S for Stupid M for Moronic
so far, so good!
hope this info is helpful to someone
doody.
PS: for the avoidance of doubt, these tires have not transformed a 516lb-ft RWD car into an ice-racer. but it's now reasonably, reliably, and safely usable in the winter. my guess is that if i absolutely have to drive somewhere in a raging snowstorm i'll probably take our beater Audi A4 Quattro (for traction and in case some other moron hits me!).
i've had the chance now to drive the car a few times in snow and ice and slush. all in all, i'm quite impressed. i expected worse, and it's not that bad.
i'm not certain the key point is the tires or the computer though. the traction control computer is quite nicely done. on my previous M5 or 550, the traction control is a nasty beast that kicked in and then let go. the benz system is much more refined. example: i got onto an unplowed road and just stomped the gas pedal. the car didn't lurch or cut the fuel flow, but rather it said "you're a moron, dude, i'll accellerate, but at a reasonable pace" and it basically did. it sped up at the pace it could get traction at (the yellow warning light flashing throughout) and that was that. i was quite impressed.
i tried to do donuts with the computer on in an unplowed parking lot - no dice. though once you turn the computer off you can have some fun :-)
the pirellis definitely don't mind the cold like the stock tires did (no surprise). they feel much more assured right out of the garage - though i'm sure some warm-up time is still warranted.
i've never tried michelin alpins or blizzaks, so i can't compare, sorry.
this morning i drove across a part of my lawn 'cuz i wanted to see how the tires did on snow on grass. absolutely no problemo getting out of it - it didn't even blink.
i'm keeping the tranny in C mode unless it's clear and dry - just to be careful --- C for Careful S for Stupid M for Moronic
so far, so good!
hope this info is helpful to someone
doody.
PS: for the avoidance of doubt, these tires have not transformed a 516lb-ft RWD car into an ice-racer. but it's now reasonably, reliably, and safely usable in the winter. my guess is that if i absolutely have to drive somewhere in a raging snowstorm i'll probably take our beater Audi A4 Quattro (for traction and in case some other moron hits me!).
Last edited by Doody; 01-14-2004 at 12:36 PM.
01-15-2004, 03:25 PM
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Sounds very impressive
I bet you had fun when you turned the TC off!
Im sure you have a digital camera, post some piccys please! Ill host them for you if you like, email me them at gurdas@gurdas.co.uk and ill get them up pronto.
I bet you had fun when you turned the TC off!Im sure you have a digital camera, post some piccys please! Ill host them for you if you like, email me them at gurdas@gurdas.co.uk and ill get them up pronto.
