Phallacy

Hey all,

Recently sold my 2014 CLS63 and upgraded to an S63. Absolutely love the car but the OEM continentals not so much. I had michelin super sports on my cls and it's a night and day difference. Looking to do the same to the coupe. That or the new Pilot Sport 4S.

Does anybody know if upgrading to 265/35/20 in the front and say 305/30/20 in the rear can be done with stock wheels and no special work like offsetting, spacers etc?

Also, anybody have experience with switching to wider tires and know what the widest tire that can go on the rear is without any custom work?

Thanks!

Heisenberg

I just replaced the original Conti's with Pilot Sport 4S in OEM size. They're so much better! I personally wouldn't try to go +1 on the tires, besides possible fitment and 4MATIC/ABS calibration issues, the nice ride will definitely suffer with the lower profile and you'll be more likely to end up with a bent wheel.

I also had a '14 CLS63-S before the S63. There were no Michelin tires that were a direct fit at the time, and I was strongly urged by the wheel shop to stay with the OEM size. I ultimately went with Vredestein Ultrac Vorti tires, which were excellent.

Phallacy

Thanks Heisenberg! We were in the same situation then haha. Good to know about the 4matic issues. I guess i'll stick with OEM sizes for now.

My CLS came with Pirelli P Zeros and while they were nice in dry conditions, with any hint of rain, they lost nearly all their grip. I didn't stick with OEM sizes though for the rear and went with 295 for the CLS.

How is the tire noise with the Sport 4S? The super sports were a little loud which was my only valid complaint.

Heisenberg

Don't notice any extra noise. Possible they are louder but the S Coupe cabin is way better insulated compared to the CLS.

My ride is a little harsh right now because the tire/wheel shop (WSI in Tempe, AZ) recommended I run them at 50 psi to avoid premature wear. I ran the Conti at around 40 up front - which is where the premature wear was noticeable - and 35 rear. I will start letting air out slowly until ride comfort is satisfactory. Strange because despite the lower psi the rear tires were wearing just fine, but the front inner and outer treads were toast by 8k miles.

twist-a-grip

I took delivery of my car a few months ago and couldn't be more happy with it. I realized after I picked up a nail last week, that my tire pressures were only around 30-32 as opposed to the recommended 49-48. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't notice this (since I'm a track rat and always checking tire pressures), but I didn't get any TPMS warnings. I've since set them properly at 49-48 and the car is transformed for the worse - tire/road noise way louder, no more cushy S class ride, etc - I HATE IT. I was very surprised there wasn't a warning - the psi in my tires was nearly half of what they were supposed to be. What is the lowest I can run them without crazy premature wear or wrecking a rim?

Heisenberg

The 49/48 on the door jamb is not the recommended psi for normal driving, just the suggestion for maximum load. The recommended psi for normal driving up to 155/186mph is listed on the inside of the fuel cap, with different psi for 19 and 20 inch tires and 2/4 passengers and # of bags.

The 30/32 wasn't low enough to trigger the TPMS alert, it was probably set somewhere in the mid-30's.

My rear tires were wearing okay in the mid-30 psi range. Front tires had significant wear from underinflation around 40 psi.

I'm trying 45 psi front and 38 psi rear as a compromise... as you said the ride comfort deteriorates significantly at near 50 psi, and you'll start hearing new rattles and vibrations too.

twist-a-grip

Thanks for the help. I will try your idea and see what I think.