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First this is my wifes car. I will not put anything other than a run flat on this as we have been saved by these before and I will not take heat if she is stuck somewhere.
I am looking for advice. I want to get away from the summer Continental 5p tires and was looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 ZP. Michelin makes the rear size (285/30R19/XL 98Y) but not the front. The front tire would have to go from a255/35R19/Xl 96Y to a 245. I know this is only 10mm from sidewall to sidewall but does anyone think that this will change the handling due to 10 mm smaller? In my head I say, nothing noticeably but I wanted to see if there were any technicians or owners who have experience with this. I wish I could go to a shop and measure the treat width vs sidewall to see if anything is lost but no one keeps these tires around it seems.
If tire measurements are your concern, have you used this forum's tire size calculator (in the Tools menu)? 10 mm isn't going to change the handling as much as the all season tread versus summer tread is likely to -- better traction on wet pavement should be noticeable.
I put Bridgestone Pontenza run-flats on my 2020 last time. Better wet traction than the original Continentals. I had Pontenzas on my 335i convertible and liked them. When I needed new tires, MB service advisor didn’t have any Continental tires in stock, but he had the Pontenzas. I like them a lot and like I said, better traction when raining.
I did use the calculator. What I was thinking is that the All Season Michelin 4 ZP would be 10mm smaller in width but give me a bunch more longevity and a quieter ride. What I am concerned about is will the traction in the front even be noticeable for regular street driving?
IMHO 10 mm is not going to affect how the car handles in normal street driving. The circumference of the mounted tire should also be close to the OEM size.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
To be precise, you can change the circumference settings using XENTRY or a good Mercedes-specific scan tool.
XENTRY is good to have for many reasons. Anyone doing their own diagnosis or maintenance and repair should have it. If you go that route, I recommend getting it from @BenzNinja at www.benzninja.com. You not only get the XENTRY software, you also get WIS/ASRA, EPC, Vediamo, Starfinder, etc. and lifetime remote support for any Mercedes you own.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
Only Run Flats
