Currently, I've got the PZero Rosso's that most people seem to have. They've proven quite adequate for me and I think I've got another 5000km's left in them (25,000km's at the moment/about 18k miles).

Does this sound about right? How many miles/km's do yours have, and how many would you pile on them before changing to new ones?

Anyway, from your experience, what tires should I consider next, S03's?

Cheers

 

Don't rule out PS2's. Highly rated and quieter than the Pilot Sports.
At the top level sale prices usually determine my choice.


My p-zero's look like they'll be good for 20k miles as well.
Cheers!

 

try the PS2 Michelin...

 

I had to replace one of my rear tires just yesterday due to pothole damage. My car has 13K miles on it. I didn't realize how worn the old tires were until I saw the remaining tire side by side with the new one. Looks like I will need to replace the other rear tire in another 5 to 7K miles. My owner's manual says to use only "MO" (Mercedes Original) tires, and a couple of people on the Benz World website told me this is because MB specifies a certain tread compound. The owner's manual even goes so far to state that they will not be responsible for damage caused by non MO tires. I'm still thinking, however, that this statement is merely to scare us into returning to the dealer to buy tires at inflated prices. Do you think having MO tires is as important as the owners manual infers? I'm assuming that the Dunlops and Michelins are not MO tires.

 

Shark,

I haven't read my manual, but I agree with you. Besides, if the load rating, size, and tire pressure is the same, how would you be "at risk" driving a tire different than the 'MO'. That is lame. I'm getting ps2's for my new wheels. Although I don't see any potential problems, I would be quite upset if MB tried to pin any issues on the tire.

Maybe MB is being overly cautious. There's probably people out there that would buy any off brand lesser tire just to save a couple bucks.

 

Looks like Tirerack does, in fact, carry the MO rear tires. They offer both the 92 and 88 load rating, and if you look at Pirelli's website, the model with the 92 load rating is an MO tire. That likely explains why Tirerack's website says "Mercedes" for that model. But there is an error on Tirerack's website. They show the tire as a Rosso Asimmetrico, and there is no such model (there's a Rosso, and then there's an Asimmetrico). The picture is clearly a Rosso, and Pirelli does not even manufacture the Asimmetrico in that size. Tirerack's price is $234 plus shipping. My dealer's price was $305 not installed. Still, it's hard for me to accept that the Continental, Dunlop, and Michelin models (each available in the 92 load range) would be a problem to use on the car. Maybe each of these tires also have the MO designation, and we just are not aware of it?

 

Yes, these are fantastic tires for the street in the summer, in the rain and on the track. Excellent wear, too. I've had at least 7-sets of S-03s and will buy them as long as they are available. I have 6 of them now for my 55.

However if you need them for snow and slush, they are not suitable.

Here is a link to Bridgestone's S-03 fitment page:

http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tires...sproductid=227

 

While I do not know the specific tire sourcing strategy for the SLK55, typically, an OEM will "validate" several tire suppliers with at least one tire supplier approved prior to the start of production. I have seen 2 tire suppliers for the SLK55 but do not know the specific allocation between these suppliers. I have had Yokohama's on several vehicles and have been amazed by handling and wear improvements over OEM tires. It should also be understood that OEM tires are the easiest commodity to change (lead time wise) in the auto product development process and are typically "tuned" to enhance the ride characteristics of the vehicle. Shock valving and other suspension components have both longer tooling and validation approval cycles. Not all tires by a Supplier for the same size tire are the same.... More specifically, construction and compound differences are part of the OEM "tuning" process.

 

Gordon, I prefer to stick with the stock size (245/35-18 for the rears). Unless I missed something, the chart you attached indicates that they aren't made in that size. Perhaps you were suggesting that I go with another size, but amongst other issues, one of my friends starting playing with tire sizes on her Boxster and it caused the stability control to think something was amiss. The Porsche dealer spent hours and hours trying to analyze the problem, and then realized it was the tire size causing the issue. Porsche wanted to charge her for several hours labor.

 

Most of these replys are based on opinions. I prefer tires based on performance tests. grassroots motorsports mag and car & driver rececently did a tire test with objective data.

By far the fastest street tire is a Falken 615 but there doesn't seem to be a good size for the SLK. Second fastest is the Yokohama Neova.

This is not based on opinion, but objective tests.

If you really want to grippiest tire, run some Pirelli Corsas or Yokohama A048s. These are R compound racing tires that would be fine on the street. You may get 5-7000 miles out of them.

Th

 

I understand your concerns WRT non-stock sizes. I am running 255/35x18 on the front and 225/40x18 (stock size) on the front and have no problems with the electronics.

I am running these on the 22-spoke SL wheels, but I don't believe you'd have any clearance problems with the 255s on the rear stock rims, although I have not tried this. I do plan to mount 255s on the stock rims, but have not actually tried this yet.

Here's a link from the tire rack to compare max performance tires:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP and you can link to other comparisons from there.

 

I'm not planning to drive on snow or slush, and I'm not a drag racer or auto-x guy, so I'm not looking for soft-compound tires etc...

I just want good tires for performance, wear and sound.

 

The heavier load rating on a same make and model tire will usually indicate a stiffer sidewall - which you may or may not want.

I used to swear by the S03's -- and even offered Firestone-Bridgestone a $100,000 order if they'd make them in a different size for me so that I could put them on the rear on two of my cars...that's how much I liked them. I regularly spend over $20,000 a year on tires; and I can afford to buy the best wheels and tires to put on every one of my cars. All of my cars that used to get S03's put on them now get PS2's put on them.... What does that tell you? At the AMG Challenge events here in the USA this last year all of the cars were mounted with PS2's. What does that tell you? The PS2 is the only tire in the world that utilizes carbon-black instead of rubber for its tread compound. What does that tell you?

C&D's evaluation was too heavily weighted on price -- if price and not performance is your 'objective' -- there you go. Tirerack's website is about the best subjective and objective major across-the-board real-world evaluation out there.

I have over four dozen high-horsepower cars, with about 7 different tires across the lot of them. I drive them on roads all over the world and in all kinds of conditions. I spend time throughout the year in most of my cars at the racetrack. I take day, overnight, and multi-day-long road trips all the time. And I go two miles into town to get gas and groceries just like everyone else. And on top of it all I consider myself to be even more of a tire enthusiast than I am a car enthusiast -- and I've been both for over 40 years.

For a car that is going to be driven on the street, whatever else you may do with it, the PS2 is the best tire out there. The F1 GSD3 is the second best. The S03 is the third best. That is my opinion.

There is alot more to a tire than what somehow the label 'fastest' might be used to mean. If you want a sole-purpose track tire, by all means buy one -- but don't use it in place of a far better for the application high-performance street tire, especially when you've got a heavy car, other traffic, a non-racetrack road surface, road hazards, and the lives of you and your passengers in the car with you in consideration.

Race cars and street cars, and race tires and street tires, will always be diametrically opposed. The high-performance street tires have spent hundreds of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of miles in experience, and decades of years developing what we have now -- so take advantage of it.

(and trompazo - I am starting to really wonder about you...).

 

PS2 was my choice ... clayJ , can you compare S03 vs PS2

 

What are you starting to wonder about? I am a physician and base my statements on objective data and not anecdotal opinion with little validity

If you are looking for all-around dry performance with good performance in the wet, the Yoko Neova is currently the best performance wise. It comes as standard on the Lotus Elise and Lotus does know a little bit about handling. It is not a cheap tire and costs more than the PS2 and S03.

If you want a comfortable ride, low noise, and a longer lasting tire, then the PS2 may be better for you. S03s are pretty old technology.

Everyone has different priorities and picking a tire is very self dependant on your kneeds.

If anyone lives in a place where there is snow, I would recommend trying the Dunlop Winter Sport M3. Even though this is a "snow tire" it can be used all year long, gives amazing grip in the cold/snow, has really good dry performance, and high-speed stability. I have personally tested this tire to over 145mph and it feels fine. For the vast majority of people who don't take their car to a racetrack (probably 99% of Merecedes owners), this tire could be used all year long and you'd never know it was snow tire.

Even though I am a performance freak, I will run this tire most of the year and put on a gripper summer/track tire for a few months of the year. On a car that I wouldn't be taking to the track, I would leave these on all year round.

I have recommended them to many people for winter tires, and so far noone has switched back to summer tires when it gets warmer.

 

It's actually the other way around. Most development money goes into race tires, with the technology trickling down to the street product line.

To be technical, there is a huge range of race tires. The tires classified as "race" tires that can be used on the street are esentially the same as the manufacturers top of the line street street tire but with a stickier compund of rubber that gives them a treadwear rating of less than 140.

Pirelli Corsas, Michelin Pilot Sport cups, and Yoko Ao48 r compound tires are street legal tires with a treadware rating of less than 140. They give much better dry grip than their equivalent street tire with a treadwear rating of greater than 140 but are entirely streetable if you want to give up tread life for traction. The Yokohama A048 is a r-compound tire that is would be considered a "race/competition" tire as it has treadwear rating of 60. But it is entirely streebale and comes as standard equipment on the Lotus Elise with the sport suspension package.

 

Given these requirements, I would agree with Clay and say the PS2 would be best if that is all you want.

But if you drive your car all year round in any temps that are below 5 degree celsius, I would seriously just go with an allseason tire.

 

I don't want all seasons. The Rosso's did work fine when temperatures reached 0 degrees, but I do admit I was driving quite carefully as well.

So, I guess it comes down to PS2's and S03's then?

Anybody got direct links to comparisons between these two tires? I'm especially interested in:
- price difference
- the sound they make (noise level)
- performance/grip in rain
- durability (i.e. which one lasts longer on average)

I'm not an 'expert' driver, so I don't think the performance in dry is really of importance for me. Basically, I doubt I'd see too much of a difference between the two as I don't push my car that much.

p.s. damn you guys, you've got quite an impressive list of "toys" some of you! Wish I could have several dozen high performance cars (eh, maybe in the future, who knows... gotta keep working harder and harder I guess).

 

Excellent, trompazo. Well put, and I do feel much better now.... LOL

I do agree with you on the Dunlop M3's - it is one of my favorite tires also, and I do use them on several of my cars during the winter. They are surprisingly good in the dry -- levels right up there where you wouldn't expect them to be for a winter tire.

The Corsa's, the Cups, and the A048's all fall off quite a bit in the rain; and there is no way that I could favorably compare them in the wet on the street to any of the three tires I named - and probably not even against a Pirelli PZero Nero M&S or a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.... Hearsay has it that the A048's are my track tires on my Lotus Elises -- but I will have to look into the Neovas (thanks trompazo )

Almost every race or track tire will lack the grooving and tread depth to adequately throw enough water to make them safe on a freeway in traffic in moderate to heavy rain. The S03's and the original Pilot Sports were both passenger tires made off of that year's F1 rain tires.

As to the question on my comparison of the S03 to the PS2: The PS2 in my experience generates a little more traction in most conditions. Over the lifetime of the tire it is probable to say that the PS2 is the more comfortable tire and the quieter tire on certain road surfaces (the S03's are cushy when they're brand new and just after you've broken them in but do tend to generate a little more road shock and noise as they wear -- not too much, but more). The PS2's are also the better tire I think for handling, and generate more road feel and a better sense of what the car is doing. The S03's weren't bad in either respect, actually - but there was a little bit more isolation from the road, and every now and then you could get them to break away from you more suddenly than you expected them to.
The S03's would never hydroplane for more than a split second, and it would have to be in not-shallow standing water -- but once again the tread pattern technology on the PS2 is just that much more well thought out.
Both tires enabled great braking and acceleration for me -- but once again the PS2 is just a newer tire with better technology.
Surprisingly enough, I found the S03's to be a fairly, surprisingly, long lasting tire. I have heard comments from people that their S03's wore out too fast; but my experience with them was that they lasted longer than my PS2's do - and on equivalent cars and applications with equivalent use.
I mount PS2's now; but I could tell you stories of 90mph laps at the track in a front-wheel drive Volvo and 140mph romps over frozen pavement in light snow flurries through the mountains on S03's - but I won't.... I don't do that or tell that anymore. LOL
I do currently have one car that I still use S03's on - but that is only because I did not want to plus-size the wheels and tires on that car and the S03 is a better fitment than the PS2 on the wheels that I have on it. It is the 'least' of my cars, though. I have a new car coming which may also get S03's because of fitment issues, and I do not want to use the OEM tires on that car, as the S03 is a better tire in my experience.

 

So, on average, how much cheaper/expensive is an S03 over a PS2?

If anyone knows, that is, for a give size ?

 

Heres a OK comparison chart based on customer reports from the tirerack. It's not based on objective data.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP

I believe the PS2 is much cheaper than the S03, but haven't checked recently.

In this class, the Goodyear GS-D3 again came in at number one, just as it did in the recent car and driver test. It is an amazing rain tire. It has a very good treadwear rating, however, i burned off a set in under 4000kms in a Mini Cooper. (Although, that did include ALOT of track time)

 

I've talked with people who have done both the PS2 and F1 GSD3 -- as I am very interested in the GSD3....

I still hear that they do wear quickly, and that they get noisy with wear-

Did you have any off-track experience with the GSD3 that you'd like to share more fully in detail, trompazo?

 

On the street they were great. Excellent rain tire, and very good grip in the dry. They road much better than the runflats that came with the car.

Handling was great on tight mountainous roads. I made a 1200km trip through the Canadian Rockies in 8 hours (including stops for gas).

But if you spend any time on the track, they will be done in no time.