JBRhee

I'm planning on replacing the Pirelli tires and was wondering which tires are recommended for a good balance of ride comfort/noice, treadwear, and handling.

I was looking into the Michelin Pilot Sport 2, but for the rear it looks like the only available size would be 245/40. I don't know if this will pose a problem, but does anyone have any experience with these tires? Is it worth the money or should I shoot for another brand?

Thanks!

kaamacat

I've got Michelin PS'2s on two of my cars (the 74' Pantera and 05'GTO), excellent handling, cornering, response...etc. Wear also seems to be good. I've always noticed when going from a Michelin to something else, I could immediately feel a decrease in handling response. (Meaning I wish they'd put these on the SLK's to start with and you would see a nice improvment in the wheel response). Another comment is, that Porsche uses them as OEM on their cars, and, if you ever look at a review between a Porsche and some other make, they will often comment on the tires coming into play......

Bridgestone has the PolePosition series that are not bad either. The new RE050s might be a good choice, and, you might even find S03's from TireRack at a great price. (Only comment there is from a side view they might not look as nice on the Merc)

I tend to look out at the comments under TireRack to see what other owners have seen. And sure as for price, the Michelins are very expensive. (Heck my rears on the Pantera are 335/35-17's at almost $400 each).........

Bob

JBRhee

Thanks for the info, Bob.

I was doing some research at TireRack and I'm torn between two tires:

1) Bridgestone Patenza RE050A Pole Position

2) Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3

For ride quality and noise reduction, which do you think will be better?

They're both comparable in price and ratings as far as I can tell.

kaamacat

Those Goodyears are excellent also. (Sorry forgot to mention those). I like their "squared" look from front and back.......I will say the PS2's have more of a rounded look and make the profile from front/back look more narrow. Depending on how good of a match they are for the wheel, they could tend to wear a bit more on the outer edges during hard cornering.

(I also look at the tread pattern to see what I think........ on some cars, some patterns just dont look right...... but thats just me)

On the other question.......... Thats a hard one. Even looking at the reviews I'm not sure what I'd do. The one thing I've heard about a few times with the Bridgestones is, that when they are going to break-away, there is minimal warning......I also see some comments on sidewall responsiveness. (And even with my S03's, they are great, but the response is not the same as the Michelin is).

For "looks" the Bridgestone might look better on the car.............Like with the original PilotSports, that pattern is any eye-catcher..........(I waited for the new PS2's for my Pantera because of that)

SLK55R

Actually the Goodyears do not have as square a sidewall as the Michelin PS2s.

Btw PS2s do make 265/30 19s. I don't know if you still on 18's or not.

I've gone thru 1 set of Michelins and am currently on my first set of Goodyears.

So far I would have to say that the handling ability of the GSD3's is as good as the michelins if not better. The traction in wet weather is very good as well, easily comparable to the michelins.

I think it comes down to this :
If your running 19s ... better use the GSD3's due to rubbing issues.
If your running 18s it comes down to a significant price savings for the GSD3's at a cost of road noise.

chitownc32

i got the nitto nt 555's i love em

JBRhee

For the michelins did you have to go with the 245/40 in the rear?

SLK55R

I went 265/30 19's

fredfromny

IMO the PS2's are the best tires that I've ever driven, Bar none. Not only is the handling great but they are relatively quiet which is important for a roadster.

AUSSLK55AMG

Hi guys,

I had the same issue as I find the Pirelli P Zero Rosso's are just execrable and simply prove the point that OEM tyres may well be utter cr_p.

The biggest problem we face changing from OEM tyres is the SLK55 rear rim size - it's a unique size - 245/35 ZR18's with a 92Y load rating. That limits us to only the OEM tyres - P Zero's or the Continental SportContact 2 - cos no-one else makes them in this size (as far as I can find anyway).

After looking around for alternatives I had two tyres on my shortlist:

- Michelin Sport Pilot 2 (PS2)
- Eagle F1-GSD3

TyreRack mentions there are PS2's and Eagle F1-GSD3's in the rear size but nobody has told the manufacturers this yet.

So there aren't.

I like the stock 18-inch multispoke SLK55 rims a lot (they look hot!) and I'm not really interested in going to a 19-inch as I'd need a mouthguard driving on Australian roads if I had lower profile tyres than I currently do - all my rims are ALREADY dented on the inside from our swimming-pool sized potholes!

Once rolling along the rear traction is not usually a problem so much with the P Zero's as I find the multilink rear suspension does such a good job traction is only really overcome in really tight bends and initial acceleration from rest. They are useless in the wet - that is true - but nothing I read suggested the Conti's were any better in this regard.

So I chose to get my 3rd set of P Zero's for the rear at 15,000km. :-(

For the fronts you can get either the Michelins or the Eagles (there are many other options too as this is a common size for many cars) in 225/40 ZR18 92Y - and I chose the PS2's.

It has transformed the handling of the car and is simply the best decision I have ever made since deciding to by the car!!

It has also raised the front of the car slightly (must be a taller tyre but handling is SO much better wet/dry it's AMAZING despite the minor increase in CG this must have wrought) so the car gets into my driveway without scraping the front airdam at all (before I just had to endure the sickening crunch twice a day) and this goes for speedhumps and curbs as well.

The grip is just unbelievable and the PS2's cornering limits are higher than mine! I just don't have the ***** to find them!! (I went through my first set of tyres on the SLK55 in 5000km so I can assure you I'm no *****!)

They are slightly louder than the Rosso's but then the Rossos are so loud you wouldn't really notice. They are wearing on the shoulders a bit now 4000km on but there's no reason to suspect they won't last at least as long as the Pirellis while providing so many more smiles on each bend. I have to say that at least 2000km of that is analogous to driving on the track (was through our Snowy Mountains going so hard the brakes not only faded almost completely but the discs cracked - get the message? The tyres stood up to this while the SLK55's mighty brakes didn't!).

The car now handles fluidly and steering response is markedly improved. The tyre surface heats up VERY quickly and they are in NO way a problem when cold. Wet vs dry traction is limited ONLY by the Pirelli P Zeros on the rear! They're useless when a drop of water hits the road! The PS2 fronts have just AMAZING traction - wet or dry.

I loved it so much I even tried a set of outsized PS2's on the rear! These had to be the 255/35 ZR18's from the C55 - and while they were simply unbelievably better than the Pirelli's in traction and grip - the increase in rolling diameter took too such an edge off the acceleration of the car even my girlfriend remarked on it! She preferred it with the 245's and she's not even a hoon! You couldn't do a burn-out unless you revved it up to 6000rpm with the front brakes on and the let 'er rip with these rears - that's the downside of better traction. We AMG drivers like breaking traction when we want don't we?

So I swapped back to the 245/35 Rosso's at the rear due to necessity.

I couldn't recommend the PS2's more highly for the fronts - they have transformed the car. Now the front grip is in keeping with the car's acceleration and braking potential. It's the sportscar it really should have been - and I didn't even know there was a problem!

Good luck with your choice of tyres!

JD

Sydney Australia

JBRhee

JD,

Thanks for your long input.

I actually ordered the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s at a local tire store, America's Tire Co, and they do in fact make these tires in the stock sizes. I'll definitely let everyone know how it goes when I have them installed tomorrow. I wanted to try the PS2s, but I would've had to use 245/40, which would sit higher.

Thanks,
JB

bloflin

I know absolutely nothing getting tires into Oz, but Tirerack does list the following at 245/35ZR18 92Y:

Mich PS2 - In stock
Yoko Advan Sport - Low Stock

As well as the PZeros and Conti's you listed.

At 88Y there is also:
Eagle F1 - In Stock
BFG g-Force - Low Stock

There is also a Dunlop SP In Stock, but doesn't have a load rating shown, though in the representative pic you can see it's 94Y (but this is not the exact same size tire).

JBRhee

Tirerack is a little misleading for the michelin PS2s. They are the only site that states the PS2s come in 245/35. For more accurate results, I tried checking with Michelin's website and all the local tire companies, and all say a 245/35 does not exist.

AUSSLK55AMG

Yummy!

I'm considering doing an extra burnout or two per day to exhaust the crappy P Zeros on the rear so I can get a set of the F1-GSD3's!!!!

That would be PS2's on the front and F1's at the rear - that would be an interesting combination.

If nothing else the Goodyears with their aggressive arrow treadpattern look absolutely fantastic!

Let is know how it goes JBRhee!

Cheers,

JD

Sydney Australia

kaze81

I am sure I have seen in person Michelin PS2 in 245/35/18 size. Btw, you can put 255/35/18 for the rear in stead of 245/35/18. Just my opinion.

AUSSLK55AMG

JBRhee,

With the F1 rears you're getting is the load rating high enough for the SLK55's rear corner weight?

From memory they are an 88Y as mentioned above in one of the kind replies to this thread - which is not enough and in Australia at least would cause insurance issues in the event of a crash (they would not pay out as unapproved tyres were used regardless of the details of any accident - yes I know that sux but what do you do?). 92Y or more is required looking at my manual.

I'm not a tyre expert so I don't really know if they're all that different but you might like to look into it. I think that was the reason I didn't go for the F1 rears (my memory is dimly being opened by these things so please forgive me) which I think were in the right size but weren't strong enough to take the weight of the SLK55 safely.

Cheers,

JD

Sydney Australia

JBRhee

You bring up a good point, JD. The Goodyears are 88Y. I didn't think it would really pose a problem.

What does everyone else think about this?

bloflin

JBRhee, something's confused...

I called Tirerack about tires, fellow was immediately ready to sell and ship me Mich PS2 245/35ZR18. No confusion, I was ONLY looking for 2 rear tires for my SLK55.

However, I did not get them, so I can't say I touched them myself.

But then based on your post, I went straight to the Michelin USA site, and called up a 245/35ZR18 PS2. They are there. The MSPN is 92789. Not only does Mich have that tire, they list it as an OEM Tire for the SLK55 (it's 92Y also).

JBRhee

Yeah, I found out they do make them. But I still went with the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. I hope the lower load rating won't be a problem.

However, I must say, these tires are truly amazing. I honestly didn't think replacing tires could make such a drastic difference for ride quality and handling. They are much, much smoother and quieter than the Pirellis. I would highly recommend them over the Pirellis. I, unfortunately, do not have experience with the PS2s, so I can only compare them to the stock pirellis.

kaamacat

I've ordered a few times from TireRack with no problems at all. In-fact the PS2's in 335-35/17's for my Pantera rear were not showing in other places like Discount Tire's database, but, TireRack said yes. (and I had them 3days later).

....my neighbor has the GY's on his Ferrari and loves em!

IMHO.......Over the many many years, it seems that biggest enjoyment on an "upgrade" seems to be with either suspension or tires. (same area overall). I really wish Merc put these better tires on the AMGs as a standard option because the steering response would be soooo much better. (and a potential selling point actually. Shame that so many manufacturers are stuck with low-bids for tire selection)

Good luck with the new shoes..............report back soon! (probably could use a posting on tires and even the pressures used)

Shark

Michelin definitely makes PS2's in size 245/35R18, load range 92Y. I had mine installed this week. I already had PS2's on my front axle and thought they rode far less harshly than the OEM Pirelli's, but seemingly with no compromise in handling.

I purchased mine at tiresavings.com...they are less expensive then Tirerack. I've purchased from Tiresavings in the past with no problems, but this time all did not go so smoothly, so I have mixed feelings about recommending them. I ordered my tires on-line first thing Friday morning. The website showed them as in stock, and stated that most of the time they are shipped within 24hours. I checked the status of my order Monday afternoon, and their website showed the tires had not been shipped. I called them and was told they would be shipping that day. On Wednesday the website still showed the tires had not been shipped, so I sent them an email requesting that the order be canceled. They responded with a email stating the tires had been shipped just hours before, and the tires did arrive the next day. BTW, Costco also shows the same tires on their website, and considering their price is an installed price, they are competitive, too.

Finally, I have noticed a bit of minor rubbing with the front tires once in a while when the steering is turned full left or full right...never experienced that with the same size Pirelli's.

slktyperice

You guys should really consider the Yoko Advan Sports, I just put them on my rear and they handle like a dream, on the road or on the track when I'm punishing them. I'm running 265/30/19's.

Scoobysnack

Quick comment as im on my third set of Rosso rears on the SLK55 AMG, and have been using 88 loading not 92, with no issues. Same for the front .

As i understand it the difference in loading is 88 = 560kg and 92 = 630kg. I thought the load capacity of a tyre determines what payload each tyre can carry while static not forced through movement. i.e 88 = 2240kg , 92 = 2520kg

4th set going on in 500miles as our weather is getting more wintery..... as a note the Rossos take time to soak heat up in this UKcold spell, so have to be careful for a few miles.

Comments welcome

J

Scoobysnack

A friend also mentioned the number indicated the maximum weight a tyre can carry, at the speed indicated by its speed rating. ...

So i dont think it has a force included

J

rb136

I put the GSD3's on mine after the orig P Zero Rosso's and then a set of P Zero Nero's. No comparison in handling at the track. The GSD3s corner noticably better and seem to be wearing better. Stayed with 225s in front and went to 255s in the rear. I'll buy another set when I trash these.