jrmmrj

My 05 E55 now has 15k milles, and the original Conti's are showing enough wear to justify getting some new PS2's. Can you guys tell me which tire size I should get to improve cornering ability? I want to stay with my stock 18" wheels, but would like to go to a bigger tire to handle the twisties a little better. I would really appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance,
Randy

merc655

If you are wanting to go the PS2 route. 245/40 ZR18s are the way to go for the fronts. Great handling dry/wet and minimal road noise. I too switched a little while back from Conti's and the traction is much better along with the ride. For the backs you have two choices. You can either get 265/35 ZR 18s or you could go for the extra .5 inch and get the 275/35s. I personally have the 275s but you can go for whichever you want. Either combo gives you great handling, with the 265s a little better for less understeer and the latter for better traction but either is somewhat variable.

PS2s: Front 245/40 ZR18 (93Y)
Rear 265/ 35 ZR18 or 275/35 ZR18 you can choose.

Hope this helps.

enzom

This month's Car and Driver has a great high performance tire test. Worth a read before choosing your tires.

xraymd

They picked the Contis 2nd out of 11! The PS2's are 4th.

enzom

I don't have the article with me, but I think they are different Conti's. They were SportContact2. I think I have regular SportContact on my E.

Rafal

Your stock E55 tires are "Conti 2" ie. Conti Sport Contact 2. The old Sport Contact are no longer available.
I have not yet read the article, but if anybody picks the Contis ahead of PS2,
they deserve what they get! Were they driving an E55? My daughter's Golf is perfectly fine on Conti 2! These motor writers are full of s....
Their biggest problem is that they cannot afford the cars they test every week! Check out the Tire Rack survey results and see where Conti 2 are in the real world.

Rafal

Go with 245/40/18 and 275/35/18. The 8 and 9" rims actually make the tires crossection narrower (ideal size is 8.5 and 9.5" like mine SL55 wheels)
and your front tires will be 240mm wide and the rear 267mm.(on mine they stretch to 250 and 276mm, which is above their nominal size)
If you go with the stock size of 265 on the rear , it's diameter will be far too small compared to the front.
Mercedes do it for load rating on the Contis, but to reach their maximum load rating on all four corners you'd have to fill your car with cement!