Accomplice8

I did a few searches and noticed a whole pile of strong opinions without any consensus regarding various brands of tires. I don't track my car (drag or road course). I only occasionally have contests of speed (usually from a roll) on the street. Every once in a while I'll get close to the limter (on a closed course of course). My main question is this: does it matter if I choose to run different brands on the front vs. the rear? Also, given the way I use my car, do I need to spend the extra $ for the absolute best tires? I've read some posts that said that Nitto 555's look wider because of the way they're built. They're also priced well so I can jump to 275's for the rears for less $ then most 265's. So, I'm thinking that it is the widest looking tire I can get on the car. I'm thinking of running those in the rear but I don't care what the fronts look like so I may choose a different brand for the fronts. Either Toyos becuase they're lighter then most or Dunlops because they're said to be pretty decent and well priced. At this point I'm going to spend about $800 out the door. Any thoughts about it?

X55

um, yes unless you're talking about track only. Different mfgrs build in varying handling, noise, and wear characteristics.

that's your call. considering they're what connect you to the ground i would say yes.

generally yes they have a more square shoulder and slightly wider than average overall widths.

up to you. IMHO I'd research more into how a tire handles and drives rather than how it looks. Rims are one thing but buying a tire based on how wide it looks is the wrong strategy.

In short the widest looking tire is generally going to be a nitto, and after approximately 10,000 miles you will be amazed at how loud they are after they wear a little bit. They handle horribly in the wet, break away pretty quickly in combined acceleration+turning situations, and in the dry they stick pretty well. BTDT

Accomplice8

Thanks for the info. The local tire dealer is steering me away from the Nittos on a general quality basis. He feels that going with them may take away from whatever the factory has dialed in intending for a higher quality tire. I was tempted to get the Nittos to enjoy the wide look in the back and then maybe reduce the future road noise issue by going with a quieter brand up front (Dunlop). If I go to 275s in the rear, can I keep the factory size up front or will increasing the grip out back but not in front dial in too much understeer?

Edit: Another couple of tire people are saying that its okay to run different brands just not on the same axle.

With my horn, even if I totally pick the worst handling tires, at least my car will SOUND like its on rails.

regor60

I have them on my E55 and they seem fine. Firmer ride than with the continentals for sure. I don't flog the car in the rain anyway so traction there hasn't been an issue. I think Renntech suggests them for the SL55, notwithstanding any conflicts of interest

E55 KEV

I ran the Nitto 555 in the rear with Dunlop 9000's up front and had no issues. Went back to Dunlops in the rear and missed the wider looking tires in back.

medici78

I tried a set of 555's on my E55. However, the tires were at least a year old and had 50% tread left. I guess they hardened with age because the ride was very noisy and hard. They were some spares I had laying around and I put them on to check the fitment of a set of 19" wheels. Needless to say, I discarded them. My previous experience with Toyos in the same size (245/35/19fr, 275/30/19rr)was quite pleasant, but the Nittos were crap.
I'm sure new Nittos would be totally different, but I can say they don't age very well. I believe Nitto and Toyo are the same manufacturer, just different styles and names.

ScottCLS55

I have some pirellis in the sizes you want. Rosso 99y rated 220 treadwear, 255/40/18 up ffront 275/35 18 rear. 1300 at tire rack. I have 4 new ones for $500. Much better than nitto, very quiet. These tires come out factory on Ferrari and Lambo. Check pics. It will solve both of your problems. Only michelin is better.

MarcusF

Mismatched front and rear tires are generally a bad idea. Mismatched tires on a high performance vehicle is typically a worse idea. Mismatched tires on a high performance vehicle AND going for a canyon ride with the Southern California Rx-7 Club is just about as bad an idea as I can think of. However, if you insist on doing it, make sure someone brings a camera. Look closely. I know this guy, and his mismatched tires are one of the things he'll never live down.


All kidding aside, it's a bad idea. The Tire Rack has a short blurb about mismatching tires in their tech section:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=136

Accomplice8

I ordered the Nittos today. They'll be on the car late this week. I went up to 275's out back. So between that and the squared corner design, they should look about two sizes wider then the OEM tires.

E55 KEV

A mixed-match tire setup is when the tires don't have the same rating and nothing to do with different brands or model. For example an High Performance tire and a Max Performance tire or a H-rated tire and a Z rated tire. If the tires are in the same category they are OK.

All these are Max Performance Tires:

Bridgestone S-03
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT
Continental ContiSportContact 2
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Dunlop SP Sport 9000
Goodyear Eagle F1
Kumho ECSTA MX
Michelin Pilot Sport
Michelin Pilot PS2
Nitto NT-555
Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimmetrico
Toyo T1R
Toyo T1-S
Yokohama AVS Sport

Accomplice8

I went with the Nittos and the 275's look great in back. They're much smoother and quieter than the OEM Continentals that were worn and had cracked sidewalls (after 18,000 miles). I drove in rain last night and they were fine. Next time I need new tires I'll probably get new wheels also and go as wide as possible on 'em and max out the tire width as well. It just looks so damn cool to see steamroller-width tires on fast cars.

BlownV8

I ran NT555's on mine too. IMHO, those tires absolutely suck. They rode like a brick from day one and had crappy grip but were quiet. I swapped them out after 3 months! They were a total waste of money!!! The Michelin Pilot Sports blow them away.

Kev04C320

Go with the Michelin PS2 or Goodyear Eagle F1, the best tires on the market right now.

fortyfive

I went with Micheline PS2's.

an enromous difference vs the continentals in the rain.
an enormouse difference in terms of smoothness - It feels like the old tires had no air in them in comparison..

Kev04C320

I would say the stock Contis are even worse than my snows.......

oblax4

I've got the PS2s also - pricey but sticky and quiet. Waiting on new 19" HRE 547r wheels to arrive, and then I'll have 285s in the back with nice wide lips on the wheels. Can't wait!

OzE55

I've got Nittos on 19"s. I think the wet (and possibly the dry) grip is Not quite up to the Contis. Changing aspect ratio makes it hard to judge ride and noise but I think they're OK.
Apart from the price consideration, I'm not sure I would buy them again, but I dont have strong negative feelings.

medici78

Yeah, I'm gonna be ordering a set of PS2's in the next week or so.

Rafal

You are definitely making the right decision.
I am totally puzzled how so many people (not just on this forum) fail to appreciate that the only thing that keeps their 4000lbs fire-breathing monster connected to Earth are those four tiny square patches of sticky rubber. All that power, torque, suspension technology, style, luxury and badge-snobbery is totally useless when you are "floating" 2mm above the road, especially in the wet, because you bought cheap tires!
What is wrong with these people spending $90,000 (or in our case Down Under $190,000) on the fastest sedans in the world and then buying crap tires because they "look wide". Buy a frigging Supra, because it "looks fast"
for f... sake!

E55_POWER

I had Nitto's on my bimmer when I got new 19 inch Hammans. After 2 weeks, I went back to stock 17s on Contis becaus the Nitto's gripped pretty bad...eventually got Pirelli P Zero's on my Hammans and was much happier.

Accomplice8

So far, everything about the Nittos is better then the OEM Continentals: ride quality/ noise/ grip and yes they look wide and I like that too.

tommaey

nevermind look wide, look 'sick' thats what matters with all ur cars now. Lets look sick and cool etc. Nittos forever!! - peace out :@

Accomplice8

Eat my ***, aussie! J/K You can choose to ignore the fact that the Nittos are performing beyond my expectations and suggest that the only benefit is the width, but it simply isn't so.

Torquey55

Props to Rafal for the common sense answer to this tire discussion. The only tires I will ever put on my E55 are Michelin PS2...until something better (??) comes along. Cars at this level of performance deserve nothing less as far as I'm concerned. Don't skimp on tires!!!

Accomplice8

It seems like every available tire is better then what AMG itself has as the OEM tire on these cars. I never knew how much they OEM tires sucked until I put the Nittos on. I searched numerous tire threads on this and other forums. The PS2's are well liked along with many other tires. But, there are other viable options. For every post saying that some tire is ****e there are two more saying how great the same tire is. If the Nittos I put on my car stop being quiet, grippy, smooth-riding tires I'll post an update. Thanks for all of the info.