Blocktrader

If you aren't concerned with tire noise, and really want the ultimate in grip none of the other tires comes close to the Geforce KD's. My Corvette has over 520 RWHP and I hook up in second with KD's. With any other tire you can't get traction untill third. I would imagine that with a smooth foot, and KD's you could get full throttle in first in an E55.

amgrocket

the treadwear rating on the re050 is 140 A A. the treadwear numbers are alot of hocus pocus. the manufactures test the these tires in accordance to the government standards but do so on their own grounds and enviornmental conditions. they can test the tire on an ideal day and a desire surface to achieve these utqg numbers. i would say at best the treadwear numbers are comparable within the same manufacturer. compared to a different manufacturer its an "in the ballpark" number only. a bigger variable would be the driver, driving conditions and maintanance. ie air pressure/alignment/balancing and rotations on some cars. according to the bstone executive, more and more car manufactures are pushing towards a re050 type of tire, which emphasizes more comfort, reduction of noise because of the wider contact patch creates more noise than the base package cars usually have but still offer high speed and above average handling. the s03 and blocktrader mentioned the bfg kd.. those tires will probably never see oe fitments except maybe in factory tuner fitments at best because of their harsher ride and increased road noise. btw i got the new road and track! e55 tested #1. oh yeah!

Finnish C32

OEM Tires was continental sportcontacts and rear tires have MO (Mercedes-Only) mark on sidewall. it means extremely-soft (and comfortable) sidewalls. thats why stock E55 has so nervous rear

and sorry guys, my english shines

mike82y

The MO or M0 stands for extra load, just like any the XL or Rainforce tires... the regular tires have max. load of 650Kg and the one with M0 can stand 730Kg...

Mike

Finnish C32

*peep* wrong answer some Porsche-tyres has PO only and, that means...?

stephens

Why does the new E55 need the "extra load" rating on the rear tyres anyway??
The car is only 100Kg heavier than the outgoing model and I would have thought most of that would be in the front. Previous CL55's and S55's which are much heavier than the new E55 didn't require it.
As soon as I run the motor in on mine I will probably change for a set of 275's
Finnish C32 what width and more importantly offset are your rims?

mike82y

I guess it's just in Germany that things are so complicated...
If you have your car tuned, even just upgrading the wheels above 18". you need to have your car registered at TÜV.
Thats why if you have the wrong off set tires, you will not only have problems with TÜV but also with your insurance company...



Mike
But Finnish C32, i though Porsch uses N1 tires... I am all confused now lol

Finnish C32

A friend of mine is the biggest pirelli retailer in Finland. And he told me the MO-marking means a significantly softer sideline in the tire. Extra-load marking is different story a softer side leads to a nervous behaviour when driving fast, that's why my car handles better even with M+S than with original MO-marked tires not to mention my new !9" P-Zero Rosso tires...

jposhea3

as an FYI, the AMG Challenge cars all had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Summer Compound tires this past weekend at Pocono Raceway.

Michelin's one of the sponsors of the event, but some of the drivers there were quite favorably disposed toward Michelins (the drivers worked for AMCI)

ajoe

I didn't think Michelin made all season in the 265/35 size? What gives?

E55 KEV

jposhea3, was the AMG Challege worth $850? How was it and the E55 at top speed on the track? What is "AMCI"?

I guess the tires used depends on 'who' sponsers the event. In 2001 the AMG Hot Lap Event (free) was sponsored by Continental. They had a trailer full of Conti tires and a crew to mount and balance tires all day long.

jposhea3

AMCI is the outfit of professional drivers/racers/instructors they use to teach people.

The E55 probably topped out in the 100-110mph neighborhood because we didn't use the full track. We used the corner oval (pocono is a rounded triangle, like a pool table rack) plus some of the road track, so we had the high bank, then off the big loop onto a windy road course, then back up on the high bank - so there wasn't a lot of flat out dragging to top speed on any of the cars.

I thought it was a good way to thrash other people's cars, so for $850 it seemed to be acceptably priced. If you had to use your *own* car then 850 would be ridiculous.

But given that we got to autocross SL55s and skidpad the tires bald on S55s, etc, I think we got our money's worth.

By the end of the day the cars were all parked along the track, widely spaced, after instructor-driven hot laps, with heat visibly rising from the entire body of each car and light steam/smoke coming from under the wheels (brake lines) :-)

MB-AMG division had product managers there and mingled and schmoozed a lot while you were waiting your turn to thrash cars (there were about 2:1 students to cars - roughly 75 students and 40-50 cars, not all of which were on the go-fast section).

A fun day.

Pbglas

Jposhea3, how did you like the E 55 at the track? A mini review would be welcome.