From M to AMG

Happy Holidays!



I am moving to a place that has rain and light snow and I have the 19" Titanium wheels on it now with Max Summer Pirelli tires.

Was thinking that I should get some AMG 18" wheels for dedicated winter use.

Never been in winter condition before so any tips would be greatly appreciated...

I.T. Guy

Replika R157 wheel | 19X8.5, 5x112, 66.5, 32 offset
Michelin - Pilot Alpin PA4 - P255/35R19 XL 96V BSW

Don't bother with 18's
Don't bother with staggered setup

Buy 5 rims and when you crack/dent one, you have a spare, replace and place order the day it bends or cracks for another. I go through 1-2 rims a season, they are cheap enough to be throw-away so I just always have one new in box ready to swap out.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...isited-13.html

I.T. Guy

P.S. Tip: these cars are beasts in the snow, super stable. With tires and AWD they eat the miles, never get stuck, and blow everyone away. I enjoy mine in Canada all year and it rocks.

Rehabguy

I'd look into something like this: https://mbworld.org/forums/market/828713. Will likely need a 5mm spacer for the rear.

AMGfifty5

nice Pepsi

thesaintusa

EXACTLY my recommendation.

Same wheels, Replika R157, non staggered.
Nokian Hakka R3 tires for me in a 255/35/19

Agree on the comment to get an extra rim.

Love the Hakka R3, but they give up a bit of wet road traction versus the Michelin Alpin. We have enough snow / slush / ICE that I prefer the added performance in CRAP conditions versus the better handling characteristics of the Alpin winter tires.

I just put the new Michelin X-ICE SNOW winter tires on my wife's X3 and am very impressed with them. Their ice performance feels subjectively to be better than the Hakka R3, and the snow/slush is equal. As well, on wet pavement they have more grip. Looking forward to the comparison test with the X-ice SNOW versus the other high tier tires. Suspect they may be the new king of the hill.

SilverE5588

I was just in your exact boat( oem titaniums & pirelli summers) ,ended up ceramic coating the wheels & ordered michelin pilot sport all season 3's .Snow is on the lighter side where I am so hopefully works out ..

From M to AMG

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated. I am still debating which way to go. I live in mostly sunny but want to take trips to Lake Tahoe in the winter, so there is light snow there and they take care of the roads.

I know that the Offset for my 2016 E63s is:

37 Front
52 Rear
but some here have suggested that the 35 offest going square, same size all around maybe a good way to go and because thinner tires are supposed to do better in the snow.

I have had the wheels straightened once already and the SA told me they can only be straigtened 2x He also said you can't order these wheels any longer

Curious what the ceramic coating does to our wheels?

Rehabguy

Slimmer tires definitely the way to go for snow. I just like meaty tires
Ceramic coating makes the surface hydrophobic. Also makes the coated surface easier to clean later as stuff won't get stuck on as badly (I believe it's cuz the coated surface will be less porous, don't quote me on this).

SilverE5588

Yeah on above about the ceramic coating . I underestimated it , brake dust still clings on but pretty much all comes off just rinsing with water . On the paint its almost self cleaning - washing is a breeze .

I.T. Guy

Watch the speed ratings on winter tires. If you haul *** like I do you will want something rated higher.

FastWgn

Another Replika guy - went more modern and higher speed rating. More than enough for ski country....

First thread.

Then read 5 posts down with some real world experience from the tires. Still a huge fan.

I.T. Guy

Agree with your post and quote "PA4 are crazy good!" I personally wouldn't go any other way. Being in Canada I've been through them all including MB recommended Sottozero and the PA4's easily take the cake on grip, and high speed AMG drivability.

thesaintusa

Without a doubt the PA4 will serve the vast majority of winter users.

I find that the Nokian Hakka R3 meet my winter needs better, and I wait until the summer tires on to haul ***.

The PA4 give up a bit of ice/slush traction versus the R3 tire and that is what I need.

But BOTH tires will meet the needs of most drivers and be light years better than an all-season tire. The Sottozero is only good for COLD dry roads, add in snow/ice/slush and they fall behind in performance. I took off a set of Sottozero 3 from my wifes X3 and replaced them with the Michelin X-Ice SNOWs. I suspect that the X-Ice SNOW (the replacement ot the X-ICE 3) will be the new gold standard for a winter tire, but again, wiill give up HIGH speed performance handling to the PA4 tire.

shekmark

A lot of good reviews in this thread on Michelin PA4 winter tires. I went with Vredstein Wintrac Pro. Anyone have knowledge of these. Too late to switch, as they were just delivered. I went cheap rims as well. MSW by OZ. I went staggered though and bought some flat tire sealer as they are not runflat. ( not a E63 so different size)

C2 Turbo

I am confused, what does that watch has to do with the winter/wheel combo? Do you mean hey, I wear a Rolex, so what's the best wheel/Tire combo for a guy wearing a Rolex, is that it? Not kidding, I don't get the picture,?