AJChenMPH

Asked this on the W210 forum and didn't quite get the answer I was looking for...

E55 KEV

If you are considering new rims maybe you should consider a different tire. Goodyear tires are not considered that good anymore when compared to many other makes.

AJChenMPH

Yeah, I need to get a set of all-season tires for her after I trash the Goodyear's at Lime Rock in November.

I guess the question is:
- do I stay with the OEM rims and get 215's instead of 235's (my mom's not an aggressive driver, doesn't really need the lateral traction of 235's)?
- do I get new rims (17x8 or 17x8.5) when I need to get new tires?

Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts about these all-season tires:
- Dunlop SP5000
- BF Goodrich KDWS
- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
- Sumitomo HTR+

Thanks.

E55 KEV

Luke of Tire Rack, the self describe "Tire God" list the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 as number 1 is this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=5877

Which tire is on the car? 235/45/17 correct? Are you considering a 215/50/17. I would stick with the 235. No need to downgrade.

AJChenMPH

I think he wrote that thread before the HTR+'s came out. I've heard from other people on other boards that once the SP5000's start to wear a little, wet and snow traction completely goes out the window.

Yeah, the car came with 235's. The only reason I was considering going to 215's is to reduce the tire bulge that overhangs the rims. Also, since my mom isn't an aggressive driver, the narrower tires would improve gas mileage by that eensy-weensy bit. I may still go with 235's after all is said and done.

Thanks for the input.

steve s

u wanna protect those rims...that's what the 235 tires bulge for. if u've seen some other makes, the rims get scratched easier, rims farther out than tires. stick with 235...

Nvrmiss

I have a 1998 C230. Since my purchase back in 98', I have had troubles with abnormal tire wear. The car came with the standard Continental's, they were put to waste at 25000 miles, next came Goodyear Aqua III (with 80K mile warranty), they lasted 22K, and now I have Dunlaps' Sport A2(50K warranty), with one tire bald at 15K. I've had the car in numerous times to different MB dealers, checking alignment, struts, frame, everthing basically, and they all tell me it's all OK and within MB specs. I've rotated all them faithfully every 5K. Proper inflated them to MB specs.

My wear seems to be outter left front tire, but the right front also has the same problem, to abut 1/2 the degree. The rears wear normal.

Can anyone tell me the cause of this problem and recommend a tire that will not be destroyed in 15-20K miles?

Thanks.

Jeff

alewifebp

I had the SP5000's on a previous car, and they were great tires, except after they did start to wear, the wet weather traction did decrease, even though the tire still showed good tread life. That was after about 15-20K miles or so. The wet weather traction new was never the best anyway, but the snow traction was excellent for this type of tire.

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's are more or less considered to be the best all-season tire out there, although pretty expensive.

The stock GoodYears that they put on are decent, but don't expect great performance out of them. MB must get awesome deals on these mediocre tires that they continue to put on their cars.

AJChenMPH

Jeezus, I didn't think this thread still existed.

Anyways, Jeff -- I gotta ask, what's your driving style like? If you're pretty aggressive (i.e., you like to accelerate a little hard, brake a little hard, and take corners at a more "challenging" pace), you can't expect your tires to last the full amount. If everyone (including the independent shops) is saying that your car is within spec, the only thing I can come up with is how the car is driven.

Luke@tirerack

here's a link to a test comparing the Pilot Sport A/S to the SPort 5000 Dunlop and the Dunlop won