mcleantmw

I just got a response from my question to Luke/TireRack: He suggests I get Bridgestone Turanza Serenity......Grand Touring All Season. After reading the reviews on TireRack I'm inclined to go with for my needs: Quiet, good traction dry and wet. They're not cheap at $264 each.

Wondering if most folks get the Road Hazard coverage or not.....I've gotten it in the past but not sure it's worth it especially if you buy the tires online, you have to pay for shipping of the defective tire back to the vendor for evaluation and then possible credit to your credit card if they agree it's covered. I did use the Road Hazard twice on my wife's Volvo and got about half the cost of a new tire from the local Goodyear Store.......that was convenient but the tires were bought at the Goodyear Store not online.

starcarnut

I don't think it's worth getting the hazard insurance but to each his own. My experience with tires in general is that more $ doesn't mean a better tire. For example, I've had poor luck with Pirellis in the past and they can be pricey, but what I value in characteristics may not be what others want. Kinda funny, Damon is the TR guy who seems to have staked out rennlist as his territory. I'd be curious to see if his opinion matches Lukes.

Just priced the Sumis in your size and they are $556 for a set not counting shipping and mounting compared to over $1000 for the Turanzas. That's quite a difference.
Here is a link for feeback on people who have put the Sumis on mbs:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surve...irePageLocQty=

enr1co

Re: Ultra High Performance All Season Category-

I replaced my Goodyear ZR Eagle F1 AS with Michelin PS2s ( E55 staggered set up)- The Michelins are~25% greater cost per tire but the difference is like nite and day with regards road noise, and handling and hopefully treadwear.

The F1s were reasonably quiet when new but after only 10K miles the rears
were nearly down to the wear bars (despite a 400+ tread wear rating) and they became extremely noisy, like I had 4WD truck tires. Worst of all one of my rears exhibited signs of splitting on the sidewall from the tread.

Suck it up and go with the Michelins PS2s - you wont regret it- dont make the same mistake I did (again) by trying to compromise with less expensive tires as it ends up costing more in the long term.

mcleantmw

I'm willing to pay the higher cost for the Michelins if they will retain their low noise capabilities for the long term. For example, the Pirelli Advan S4 M&S tires I bought in 2006 were low noise for the first year/10,000 miles but then started having road noise and bugged me to death and I replaced them. The problem, of course, with comparing tires' performance is that they respond and wear differently not only on each type of vehicle make/year/model, but in some cases, also between the same make/model/year vehicle, e.g., 2003 E500s. For example, I just had my suspension inspected and adjusted and aligned last week at my MB Dealer because I was getting unusual wear on my existing Yokos just on the left inner side of the tread. How the tread wears on a tire will affect its performance and noise level which may be due to the fault of the vehicle, not the tire. That's why it's difficult evaluating feedback from individual vehicle owners about their tires experience.......the more positive or negative feedback from tire users for a particular vehicle, the more reliable the data. Since my Yokos, even with the uneven wear on the left side, are still serviceable, I'm going to defer my decision (and expense) of buying new tires for a couple months or so. My thinking right now is for the Michelin PS A/S Plus; Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Grand Touring All Season (very high user feedback on TireRack); and Sumis (half the price of Michelin or Bridgestone......just buy another set if they start getting noisy after a year!.

saintz

After looking at the list, I chose the Sumitomo. It's basically the cheapest tire on the list, but the performance, by most reviews, is on par with the Michelin PS2. It's at the high end of street performance, with the only tires ranked higher being designed for mixed street and track/autox use. If I were doing track days, I would probably upgrade to the Kumho or Falken, but for the street, the performance seems suitable.

My experience so far has been very good. I have put the Sumitomo on the fronts, replacing the existing Toyo T1R. I still have Generals on the rear. The Sumitomo traction is way, way better than the General Exclaim USPs that are on the rear. In turns, even with neutral throttle, the rear starts to slide well before the front. Front traction is very good, and grip is very predictable. The tire, when pushed too hard, can easily be felt and begins to scrub very slightly outwards. There is no sharp break, no loud noise, and no drama. The tire is also very comfortable and quiet on the road.

When it comes time to replace the rears, I may debate putting on something with higher traction to control the torque, such as the Falken 615. But at the price and performance of the Sumitomo, I think it will do a good job and will fit the bill.

starcarnut

Had a chance last week to drive an E350 with the Sumitomos also. Very impressed with how quiet they were, I would say slightly quieter than the stock Michelins on my car although my tires are pretty much at the end of their life, ride was excellent, very smooth. I think the only comment I could make is that I don't think they are quite as crisp steering, but only barely and tire pressure might have needed adjusting. All things considered, and with my experience of having the Sumis on my 911, they are a great choice.

komp55

Dude, it's okay to say you just bought the cheapest tires you could find. In these uncertain economic times, no one will begrudge you for shopping for value. But please just don't say the Sumitomos are on par with the PS2's - because they're not.

myblkc63

Yokohama A048's. They are amazing. Sticky, Sticky, Sticky... Best Tire I have used to date. Although I will be putting on Toyo R888's on my 19's in about a week and anticipate even more grip.

saintz

I haven't run the PS2, so I can't compare directly. I was only saying that many reviews I read compared the two directly, considered them roughly equivalent, and favored the HTRZ3 based on the obvious cost difference.

For example, here is one (short) review on MBworld:
https://mbworld.org/forums/3447026-post19.html

Here is a sample direct comparison from someone who's used both:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1009842
He says the HTRZ3 provides "90%" of the performance of the PS2. His main reason for rating the HTRZ3 at only 90% is the PS2 has supperior wet weather performance. If the HTRZ3 is 95% equivalent to a PS2 in the dry and 90% equivalent in the wet, I would consider the two to be "on par" as far as performance.

Have you run both and can directly compare, or do you have a source for your comparison? I see a lot of reviews that say a specific tire is good or bad, but context is what makes that information useful. In particular, I've seen a lot of people say the Vredestein is good, but very little actual comparison. Is it better than a Kumho MX, for example?


One final note, on wet weather performance. If you want to drive fast in the rain, get something like the KDW. It's traction level in the wet is shocking. The tire drives practically the same, regardless of road conditions. But personally, when the roads are wet, I take it easy. I want a tire that can take a turn hard and put down power when it's dry out. When it's wet, I just need something safe, and I'm not looking for "max performance." I find the Falken 615 offers acceptable wet performance, so long as you do your part as the driver. Some disagree. If the PS2 offers better wet traction than the HTRZ3, I say it's largely irrelevant, but a driver who pushes it more in the rain may disagree.

saintz

I've recently seen very good reviews of the Riken Raptor. They are very reasonably priced. They are owned by Michelin.

dtrentr

I just replaced my MXV's with the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. These are 225/55/16's for the Bluetec and so far so good, very quiet. They were $645 out the door at Sears Tire Center, no road hazard.

RHW

Saintz, I starting asking this question on another thread, and the objective majority have won my opinion as well. I am willing to drop $1000 on a set of tires, but not if a little over half that money buys me tires ranked comparibly (or better) by thousands of users.

The General UHPs running on our black Sportline for 2 yrs now have plenty of life left and I bought them at the same time I put a set of Pilots on my Sportline. Driving the two, I have no significant preference and the Pilots will need to be replaced sooner.

Picked up a set of Platinum Kumhos this week from Tirerack following the same "objective rating" formula.

saintz

The Nitto Invo looks like another promising tire.

madgoat

I am thinking of going with the Nitto Invos. I have heard great feedback from guys with Shelbys that run them. Especially with the rain in South FL

Luke@tirerack

check out the C&D tire test from last month before pulling that trigger

madgoat

What do you recommend for wet weather and still get decent performance?

saintz

Here is the C&D link, thanks for typing it up Luke: https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...g-dog-ps2.html

Their conclusion is that the PS2 is supreme. If you actually read the results, however, I would say that the Dunlop is a better tire (better than the PS2 in the dry and only marginally lower in the wet) and at a good bit lower price. If you want the best street performance tire (fast in the dry but still plenty safe in the wet), the Dunlop looks like it.

I'm surprised the Falken didn't score better. It's dry performance looks on par with the PS2 (I would think it would beat the PS2 more handily), but it's wet performance is obviously not great (although still better than the Kumho). For the price, it's pretty good.

The new Kumho XS is obviously a beast of a tire, but you give up a lot of wet weather performance. If you are willing to drive like a grandma when it rains, this tire would let you run very hard when it's dry, even more so than the Dunlop, it appears.

The Nitto Invo looks impressive. Very low price, pretty similar dry performance to the PS2 (although the PS2 is slightly better) and the wet performance is still adequate.

saintz

Looking through again, I missed something in that test. The Hankook bests both the Nitto and the Falken, and at a lower price. I guess the conclusion might be:

Best wet performance (live in Seattle): PS2
Best dry performance (weekend/track car or drive like a Grandma when it rains): Kumho XS
Best daily driver performance (good dry performance, but still ok in wet): Dunlop Star
Best budget tire: Hankook V12 EVO

ivanj

They are just not built to the same standard as the car. Junk. Their off road tires don't even have inner belts - just cords in the rubber. Unless I am ignorant about what a belt is? I'm glad you didn't choose them.

Does your car require an XL or reinforced tire? If so make sure you factor this into the decision tree.

MissMyBenz

Also looking for tires for our E350 Sport. Been satisfied with performance of pilot MXM4s that came stock. Just at 27K and rears need to be replaced, front before winter. Dealer said that was impressive to get that many miles. Trying to decide between that and the A/S plus. Dealer warns all season tires tend to be noisier, but isn't the MXM4 really an all season? A/S plus gets much higher ratings in all categories including dry/wet grip as well as comfort, noise and is less expensive and has mileage warranty. I know all season tires are a compromise but can someone tell me if I am going to sacrifice either performance or comfort/quietness or am I already driving on the compromise and this will just be an improvement? Don't want to turn this into a poop deville or a pocket rocket. It's a daily driver for my wife that sees just about all we can throw at it: Spirited charge through the twisties, highway road trips, and around town cruising. Bay area weather is a mixed bag made up of mostly dry weather but we get our fair share of wet weather and occasional patches of black ice as we make our way up and down the hill. Any input appreciated.