It seems my '01 CLK320 (W208) is going to go through tires in about 30k miles, and I'm looking to improve that, or at least get the "best value" with the replacements. Here's what I'm thinking, and I'm looking for some advice.

The car came with Continental tires which wore out in 21k miles (casing actually split on the inside of one, discovered during rotation). Was not impressed with them.

Replaced with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S in stock size 205/55R-16 91H. Tire has a 45k mileage warranty, but they're down to the wear marks at 29k miles. I'll get some money back on the treadwear warranty, but I'm looking at a couple of different options, and wondering if it will make a difference to get better life.

1. Would a higher speed rated tire potentially wear better? I don't consider myself an aggressive driver, but the tires aren't lasting as long as I would hope. I'm in Arizona, so hot conditions 4 months of the year probably don't help. I can get the Pilot Exalto A/S in either an H or V speed rating. Would the V rated tire wear better since it would be designed for higher speeds?

2. How much would I give up by going to a "luxury performance touring" tire? The Michelin Primacy MXV4 has a 60k mileage warranty. For average around town and limited highway driving (this is my daily driver) would I even notice?

3. Related issue is what I'd call the shoulder profile. The Exalto's have a fairly squared-off profile, and that seems to not wear well. Would a tire with a more rounded shoulder profile (Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus is what I'm thinking) perhaps be a better "fit" with this car and my driving style? Another option might be the Yokohama YK520?

4. Would I be better off with a non-directional tire? Can radials be rotated to the other side of the car in the old X pattern back to front, front to opposite side back and thus the wear extended? I've heard arguments both ways--it's OK as long as it's not a directional tire, and that once a radial has been run you can't "reverse" it to run on the other side.

Thanks all for your insights and suggestions!!

 

Tires typically have 4 ratings. The speed rating you referred to denotes the maximum continuous speed the tire is rated for. The other three ratings are Traction, Temperature, and Treadwear. I believe "AA" for traction and "A" for temperature are best. The treadwear rating pretty much tells you how hard the tire is, and is a good gauge of how long it will last. The higher the number, the longer is SHOULD last. I just bought a set of 200 treadwear tires, so I expect them to not last very long. I don't know what the OE tire treadwear rating was, but it was probably in the 350 range.

I'll let someone else who knows more than I help you out, but I can tell you that the speed rating does not directly correlate to tire life.

 

My stock Michelin Energy MXV4 A/S had a treadwear rating of 400 and lasted a good 72000km. When I chucked them they were just over the wear bars.