2011 W204 Estate - All season tyres? Good or Bad idea?

[Freeatlast]

I've got an old Mercedes C Class Estate W204 2011 C200CDI Sport that i purchased earlier this year and I'm working out what's a good option for the winter?

Should I try to find some 16 /17" steel wheels and fit winter tyres (but then I've got storage issues etc)...

Plus even with steel wheels and some decent tyres I'm looking at £700- £1000

Or should I fit All Season tyres to the existing wheels or even Winter tyres to the existing 18" alloy wheels?

As far as I can see Oponeo etc only offer Michelin Cross Climate 2 for the front axle and Cross Climate + for the back so they would be slightly different tyres on each axle if i go for the All Season option...

I can't be the first person to face this dilemma so i thought i would check and see what other people have gone for...

Thanks!!


James

 

[Wighty]

All season tyres are the easy option on your existing wheels .
Next up is eBay for a set of alloy wheels in 16’s with winters on and change them yourself , that’s what I do on both cars .
A few years ago my 16” E class alloys were £200 for the set .

 

[Blobcat]

Depends where you’re based and how much winter driving you have to do. I have a separate set of winters. All seasons are good - I’ve just bought a full set of Cross Climate 2’s to my winter alloys - £314.00 for 4 fully fitted from Black circles

 

[AMGeed]

Depends where you’re based and how much winter driving you have to do. I have a separate set of winters. All seasons are good - I’ve just irt Ed a full set of Cross Climate 2’s to my winter alloys - £314.00 for 4 fully fitted from Black circles

As above, where are you located?
South of Watford I wouldn't bother with winter tyres.
I've never bought them living on the South coast.

 

[Wighty]

As above, where are you located?
South of Watford I wouldn't bother with winter tyres.
I've never bought them living on the South coast.

I’m south of Watford buddy , winters are still a proper good safety upgrade

 

[LostKiwi]

I’m south of Watford buddy , winters are still a proper good safety upgrade

I'm not convinced Wighty.

 

[DSK]

I have always said a spare set of wheels fitted with winter tyres is the easiest option. The reason for this is that you have the most optimum tyres for the conditions to hand.

Another option is to get some winter tyres fitted to your current wheels as and when the time is right. Then after winter have your summer tyres fitted back on, storing the winter ones for the following year. Budget around £40-50 for the swap over from your local tyre place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[richlumb]

I use Vredstein Quatrac pro all seasons and can honestly say they are the best tyres I’ve ever used they handle fantastic in the dry and I was never caught out in the snow, they been on for 20k miles and still reading 6+ mm of tread

 

[Blobcat]

I use Vredstein Quatrac pro all seasons and can honestly say they are the best tyres I’ve ever used they handle fantastic in the dry and I was never caught out in the snow, they been on for 20k miles and still reading 6+ mm of tread

I’ve used Vredestein on the smart and been very impressed with them

 

[Wighty]

I'm not convinced Wighty.

That’s because you haven’t used them ?

 

[fabes]

Here's a useful review if you do decide to get a set

I had the Bridgestone's on the E350, and despite the E400 coming with a set of spare Winters, (19's up for sale soon), I no longer will need to drive in very cold or snowy condition (WFH and also my father now having passed away). I had Winters on my CLK when I did have to travel and travel up north and they were good, opting for All Seasons when I got the E350 as it was a faff paying to have Winters swapped out.

 

[LostKiwi]

That’s because you haven’t used them ?

Had them on my Smart Roadster.

 

[daibevan]

Never had them, but only lived dawn sauff. South Wales, South London & South West.
Only ever needed them once when living in Port Eynon, Gower. Heavy snow overnight, no one could get up the hill out of the village, so it was down to the beach in the brilliant sunshine with the sand covered in snow. A great day, so glad I didn't have winters on.

 

[Freeatlast]

Depends where you’re based and how much winter driving you have to do. I have a separate set of winters. All seasons are good - I’ve just irt Ed a full set of Cross Climate 2’s to my winter alloys - £314.00 for 4 fully fitted from Black circles

I live in Kent but travel every other weekend to the Midlands and spend a reasonable amount of time driving on back country roads which can be wet and get little sunshine on them in winter so they could be a bit icy at least...

 

[sausage]

Never tried them. Had plenty of mid-power RWD cars (300 hp upwards) and have lived in North, South, Middle of England. There was a very long night I spent stuck in queues of cars one snowy December. The manual C220 I had at the time was a nightmare to get moving every time the traffic started to move. The car would crab sideways before getting any forward momentum. I blamed MB not the tyres. Maybe I was wrong about that. Apart from that time I have never really had an issue with the weather and the all season tyres. With a Porsche one just loads the power and "ski-mobiles" through the corners anyway.



18 hours to go from Heathrow to Leicester due to snow. Just what I needed after a sleepless flight from San Fran. The plane managed to land on six inches of snow, but no one seemed capable of using their cars properly. M25, M1, M4, A404, A33, A34, M5 all grid locked for hundreds of miles. At least I got home that weekend in time for Xmas. Colleagues flying to other UK airports spent Xmas and one guy was still stuck over NYE living in American airports and hotels unable to return to the UK - I think he said it took him 11 days to get back! This was 2012.

 

[Noddy 99]

Colleagues flying to other UK airports spent Xmas and one guy was still stuck over NYE living in American airports and hotels unable to return to the UK - I think he said it took him 11 days to get back! This was 2012.

Was he stuck with Del Griffiths?

 

[sonic]

Over the last 17 years we have run both our cars on 2 sets of wheels winter & summer. I sourced both sets of second wheels from eBay, for very little money.
Two years ago we bought a SLC to replace the SLK, I sold the SLK with the worn out winter tyres & second hand wheels. The summer tyres were almost new.
We are now both retired & only do about 4K miles in each car, so I thought about all season tyres for the SLC. Much to my amazement I saw on eBay a set of 2 year old Mercedes SLC 17"wheels with Nokian all season tyres with 6mm of tread for £440 delivered.
I bought them I fitted them two autumns ago, they are still on the car. Winter snow performance is almost as good as winter tyres, we were in Scotland last winter in the snow. Summer performance is almost as good as summer tyres, I am sold on all season tyres.

 

[Chrishazle]

All seasons are great IF you can get the required sizes. I have Michelin Cross Climate on the front of the S204, but as both my cars have 17" staggered rims, can I find 17" 245/40 all season tyres for the rears - NO!! Can't make up my mind if I want to ge 225/45 all round, especially on the "shopping trolley" S204, would not be quite so bothered on the SLK as if conditions are that questionable Daddy's Toy would remain tucked up warm and dry in her garage.

 

[AnthonyUK]

...Can't make up my mind if I want to ge 225/45 all round, especially on the "shopping trolley" S204...

I did this in the end due to lack of options. It is an inch (20mm actually) difference and as my car originally came with 205/55 R16 so even the 225 was an improvement.
I love the crossclimates as a perfect solution on a car with a 'regular' amount of power.

 

[sausage]

Sorry ! Totally got that wrong. I meant I have not tried winter tyres rather than saying I have not tried all season.

Driving to the ski resorts usually required us to have snow chains. Using the range rover with Pirelli Scorpion Verde (all seasons) arriving at the roads into the ski resorts the cops sometimes check the cars are suitable for the snowy roads. They recognise the all season Pirelli are suitable tyres for the conditions in the mountains. With normal tyres, snow chains are required. The all season Pirelli were fine all year round, but then in a Range Rover one does not feel the road anyway.
On the current MB, I go with "normal" tyres and adjust driving as needed to conditions.