AMG C43 tyre and tyre pressure questions

[AMW]

Hello All,

I've just bought my first Mercedes, moving up from a 15 year old Renault Clio 1.4RT automatic, and am enjoying my experience so far. I no longer have to endure holding up the traffic up in the outside lane as I struggle past a lorry at 75 with my foot to the floor with an SUV 2 inches from my rear bumper

Could someone tell me the pressures for the tyres ? .. I think they are 30 front and 34 rear. I could not find this in the manual for some reason.

Also on tyres, they have 2 Michelin Pilot sports on the fronts and Pilot Sports PS2 on the back. The fronts need replacing but only one of the rear tyres. Obviously I will match up the rear Michelin, but what about putting Continental ContiSports on the front .. they are cheaper and kwik Fit are doing 15% off at the moment. They also seem to last a long time so maybe I can just concentrate on popping the Pilot Sports on the back.

Or will I just get too much understeer with the mismatch ( maybe that is safer after a Clio while I bed myself in!! )

All thoughts welcome.

Regards

Andy

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

Tyre pressures are written inside the fuel filler lid

 

[AMW]

Hi & Welcome,

Tyre pressures are written inside the fuel filler lid

Thanks for the quick reply. I have not yet filled it up so had not seen it.

Regards

Andy

 

[996jimbo]

Again, welcome!

The tyre pressure options (that you will find on the fuel filler cap) are: front 2.1 - 2.3 (bar), rear 2.3 - 2.8 (bar). I tend to go to the higher end of the scale as I find it suffers from 'tramlining' as the tyres wear.

By all means use Kwik Fit but I would be inclined to phone around first - I have only ever found them to be at or around the most expensive. I haven't used them for years but when I last did I was not impressed with their level of expertise. Personally I am happy buying the cheapest tyres I can find as I do loads of miles and the tyres only last about 12,000 ish. In the dry my Falkens are fine and in the wet there's enough braking / acceleration power to overcome any tyre grip (and plenty of gizmo's to keep you pointing in the right direction anyway). And they're not really cheap anyway.

 

[Myros]

I learned my lesson last year with the 500SL

don't mix and match your tyres. Four of the same all round, and an odd one as stop gap spare if you must. You might find some extremely disconcerting handling traits emerging if you mix makes on front and rear or on either side of an axle.
Play safe, do all four, or match your PS2s

 

[AMW]

Thanks for the replies .. I will go all 4 the same, I think you might be right with the handling thoughts. I'll split the difference and so 2.2 and 2.5 and adjust upwards if I get the tramlining ...cheers.

I seem to recall Micheldever tyres being cheap but Kwik Fit are convenient. Might have to go into the newsagents and surupticously buy Max Power magine and see which establishment has the best young lady in hotpants sitting on a stack of alloys clenching a big spanner.

It's been about 10 years since I was interested in tyres and bought Yokohama A520's .. I have really got out of the game, I am not even sure what make or size the Clio has, probably 165/70 x 13 !.

Maybe if I get the cheap ones I will not be worried about them that much and will drive more enthusiastically ... decisions decisions.....

Regards

Andy

 

[jberks]

Have a look at www.mytyres.co.uk and www.blackcircles.co.uk. Useful as a price guide and also the links to tyre reviews. After a trawl for the huge things mine runs on, I came to the conclusion that Michelin, Pirelli etc all charge at least 30% for the name. In many reviews, including auto express, Michelin fared quite badly. When price was taken into account, they came last, after such automotive luminaries as Khumo! I used to buy Michelin as I trusted the name, but no more, and I can honestly say I've never been unhappy with any tyres I've bought over the years. I suspect there isn't enough difference between any of them for a motorway plodder like me to be able to tell, aside from noise and wear.

I came to the conclusion that the benefits of Bridgestone, Continental etc, don't come near to justifying the extra cost. I'm probably going to compromise on Toyos at £110 each (as against some Maxxis ones that come damn close in the reviews and only cost £80ea (£125 saving) - mmmm) but that's still better than the Michelin Pilots that come way down the reviews despite costing £141ea.

I also find Qwikifit to be around the most expensive, even with their sale offers. Compare the prices to those on the sites I mentioned. Also, I generally want the tracking done when replacing tyres and they can't handle mercs (local one couldn't do my E anyway).

 

[996jimbo]

I seem to recall Micheldever tyres being cheap but Kwik Fit are convenient. Might have to go into the newsagents and surupticously buy Max Power magine and see which establishment has the best young lady in hotpants sitting on a stack of alloys clenching a big spanner.

Micheldever is where I go - cheapest for miles around and do a good job of tracking also. The queue can be a problem though.

They have started an 'executive club' type thingy where if you join you can book a time slot, give the keys to an oily rag and he'll do the tyres and do the tracking for no extra cost. I meant to hand in the forms last time I was there but got distracted by the pictures of women in hotpants so my club application form is in the passenger footwell collecting footprints.

 

[Blobcat]

Have a look at www.mytyres.co.uk and www.blackcircles.co.uk. Useful as a price guide and also the links to tyre reviews. After a trawl for the huge things mine runs on, I came to the conclusion that Michelin, Pirelli etc all charge at least 30% for the name. In many reviews, including auto express, Michelin fared quite badly. When price was taken into account, they came last, after such automotive luminaries as Khumo! I used to buy Michelin as I trusted the name, but no more, and I can honestly say I've never been unhappy with any tyres I've bought over the years. I suspect there isn't enough difference between any of them for a motorway plodder like me to be able to tell, aside from noise and wear.

I came to the conclusion that the benefits of Bridgestone, Continental etc, don't come near to justifying the extra cost. I'm probably going to compromise on Toyos at £110 each (as against some Maxxis ones that come damn close in the reviews and only cost £80ea (£125 saving) - mmmm) but that's still better than the Michelin Pilots that come way down the reviews despite costing £141ea.

I also find Qwikifit to be around the most expensive, even with their sale offers. Compare the prices to those on the sites I mentioned. Also, I generally want the tracking done when replacing tyres and they can't handle mercs (local one couldn't do my E anyway).

Another reason I'm not keen on large rims - the price of the hoops to go over them.
I would try and find a good local tyre dealer who you can 'deal' with. I've used the same one for years and not only will he better any price I've ever found he really does an excellent job fitting and ballancing. The type of tyre fitters found in most Kwik Fit operations I would not let near my car.

 

[davidsl500]

I can recommend Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3's. Good in the dry and outstanding in the wet, reasonably priced for a premium brand and nice looking tread pattern as well.

Much better than the Pilot Sports I was running previously.

 

[AMW]

Concensus of opinion is swinging away from the expensive tyres it seems to something a bit more (dis)honest. I think this is probably a good idea considering I'll be going down the A13 and M25 most of the time and not Brands Hatch.

Elite in Rainham are handy for me to get to on the way home and so I'll probably pop in there and get some Toyo Proxes T1R or Falken 452's. If they are good enough for a 600bhp Nissan Sunny GTi-R with uprated turbo wastegate dump solenoid valve then they are good enough for my mildly tuned C class.

Probably.


Regards

Andy