Bumps and suspension

[Noddy 99]

Another good tip for when you change your tyres is to seek out brands which have softer, more compliant sidewalls.

At the moment, I'm stuck with the Bridgestones and Continentals fitted by the previous owner. When it's time to change, I'll be going with Avon ZV7s.

 

[DataDave]

That sounds interesting. Have you heard of Landsail? They are meant to be good. Premium budget apparently.


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[Noddy 99]

I was previously on a Vauxhall Insignia forum and a lot of their members swore by Landsails...

I NEVER buy tyres from any of the "Big 6" as I think they are a gigantic rip-off. This is my first Mercedes so I've been seduced into thinking that it deserves more than an obscure Chinese brand name on the tyres. I would happily consider Vredestein, Falken, Nexen, Fulda, Kumho... but, from what I've heard, the Avons give the softer ride. Plus, if they're still OEM for Aston Martin, they can't be too shabby...

 

[LostKiwi]

That sounds interesting. Have you heard of Landsail? They are meant to be good. Premium budget apparently.


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Chinese ditch finders.....

Personally I run GoodYear, Dunlop, Uniroyal, Falken or occasionally Toyo. Had some good experiences with Avon too.

Bought a car some years back that was fitted with Landsail tyres and they were dreadful. They may have moved on by now but it put me off them permanently.

 

[Noddy 99]

Chinese ditch finders.....

No, I'm going to disagree with you there. If you end up in a ditch, it's because you were LOOKING FOR the ditch.

I once ran 4 Sailun tyres on a re-mapped Skoda Superb. In normal, brisk driving, they were fantastic - no difference to the Continentals I've had on many cars. I also drove them through the most apocalyptic rainstorm I've ever witnessed in Britain - they didn't miss a beat.

I've been driving (enjoyably) for 38 years. In that time, I've gone through most of the "premium" makes and had plenty of the sorts of tyres which are lazily stereotyped as "ditch finders". The only differences I've found are noise levels and ride quality.

I don't think your comment does you any credit - it's the sort of phrase more commonly used in Max Power, not a Mercedes forum.

 

[LostKiwi]

No, I'm going to disagree with you there. If you end up in a ditch, it's because you were LOOKING FOR the ditch.

I once ran 4 Sailun tyres on a re-mapped Skoda Superb. In normal, brisk driving, they were fantastic - no difference to the Continentals I've had on many cars. I also drove them through the most apocalyptic rainstorm I've ever witnessed in Britain - they didn't miss a beat.

I've been driving (enjoyably) for 38 years. In that time, I've gone through most of the "premium" makes and had plenty of the sorts of tyres which are lazily stereotyped as "ditch finders". The only differences I've found are noise levels and ride quality.

I don't think your comment does you any credit - it's the sort of phrase more commonly used in Max Power, not a Mercedes forum.

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it based on your experience.
I'm sticking to what I said based on my own experience. If you don't like it then I'm sorry but that's just your problem.

As for your 38 years experience that doesn't cut any ice with me. You have no idea how long I've been driving or what my driving experience is (but 38 years makes you junior League I'm afraid).

 

[DataDave]

Are Avon tyres available in most places?


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[Noddy 99]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it based on your experience.
I'm sticking to what I said based on my own experience. If you don't like it then I'm sorry but that's just your problem.

So did you end up in a ditch? And what exactly was the brand that took you into that ditch? Were they Landsails, as related to the OP's query? Were the tyre pressures correct? The tread good? What speed were you driving just before you went into the ditch? What was the weather and the road conditions on the day when the Chinese tyres threw you into the ditch?

 

[Noddy 99]

Are Avon tyres available in most places?


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Yes, very widely available.

 

[LostKiwi]

So did you end up in a ditch? And what exactly was the brand that took you into that ditch? Were they Landsails, as related to the OP's query? Were the tyre pressures correct? The tread good? What speed were you driving just before you went into the ditch?

They were Landsail tyres. They were noisy and as soon as it rained they had all the grip of a hovercraft. They were near new and correctly inflated and pure rubbish.
They didn't put me in a ditch but they did a fine job of pointing me in the right direction.

As I said your experience may have been different and that's fine. I won't touch them with your bargepole..

 

[mioba]

Ahhh another tyre thread, where is the popcorn.

You get what you pay with tyres, An OE tyre on one brand car doesnt make it great on another brand car.

I always go with premium - tyres are the only thing that keeps you on the road.

When choosing tyres my core parameters are noise and wet.

A certain tyre on one car will not neccesarily have the same charachteristics on another car, weight, power, suspension, braking ability so on and so forth all play a part.

 

[Noddy 99]

They were Landsail tyres. They were noisy and as soon as it rained they had all the grip of a hovercraft. They were near new and correctly inflated and pure rubbish.
They didn't put me in a ditch but they did a fine job of pointing me in the right direction.

As I said your experience may have been different and that's fine. I won't touch them with your bargepole..

Fair play, then. I've not personally experienced Landsails but, as I said earlier, they were very popular on the Insignia forum, including with some of the moderators and VXR owners.

My wider point is about the phrase "ditch finders" which I've heard a gazillion times, usually from boy-racers and track-day wannabes. ALL tyres sold in the UK have passed safety standard legislation and - if maintained correctly and driven in the way that 90% of motorists drive - will not be dangerous. Sure, if you've got a high-performance car and you like to rag it through roundabouts, I'm sure that the cheap tyres have less on-the-limit performance but for most people in most situations they'll be fine.

 

[DataDave]

So… if you were to choose a decent, good for suspension, noise, wet set of tyres, which one would go for on a Cla 220d


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[Noddy 99]

I always go with premium - tyres are the only thing that keeps you on the road.

It would be really interesting for accident statistics databases to record what brand of tyre was fitted to the car/cars involved in order to see if there was a correlation...

As you say, there are many variables but people who insist on premium tyres don't also insist on "premium" brakes or "premium" suspension - they assume that what is fitted to the car is adequate. In this respect, I think Mercedes' decision a while back to fit Nexens as OEM was a game-changer. There will be more changes like this coming, I'm sure, as the car makers realise that huge Asian brands (e.g. Hankook) are able to offer the same quality for lower prices than the Big 6.

 

[DataDave]

Never heard of Nexen tyres. Any good?


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[LostKiwi]

Fair play, then. I've not personally experienced Landsails but, as I said earlier, they were very popular on the Insignia forum, including with some of the moderators and VXR owners.

My wider point is about the phrase "ditch finders" which I've heard a gazillion times, usually from boy-racers and track-day wannabes. ALL tyres sold in the UK have passed safety standard legislation and - if maintained correctly and driven in the way that 90% of motorists drive - will not be dangerous. Sure, if you've got a high-performance car and you like to rag it through roundabouts, I'm sure that the cheap tyres have less on-the-limit performance but for most people in most situations they'll be fine.

For most people if they are black and round they will suffice most of the time. It's just the one time they don't suffice that's the issue..
If people want to fit them then fine. I personally wouldn't on previous experience (which as I say was some time ago and they may have upped their game but that previous experience put me totally off them).
My R Class likewise has been shod with budget Chinese tyres before I got it and likewise I'm not overly impressed. Front tyres can be made to break traction easily when accelerating out of a junction (its 4WD). Needless to say they will be replaced with something better but for now they'll do. At least with an R you tend not to peddle hard through corners so much compared to the V8 SLs.

So… if you were to choose a decent, good for suspension, noise, wet set of tyres, which one would go for on a Cla 220d


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For a decent ride with excellent wet grip I'd go Uniroyal Rainsport (slightly noisier than the rest) Dunlop Sport Max (more expensive and stiffer) or Falken FK510 depending on budget.

 

[Noddy 99]

So… if you were to choose a decent, good for suspension, noise, wet set of tyres, which one would go for on a Cla 220d


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If you go to www.tyrereviews.com you'll see plenty of info and thousands of owner reviews. BUT watch out for contradictions: one man's "ditchfinder" is another man's "budget premium"...

Generally, "pro" reviews test the tyres to the extremities of their performance envelope; many people also say that they are in the pay of the Big 6 who offer persuasive incentives for reviews that maintain the status quo. Consumer reviews are more helpful in my opinion, if you can navigate through the contradictions...

 

[Noddy 99]

Never heard of Nexen tyres. Any good?


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I've run Nexen SU1 N'Feras very happily and would do so again. A while back, Mercedes had Nexens as their OEM brand. Not sure if they still do...

 

[DataDave]

I've run Nexen SU1 N'Feras very happily and would do so again. A while back, Mercedes had Nexens as their OEM brand. Not sure if they still do...

Thanks! I will check them out, just have 2 fairly recent continentals. Same on back.


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[Noddy 99]

I spend FAR too much time than is good for me looking ahead to my next choice of tyre. I read hundreds of reviews, calculate pros, cons and deals until my head is spinning...

I drive a big, powerful Mercedes estate with wide wheels. I (generally) keep to speed limits because the fines were bruising my wallet. If there's a bit of open road, I'll give it the beans but I can't say I subject my tyres to high stress. From my exhaustive research, I've tentatively concluded that Avon, Nexen, Vredestein, Falken, Fulda and Kumho will provide me with safe and reliable rubber at prices that won't break the bank. I can't see many people being disappointed with those brands...