Cheaper Tires!!

[whitenemesis]

Arranged today to have four new tires fitted by my MB dealer. Was pleasantly surprised when I was quoted £100 cheaper than last time (exactly 1yr ago) for the same type, Michelin Pilot Primacy....

Result :mrgreen:

 

[philharve]

Hi whitenemesis

If it's not a secret, how much do you expect to pay?

REGARDS

Phil

 

[FELLOW]

How much?

try www.blackcircles.com for Mit' price comparison

 

[philharve]

Hi FELLOW

Thanks for the link. It's a useful website.

I found the tyres referred to by 'whitenemesis' but they don't seem all that cheap, IMO. My Toyo Proxes CF-1 undercuts the Michelin Pilot Primacy by around GBP30.00 per set. However, they are on a par, cost wise, with the Toyo's Ultra Performance Proxes T1-R.

This begs the question ... how much is cheap? I suppose it all depends upon ones resources. I would look upon a tyre costing upwards of GBP80.00 as bottom of the expensive range. I look for tyre around the GBP70.00 mark, fitted & balanced.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[whitenemesis]

Hi whitenemesis

If it's not a secret, how much do you expect to pay?

REGARDS

Phil

Approx £60 cheaper than the supply + fit price from blackcircle it seems

AND it's being done by MB, not sub-contracted to the local fast-tire shop!

AND they are MB approved tires, no quibbles about compatability with "driver-aides" which the insurance companies could use to riggle out of a claim....

 

[philharve]

Approx £60 cheaper than the supply + fit price from blackcircle it seems

AND it's being done by MB, not sub-contracted to the local fast-tire shop!

AND they are MB approved tires, no quibbles about compatability with "driver-aides" which the insurance companies could use to riggle out of a claim....

Hi whitenemesis

Now that really is worthwhile knowing!

REGARDS

Phil

 

[Rory]

Approx £60 cheaper than the supply + fit price from blackcircle it seems

They *must* have made a mistake

My dealer quoted me so much for 2 tyres that I was convinced the price was for the two! When I told him the Costco price he said he couldn't buy them for that price.

There's absolutely no requirement to use an MB approved tyre - Michelin themselves couldn't tell me what the difference is.

 

[whitenemesis]

The service tech printed off my worksheet from last year, went off to the parts dept, was gone 5min, came back with the price, saying "£100 cheaper than last time"!

That's what surprised me! I double checked he had the correct tires, he checked again and yes all correct. Apparently tire prices are very changable at present. Suits me :razz:

 

[whitenemesis]

They *must* have made a mistake

My dealer quoted me so much for 2 tyres that I was convinced the price was for the two! When I told him the Costco price he said he couldn't buy them for that price.

There's absolutely no requirement to use an MB approved tyre - Michelin themselves couldn't tell me what the difference is.

From the owner's handbook;

Tyres and wheels

Quick Access

For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use tyres which have been approved by Mercedes-Benz specifically for your vehicle. These tyres are specially adapted for use with the control systems, such as ABS or ESP®, and are marked as follows:

• MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
• MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended (with run-flat characteristics)

If you use other tyres, Mercedes-Benz cannot accept any responsibility for damage which may occur. Information about tyres can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.

If you fit tyres other than those tested and recommended by Mercedes-Benz, characteristics such as handling, noise levels and fuel consumption, etc. may be adversely affected. In addition, when driving with a load, dimensional variations and different tyre deformation characteristics could cause the tyres to make contact with the bodywork and axle components. This could result in damage to the tyres or the vehicle.

Further information about tyres and wheels can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
You will find a table of tyre pressures on the inside of your vehicle's fuel filler flap . You will find further information about tyre pressures in the "Operation" section more.

 

[television]

From the owner's handbook;

Tyres and wheels

Quick Access

For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use tyres which have been approved by Mercedes-Benz specifically for your vehicle. These tyres are specially adapted for use with the control systems, such as ABS or ESP®, and are marked as follows:

• MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
• MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended (with run-flat characteristics)

If you use other tyres, Mercedes-Benz cannot accept any responsibility for damage which may occur. Information about tyres can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.

If you fit tyres other than those tested and recommended by Mercedes-Benz, characteristics such as handling, noise levels and fuel consumption, etc. may be adversely affected. In addition, when driving with a load, dimensional variations and different tyre deformation characteristics could cause the tyres to make contact with the bodywork and axle components. This could result in damage to the tyres or the vehicle.

Further information about tyres and wheels can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
You will find a table of tyre pressures on the inside of your vehicle's fuel filler flap . You will find further information about tyre pressures in the "Operation" section more.

With the block exemption laws and rules the above would not stand up in a court, providing the specifications have been adhered to with regards to the tyres fitted

 

[whitenemesis]

And those specifications are?

MO or MOE

I'm only posting that which I have read. I don't know that insurance companies would use this as a get-out but personally I don't wish to test it

 

[television]

And those specifications are?

MO or MOE

I'm only posting that which I have read. I don't know that insurance companies would use this as a get-out but personally I don't wish to test it

The MO and MOE are not in my hand book, once again OE = original equipment do not come into the BE rules

 

[jberks]

I accept you're not saying that they would use it but I think the inference that they could is an important point.
From the AA
Tyres
Your legal obligations

If you drive with damaged or worn tyres you could not only be fined and in breach of your motor insurance policy, but you could also be endangering lives.


General requirements
Every tyre fitted to a motor vehicle or trailer must be fit for purpose and be free from any defects which might damage the road or endanger any person. This means the tyre:

must be compatible with the types of tyres fitted to the other wheels

must not have any lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of the structure

must not have a cut or tear in excess of 25mm or 10% of the sectional width of the tyre, whichever is the greater, and which is deep enough to reach the ply or cord

must not have any part of the ply or cord exposed

.....Nothing about manufacturer's approval.

If they did, or even could, use this as an excuse then every tyre shop in the land would be in trouble for not telling you that you had to buy a particular tyre.
Most of us have had accidents at some point in our driving careers. Sure the assessor will check tread depth and general tyre condition (and rightly so) but hands up anyone who's had any question raised on tyre brand?

Alternatively, if using a non MB approved tyre could be deemed as unsafe in a court of law (as it would need to for the ins co to wriggle out) , it would also fail an MOT.


No, the fact is, as malcolm says, the tyre must meet EU/UK specifications and I suspect it is illegal to sell any that aren't. Mine for example have "tested in the EU" stamped on them.

So long as the ratings and sizes are at least to manufacturer's spec and given that people add wider after market rims and lower profile tyres, I assume you are at liberty to exceed them, then the insurance co can't use this as a get out.

Interestingly though, I understand that adding different spec (wider etc) wheels / tyres can invalidate your insurance if you don't tell them you've done it. I wonder how many Saxos are technically uninsured!

 

[Blobcat]

I had MO spec NCT5's fitted recently and talking with my tyre dealer this is becoming more common. Porsche have been doing this for awhile and talking with a Porsche owning friend of mine his insurance stipulates having Porsche approved tyres.
One thing I wouldn't want is the MOE tyres, the harder sidewalls will do nothing for ride comfort. They were also quiet a lot more expensive when I was looking at the prices.

 

[maddog]

I was glad to see the back of the Michelin pilots i had on my car from new , i've been using Goodyear Eagle F1's since and been very happy with them , wet weather grip is great , never had a moment with them unlike the Michelins.

I'm a big fan of Toyo T1R's as well i have them on my Skyline but they dont last long enough for normal use.

Looking at past invoices back in 2003 i fitted a pair of 235/45/17 Goodyear eagle F1's to my car and they cost £266.03 from ATS.

The same tyres today would be £202 fitted from Black circles!!!!

So much for inflation!!

 

[gordofski]

TYRES NOT TIRES damn yanks!!!!

/COLOR]

Arranged today to have four new tires fitted by my MB dealer. Was pleasantly surprised when I was quoted £100 cheaper than last time (exactly 1yr ago) for the same type, Michelin Pilot Primacy....

Result :mrgreen:

TIRES= TYRES
TRUNK= BOOT
HOOD=BONNET,could be a type of headgear!

Please

 

[Rory]

I had MO spec NCT5's fitted recently and talking with my tyre dealer this is becoming more common. Porsche have been doing this for awhile and talking with a Porsche owning friend of mine his insurance stipulates having Porsche approved tyres.

I've heard of that with Porsche too - but they apparently are specially made tyres, and they are updated, so there's N1, N2, N3 and N4.

The MO tyres seem to be normal tyres but with MO marked on them. My car didn't have MO tyres on it from new (came with standard Bridgestone Turanza's).

It become ridiculous anyway because tyre models change faster than car models, and unlike the Porsche system, there's no version number of the approval, so they surely don't go back and test on every Mercedes made in the last xx years.

Apparently all insurance companies look at is whether the tyres are legal (tread depth etc). So many different sizes and rating of tyres are used that it's probably impossible for them to keep track. Our company car lease provider fitted lower speed rating tyres on a Mondeo we had and the insurance company said it didn't matter.

 

[whitenemesis]

Price Update!!!

Was quoted on Monday and had them fitted today, came in at £20 (the set) CHEAPER!! :razz::razz::razz:

How's that for volatile prices.......

 

[whitenemesis]

MB Approved Tyres (-OK godofski??)

Spoke with the MB Techinician and tyre fitter about MO tyres and his view was that MB have worked with the tyre manufacturer to optimise the way things like sidewall stiffness, rolling resistance etc interact with the driver aides (ESP, ABS...)
So, a Pilot Primacy tyre whether MO stamped or not would be an approved tyre. Those with MO stamp are no different, its the manufacturer, type and sizing that matter. It is probably more a safety statement to protect MB.

I requested MB approved tyres (Michelin Pilot Primacy) as I have had very good performance and life out of the last 2 sets. Plus I have the peace of mind all is "square" wrt the insurers.

Just my view and my choice

 

[Rory]

Spoke with the MB Techinician and tyre fitter about MO tyres and his view was that MB have worked with the tyre manufacturer to optimise the way things like sidewall stiffness, rolling resistance etc interact with the driver aides (ESP, ABS...)

I think it just causes un-necessary confusion to have specially marked tyres, especially if it doesn't mean anything. You've probably got Primacy HP's on your car now, but they didn't exist when the car was made. So did Michelin do their testing on W203 or w204 - or both?

On some cars it does seem to be quite critical - we've already mentioned Porsches but apparently some Jags need "Jaguar Option" tyres which have a higher load rating than standard. This seems fair enough (although perhaps even greater potential for problems) but at least there's some specific reason to have particular tyres.

I imagine it's more to do with branding / marketing. Michelin probably pay Mercedes for the right to put MO on the tyres, in the same way Mobil etc probably have to pay for MB229.xx approval for their oil - doesn't mean it's better than any other similar oil.