Tyres - SL

[Speedmaster]

Hello all

Am trying to work out which are the best tyres to get for my 1999 SL320. The ones that are on it are not v good and this did not really bother me as the car was used to potter about in but it is now doing 120 mile round rip every day and aqua-planes (??) terribly and also feels very loose round roundabouts. Plenty of tread on the tyres but they are a cheapo make.

Ones I have been offered so far are:

Continentals
Bridgestones
Pirelli P-Zero Rossis

Is there a site that compares them?
Living in Scotland, they must must must be good in the rain!

 

[Tikon]

Hi this is a great site for tyres and great prices too www.blackcircles.com if you want to see merc road test details: http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/mercedes

I have to use ATS for mine and have just put michelin sports on, the previous ones which were great but only lasted 15,000 miles for a full set were goodyears I think or Conti's.

 

[deejaybee]

Try Falken 452s

Hi Speedmaster, I have just fitted a set of Falken 452s to my Cl 420 and although I have only done about 100 miles so far my first impression is that these are very good. The grip and ride is not noticebly different, but they are much quieter than the previous Michelins.

When I got the car it was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sports and the tyres had between 4.5 - 5.5 mm tread. Over about 8500 miles these had worn right down to the tread bar.

A new set of Michelins would have been about £800 fitted for my car (255-45-18 Z-rated) but I was able to order the Falkens direct from Falken Uk for £380 including delivery and it cost a further £40 to fit (but some places wanted up to £100!!).

I am not expecting the Falkens to last as long as the Michelins would, but they are only just over half the price, so if they do more than half the mileage they will be cheaper for only half the original investment.

They are made in Japan incidentally and apparantly have a very good reputation in the Japanese home market, just not so well known here. I think they are much better quality than some of the other "budget" brands.

regards,

Dave

 

[grayb]

We had Pirelli P-Zero Rosso's on our C43 for a while and they were pretty good. We replaced them with Goodyear Eagle F3's which gripped a bit better, steered very well but were noisy! The CLK we have bought now had Pirelli's from new, so I might try them again next time.

 

[RichardSmith]

I have Pirelli P-zero Rosso on my SLK 350 and they are very good. I'm sure that Bridgestones will also give good all round performance as well.

I've never had good experiences with Contis in the past but I have not ried them recently so cannot comment.

On my 300zx twin turbo, I have Dunlop SP 9000 Sports and they really do perform well; they are not too expensive either, from www.mytyres.co.uk

If the SP9000 can hold my ZX on the road, without modern aids like traction control then they have my respect!!

Richard

 

[Xtractorfan]

Dunlops good grippy tyre, but I've always thot that the sidewalls tend to bulge and blister

 

[davidsl500]

This is a pretty subjective topic, everyone seems to have their own opinion on the best brands. Because alot of people only change their tyres every couple of years it is actually difficult to compare makes. Often a cheaper set of new tyres will outperform the old "major brand" set that they are replacing - but of course the tyres coming off are worn !

My personal favourites are Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. They seem to be wearing very well on my SL500 and have good grip in the wet and actually not bad in the snow either. They also have a great tread pattern !

 

[Speedmaster]

All very interesting. I dont mind paying for "the best". Am looking out the window at the heavy rain now and knowing that my current tyres will skid about etc is quite scary.

I had heard that Bridgestone were v good in the rain?

 

[ceejay]

I know this may be a bit of a red herring, but replaced the tyres on my wifes '99 SL320 for the same reasons - loose and slippy with pretty worn tyres. Not horrid - just not coconfidence inspiring. Used Dunlops and made a difference - but not what I thought.

Only when I took the car into the excellent indie for a service (Autoclass in Milton Keynes) did they suggest the replacement of a damper on the steering - about £ 70 fitted and WHAT a difference.

No more wooly wallowy loosy corners !

 

[grayb]

This is a pretty subjective topic, everyone seems to have their own opinion on the best brands. Because alot of people only change their tyres every couple of years it is actually difficult to compare makes. Often a cheaper set of new tyres will outperform the old "major brand" set that they are replacing - but of course the tyres coming off are worn !

My personal favourites are Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. They seem to be wearing very well on my SL500 and have good grip in the wet and actually not bad in the snow either. They also have a great tread pattern !

I meant the Eagle F1 GSD3 in my post above - not 'F3' - sorry! I agree about the subjective part. We bought both the Pirellis and the Eagles after tyre test articles in Autocar. The Pirellis won one year, and the Eagles won a couple of years later.

 

[Speedmaster]

How do you find the Pirelli's in the rain?

 

[Xtractorfan]

My humble opinion would be the Michelin Pilot Sports none better for grip wet or dry, and they make a good car great... But I do think similar cars, different suspension settings, will give very different results from similar tyres

 

[Blobcat]

My personal favourites are Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3. They seem to be wearing very well on my SL500 and have good grip in the wet and actually not bad in the snow either. They also have a great tread pattern !

I see your still parking with the steering turned to see the thread

 

[davidsl500]

I see your still parking with the steering turned to see the thread

YES !!, its a great pattern, When they are worn down I might cut one up and frame it...........

 

[Tikon]

My humble opinion would be the Michelin Pilot Sports none better for grip wet or dry, and they make a good car great... But I do think similar cars, different suspension settings, will give very different results from similar tyres

I've got Michelins on mine the Primacy Sports and they are great in dry and wet.
Previous set were Continental Sport Contact 2 they were good as well.

Gary