Tyres

[Jrhendo]

What’s the current go-to tyre? 1974 450SLC running (soon to be, thanks Craig) 560SL manholes.

Totally rebuilt engine - plus a lot of other overhauling) so it deserves good new boots.

[Greg in Oz]

Factory standard tyre size for the 7J x 15 wheels on a 107 was 205/65R15. 215/60R15 tyres are also a good fit to the 7J x 15 wheels and result in the same overall diameter and rolling circumference as the original tyres.

[CraigB]

Knowing you compete in cars and may wish to 'press on' a bit, there are some pretty sticky tyres out there without going full R spec. Huge range of prices. I had Hifly and Kenda recommended to me - not sure the models but you can work that out. My sources used on street and hill climb and good times up against past R spec experiences. Not going to get huge mileage, but unless you are using as a commuter, like me you are probably struggling to go through tyres in a reasonable number of years. Have also heard good reports of hankook in their 'sporty' in between tyre, but considerably more expensive than the two I first mentioned. My last 'sporty' tyre was Khumo KU36 on my AMG and they had great grip dry, very good in wet, and seemed to have good wear, but I don't drive it a lot and tend to take it on longer runs from time to time rather than shorter trips. That's a few years ago and I think technology may have moved on.

What brands are you running Greg? Particularly when competing.

[John Green]

What’s the current go-to tyre? 1974 450SLC running (soon to be, thanks Craig) 560SL manholes.

205/70R14 is your OE size, these are 25.3" in diameter

205/65R15 is 25.5" diameter

215/60R15 is 25.2" in diameter, so yes this is your best option. However at the end of the day it might get down to who makes the tyre you want in which size.

[Greg in Oz]

For road tyres I was always a fan of Michelin, especially since they were often the factory fitted brand on some of my cars. I liked the way they offered fairly consistent grip throughout their life and even when worn still gave reliable wet weather grip. More recently I have lost respect for Michelin. The last set on the 300TE suddenly developed cracks and bulges which would have resulted in catastrophic failure. This issue was with the first set I had which were manufactured in Thailand whereas all previous sets manufactured in France or Germany never suffered any problems regardless of age.

I have also been reasonably satisfied with Pirelli which were another factory fitted brand (on my 190Es and E320 coupe).

In more recent years I have been running with Bridgestone Potenza RE003. They are quite grippy for tarmac and even occasional track day use. The relatively soft compound results in a shorter tyre life but that's not an issue on my cars which have limited use. The RE003 are also very reasonably priced for a performance tyre. Unfortunately not available in a huge range of sizes but I currently have them on my 500SLC (225/50R16) and both the Sportline and 16 valve 190Es (205/55R15).

[CraigB]

That's interesting what you said about Michellin Greg. You know that 420 you looked at for me in Sydney - had a nearly new tread depth Contis on it and I think the guy used it as a daily (but haven't checked date code) - Anyway, swapped onto my my good 560, which has been sitting in the carport while I stuff around with sunroof etc and keep getting sidetracked.... so it has been a while... but it has huge cracks in the sidewalls now on all 4 and they are trash. They weren't flat but cracked where there is slight bulging where it sits. No big deal with age and not normal usage sitting etc but I have crappy tyres sitting on wrecks etc forever and never seen cracks like this in any of them. I have never purchased new contis but know they were OEM and like your point about tyres that maybe companies retain characteristics from the original that maybe preserve the original feel (yes i know, a long shot!) - but for that reason have had in the back of my mind to consider the brand, but not anymore. I spread myself too thinly between cars so I am better with softer and enyoy it while I can - so will consider the Bridgestones next time.

Latest tyres I bought were BF Goodrich advantage something on recommendation of a couple of khanacrossers getting good times on them in the 'street' class. They were $120 most places local and then checked Bob Jane and got them at $100 for a set of 4. Seem to grip great on tarmac too, but only pushing the E220 up and down our twisty hill.

[Ivanerrol]

Michelin PS4s seem to be the go to tyre for h big name super cars in Europe.
I have PS4s tyres on the front wheels of the W213 - made in China. Rear tyres are Pilot super Sports - Made in USA
PS4s on my wagon all made in Thailand.
I haven't seen a European Michelin for quite a while.

When I bought my wagon it had Khumo's on it. They were the wrong weight rating for the car. I got a good deal on the PS4s tyres - they were cheaper than very good Khumo's. (I didn't have to pay for them - the stealer did)

I might get 30,000 K's out of the tyres on the W213 - more country than city stuff.

I had Conti sports contact 5's on my W204 - rears lucky to get 25,000K's

Some AMG wheels come equipped with Goodyear Mercedes Option. The service man at my local stealers advises to dump them when they get close to replacement.

Khumo's will go on next time around. Hankook I find noisy for my style of driving

[Jrhendo]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the feedback.

John