I'm getting ready to buy new tires for my '02 E320 4Matic and I'd like some opinions on which brand/series will work the best for me. I have Continental ContiTouringContact now and I live in snow country. Thanks in advance!

 

Stick with OE recommended tyres and sizes.
Arn't you satisfied with the Conti's?

 

I have an 03 E320 non-4matic and I bought a set of Conti Extreme Contacts last fall and they ran great during the winter (I live in the Northeast). They are a little noisy on dry roads though. Ultimately, the ideal way to go is two sets of tires -- summer and winter. I've put about 15K miles so far and worn off about 2mm of thread during this period.

Regards,
paul..

 

Oh, I think the Continental is a wonderful tyre. I just thought I'd research this to death like I do most purchases! Thanks

 

I research everything to death before I purchase also, and it drives my wife crazy -- especially when I do it like 6 months before I actually purchase. By the way, I also looked at a nice Michelin all season tire (sorry, forgot the model name), but what I liked about the Conti Extreme Contacts is that there is a path thru the tread from the left to the right of the tire which helps channel water away from the tire instead of leaving it toward the back of the tire. Also, the Contis are a directional tire and I always buy directional tires since these are optimized for the forward rotation of the tire which is about 99.99999% (boy, this sounds like a reliability specification!) of the direction I drive.

Regards,
paul...

 

i put "z" rated yokahamas on my 1987 300e. fabulous smooth ride, quiet, great traction, not too expesive. great wet, snow, dry.

 

Bridgestone Turanza LS-H. Trust me on this one... or better yet,, check out the reviews on tirerack.com Great tire - a bit more expensive than some - BUT... I bought mine from Wheel Works and they came with a 50k or 60k warranty. I put a set on a 2001 E320 wagon that wore through OE Michelins in 18k miles. This heavy, all wheel drive car wore through the Turanza's in another 20k miles. I had them balanced and rotated every 4000 miles and kept the car perfectly aligned... Voila... pro-rated warranty replacement. I paid only 33% of the original cost of the tires to have them replaced. Same sort of deal on Turanza LS-Z on my 2000 E430 4matic - but these were warranted at 40k miles and I also got about 20k on my first set. Still paid only 50% of the cost of new ones to have them replaced. I'm getting ready for the third set of LS-Zs... still have kept up with rotation, balance and alignment. I'll see if they continue to stand behind the warranty. And... they are good tires. Quiet, corner very well, great in the wet and even the snow. Also, the LS-Zs are built for speed. The LS-Hs and LS-Zs are expensive - but with the warranty, over time, a really good deal.