Hi Folks,

I am not only new to this forum, but also new to Mercedes. I just bought a 2006 S500 with AMG sport package (appearance, not permormance...I wish!). Anyway, I am looking for advise on snow tires for our minnesota winters. Currently I have the AMG 245/45R18 (front) and 265/45R18 (rear) rims. I've heard I can put snow tires on these rims, but not sure what would be the best option. I am also considering getting a second set of rims (hopefully not too expensive). If I do so, what size would you say is best, as again I've heard that I should consider a rim size of 225/45R17.

Thanks for your help!

NewEradicator

 

Many people get a second set of rims for their winter tires, so that they can easily remove them once the winter season is over and the summer rims don't get damaged by salt or snow/ice.

The most important part is to realize that winter tires are not a freebee for driving like a lunatic in the winter.
Winter tires have a softer compound which keeps the rubber flexible at lower temperatures. The way the grooves are designed makes it more difficult for snow to stick to the tires, giving you traction on snow.

But like with 4-wheel drives...........it will give you grip when you drive, but it will not give you super traction when you hit the brakes. In rainy conditions the winter tires will perform better than summer tires, but on snow or ice the braking performance is still not like on a dry road.

Since you have an AMG you have lots of excess power, something you don't want to have in winter conditions. Like with rain or wet surfaces, the smaller the tire the better your grip will be.
Which tire you should have exactly I don't know, my advise would be to go to a good, independent, dealer or do some investigations yourself by reading tire tests. It is not that the most expensive tire is automatically the best tire, in fact, I have SAVA wintertires under my car. These tires are relatively cheap, but work much better than expensive Michelins or Goodyears.
Lastly, I hope you understand you will not be driving flat out in winter conditions, i.o.w. you don't need tires which are licensed to do 250 km/h. Some dealers will try to talk you into these type of tires for the simple reason they cost a fortune and legally speaking they are correct (insurance companies sometimes demand tires which have speed limits above the limit of your car), but driving in winter conditions means anticipating, which means much lower speeds than during dry conditions.
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