Hi:
I just purchased a 1999 sl500 sport. The tires need to be replaced. I have 2 questions on which I seek advise:

1. Both front and rear tires are the same size; 245/95. Someone told me that the "sport" model should have different size front and rear tires. Is this true?

2. I need to replace all four tires fairly immediately. I am looking for recommendations on decent, but, not overly expensive tires.

Thx

By the way I am new to this forum. previous to this car I had, for 16 years, a 1987 560sl. It served me well.
The sl500 looks like it will be a more than capable replacement.

 

Original Equipment Front:245/40ZR18[/b]Original Equipment Rear:275/35ZR18[/b]

 

Michelin - can't go wrong

 

winsteadi is right, 'you can't go wrong' with Michelins. You can save a few hundred with Bridgestone Potenza's, (my choice for my car) without sacrificing anything...ride, noise, comfort, cornering. etc. All that said, you may want to wander around www.tirerack.com , input your specific car (they list the Sport model, too) and see what a cross section of users are buying based on driving needs (year round vs. seasonal) ratings, and a cool comparison tool. At the end of the day, tires are a pretty personal choice; just get the best overall value for what you want to spend. BTW, after you mount your new tires have the car RoadForce Balanced....reqires a shop with a Hunter 9700 machine and an operator who knows what he's doing for you to get the most out of driving this car.

Bob

 

I just finished reading the manual and it talks about all tires being the same size otherwise they will have different rotation speeds which could cause the esp light to lite. Why then would the car come with different size front and rear tires? I wonder.
So now I am confused as to what I should do. Also I need to check the rims. Obviously, if the car came with different sizes someone changed this setup and put 245s on front and rear.

What would be the advantage to 275s on rear and 245s on front? if you know

 

Anybody ever buy tires from Sam's Club or Costco? I have received some very good reports on their prices, service and expertice.

 

Costco is the palce to go if you have the ability. Prices are better, service excellent., and a good road hazard guarantee.

 

Thx for the response. Actually, I checked with Sam's club and they seem pretty good also.
My situation got a little more bizarre. Turns out that the rear rims are on the front and the front on the back. All four tires are 245s. I can't figure out while they would have done this. Anyway I plan on buying 275s for the rear and 245s for the front and obviously putting the rims back where they belong.
Any idea why they would have done that?

 

Two years ago I had to make the tire decision. I used the reviews on Tirerack.com as a guide and finally went with Pirelli P Zero Neros I run them a little hard at 36-37 lbs all around and am pleased with them. The local Goodyear guy came very close to matching Tirerack pricing so I bought the tires from him.