Chosing tyres

herve431 · 05-09-2007

I have Pirelli P7 on my 16" wheels and when my tyres be out I probably will purchase 18" wheels and the big question mark is "what type of new tyres"
I'm not sure that Pirelli's are the best :P zero,rosso,nero.....
Whatever the price the 2 important criteria for me are: they should held as long as possible and they should be noiseless as far as possible.

Between Michelin,Pirelli,Conti,Bridgestone,Yokohama,Hankoo k and Good Year which one could fit at best my requirements ?

Has somebody a paper which compares these types of tyres ?

thanks

Banned · 05-09-2007

Hervé, in the newest auto magazin "sport-auto" has been a tyre competition, but in 19´.

1. Pirelli
2. Hankook
.
.
.
8. Bridgestone
9. Yokohama

jamesbond007 · 05-09-2007

I have 2000 km left on mine and I have the same criteria as Hervé: durability and quietness. Plus perhaps looks. I am considering at this point Michelin Pilots. I have the standards rims, i.e. 17".

Banned · 05-09-2007

Typically French

Michelin Pilot costs 40% more than Hankook, 30% more than Dunlop and 10% more than Pirelli, but they prefer the Michelin.

herve431 · 05-09-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by OWL-SLK

Typically French

Michelin Pilot costs 40% more than Hankook, 30% more than Dunlop and 10% more than Pirelli, but they prefer the Michelin.

I said that the price is not a problem I do prefer purchase tyres 40% more expensive if they held double time than others

jamesbond007 · 05-09-2007

As I said, I don't care too much about the price. I just want the best tyres. If Michelin are the best, great. Otherwise, I am prepared to go for another brand, but not Japanese.

I think it was Oscar Wilde who used to say: "my tastes are simple, I just want the best".

PS: what's Hankook? A drummer?

V8SLK · 05-09-2007

i'm running the michelin ps2's and i love them. the grip and handle better and have a smoother ride than the stock pirellis. i can't tell you about tread life as they are still relatively low mileage.

**F111F** · 05-09-2007

I think Hankook is a Korean company. Most of the tires are owned by the Japanese companies anyway......
I prefer top end high performance Potenza/Bridgestones, but they tend wear quickly (due to my driving/tracking). You can read the reports on TireRack. They rate tires based on quietness, grip in dry and wet, etc. That should help you decide also.

jamesbond007 · 05-09-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by F111F

I think Hankook is a Korean company. Most of the tires are owned by the Japanese companies anyway......

Who would want to have Hankook tyres on an SLK? Too many k's in that name. Sounds too much like the KKK.

On your advice, I just checked TireRack and the Pilots is the best choice, considering that I have excluded all the brands I have never heard of, or the ones I would never have on my car.

herve431 · 05-09-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by F111F

I think Hankook is a Korean company. Most of the tires are owned by the Japanese companies anyway......
I prefer top end high performance Potenza/Bridgestones, but they tend wear quickly (due to my driving/tracking). You can read the reports on TireRack. They rate tires based on quietness, grip in dry and wet, etc. That should help you decide also.

Thanks I will read what they say on TireRack

Banned · 05-09-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesbond007

Who would want to have Hankook tyres on an SLK? Too many k's in that name. Sounds too much like the KKK.

Im driving Hankook Evo S1 - superb tyre!

diclehana · 05-09-2007

I have MPS2 and they look and ride perfect. I nearly have the comfort of my 17" rims with Pirelli tires. I can not say much about Hankook but those Eastern companies basicly make similar products like known brands and sell them cheap. So they are always an option.

SiLK · 05-09-2007

I'm on new CONTINENTAL's SportContact 3 but I'm not happy with them in everyday city drive. The car can only move because it has ESP and stop thanks to ABS! Considering the critics I've heard about this tire, I'm disappointed!

The tire I'll get next will definitely be the GOODYEAR F1! I was going to get the GSD3 one, but they just released a new one out which is asymmetrical and I think I'll give it a try instead!
I've used more than 4 sets of the F1 GSD3 on my previous car and it was truly great. Lasted long, performed very well in both dry and wet and (maybe the most important for me) was very predictable and informative.

**F111F** · 05-09-2007

Timely thread as I will be putting new tires on after tracking at MSR this weekend.
My order from Tire Rack is shown below.
Note that with the hot dry weather in Texas these are appropriate for my location, these are Extreme Summer Performance.

Herve431 - you may want a tire that can work in colder/wet weather as would be appropriate for your location.
Note that these are NOT designed for driving in snow/ice or below 40 Fahrenheit ~> 0 Celsius.

2ea. 225/45ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Front Tyres
2ea. 245/40ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Rear Tyres

Baron7700 · 05-09-2007

haha i went cheap with Nankangs, my rear tires have about 6,000 miles on them, and they are still looking new so far. ANd im not easy on them either...

jamesbond007 · 05-09-2007

I think I'll go for the Michelin PS2. 500 € installed for the rear set.

**alroumi** · 05-09-2007

Michelins are neat and durable, Pirelli and Continetnal are expensive and dont last as long as Toyo, Michelin and Goodyear from my experience.

Banned · 05-10-2007

In the test the Michelin needed from 100 to 0 just 6 meters more in rain than the Hankook. You should look onto money if you buy it because you´ll need the money for your forwarded car possibly

A long life of a tyre is a question of driving, too. My first Pirelli have been down at 23.000km, the Hankook are 15.000km old now and they are looking quite okay. I believe they reach 15k more. On my BMW 5 series the Dunlops lived 90.000km! But that´s more than 10 years ago.

jamesbond007 · 05-10-2007

I have Continentals and the rear will have done just about 30.000 km.
I think Michelin would do a bit more?

Banned · 05-10-2007

Tyre buy is awful. The producers dont give any miles garantee and there is no test drive possible. There should be a worldwide test standard for all. Because of that and the "standard dealers" in my area didnt want to sell Hankook because they get no high commission on it, I decided to buy them.

And - what wonder - they are really good. May be the Michelin are living a little bit longer, but the price difference is too high. One point was the most important: the width of the tyres. Im driving 8,5 and 9,5 rims and Ive seen SLK with big problems to get the wheels under the fenders. I didnt want to pull it. And 255 is not like 255*. Goodyear is large, Hankook small. Ive had no problems with it and so I think my decision was not bad.

And SLK is not SLK. There are really big gaps too. On one there is 9,5x19 with 265/30 Goodyears no problem, others are dispairing with 255/30. A good friend is driving spacers on the rear axis - 10mm left, 5mm right side - to get an equal width.

05-09-2007	#1 (permalink)
herve431 Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toulouse Vehicle: 2007 SLK 280 6-gear Posts: 132 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Chosing tyres I have Pirelli P7 on my 16" wheels and when my tyres be out I probably will purchase 18" wheels and the big question mark is "what type of new tyres" I'm not sure that Pirelli's are the best :P zero,rosso,nero..... Whatever the price the 2 important criteria for me are: they should held as long as possible and they should be noiseless as far as possible. Between Michelin,Pirelli,Conti,Bridgestone,Yokohama,Hankoo k and Good Year which one could fit at best my requirements ? Has somebody a paper which compares these types of tyres ? thanks

05-09-2007	#17 (permalink)
alroumi Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait Vehicle: 2006 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG Other Toys: 2007 Ebony Jaguar XKR Coupe' and 06 Black Cayenne S Posts: 6,271 Country: Thanks: 288 Thanked 231 Times in 145 Posts	Michelins are neat and durable, Pirelli and Continetnal are expensive and dont last as long as Toyo, Michelin and Goodyear from my experience. __________________ 06 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG 06 Porsche Cayenne S 07 Jaguar XKR Coupe' I use the Torque and keep the HP for my Steak Sauce!

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05-09-2007	#2 (permalink)
Banned Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,167 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hervé, in the newest auto magazin "sport-auto" has been a tyre competition, but in 19´. 1. Pirelli 2. Hankook . . . 8. Bridgestone 9. Yokohama

05-09-2007	#3 (permalink)
jamesbond007 Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Paris (France) Vehicle: CLK 500 Cabriolet Posts: 154 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have 2000 km left on mine and I have the same criteria as Hervé: durability and quietness. Plus perhaps looks. I am considering at this point Michelin Pilots. I have the standards rims, i.e. 17".

05-09-2007	#4 (permalink)
Banned Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,167 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Typically French Michelin Pilot costs 40% more than Hankook, 30% more than Dunlop and 10% more than Pirelli, but they prefer the Michelin.

05-09-2007	#6 (permalink)
jamesbond007 Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Paris (France) Vehicle: CLK 500 Cabriolet Posts: 154 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	As I said, I don't care too much about the price. I just want the best tyres. If Michelin are the best, great. Otherwise, I am prepared to go for another brand, but not Japanese. I think it was Oscar Wilde who used to say: "my tastes are simple, I just want the best". PS: what's Hankook? A drummer?

05-09-2007	#7 (permalink)
V8SLK Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Home of the brave Vehicle: 05 SLK55 AMG Posts: 1,071 Country: Thanks: 40 Thanked 48 Times in 26 Posts	i'm running the michelin ps2's and i love them. the grip and handle better and have a smoother ride than the stock pirellis. i can't tell you about tread life as they are still relatively low mileage.

05-09-2007	#8 (permalink)
F111F Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Plano, TX Vehicle: SLK55 Black Mocha Designo Posts: 290 Country: Thanks: 39 Thanked 22 Times in 10 Posts	I think Hankook is a Korean company. Most of the tires are owned by the Japanese companies anyway...... I prefer top end high performance Potenza/Bridgestones, but they tend wear quickly (due to my driving/tracking). You can read the reports on TireRack. They rate tires based on quietness, grip in dry and wet, etc. That should help you decide also.

05-09-2007	#12 (permalink)
diclehana Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Istanbul Vehicle: 05 SLK 200 Posts: 182 Country: Thanks: 3 Thanked 10 Times in 2 Posts	I have MPS2 and they look and ride perfect. I nearly have the comfort of my 17" rims with Pirelli tires. I can not say much about Hankook but those Eastern companies basicly make similar products like known brands and sell them cheap. So they are always an option.

05-09-2007	#13 (permalink)
SiLK Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Kavala, Greece Vehicle: SLK350 Posts: 104 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm on new CONTINENTAL's SportContact 3 but I'm not happy with them in everyday city drive. The car can only move because it has ESP and stop thanks to ABS! Considering the critics I've heard about this tire, I'm disappointed! The tire I'll get next will definitely be the GOODYEAR F1! I was going to get the GSD3 one, but they just released a new one out which is asymmetrical and I think I'll give it a try instead! I've used more than 4 sets of the F1 GSD3 on my previous car and it was truly great. Lasted long, performed very well in both dry and wet and (maybe the most important for me) was very predictable and informative.

05-09-2007	#14 (permalink)
F111F Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Plano, TX Vehicle: SLK55 Black Mocha Designo Posts: 290 Country: Thanks: 39 Thanked 22 Times in 10 Posts	Timely thread as I will be putting new tires on after tracking at MSR this weekend. My order from Tire Rack is shown below. Note that with the hot dry weather in Texas these are appropriate for my location, these are Extreme Summer Performance. Herve431 - you may want a tire that can work in colder/wet weather as would be appropriate for your location. Note that these are NOT designed for driving in snow/ice or below 40 Fahrenheit ~> 0 Celsius. 2ea. 225/45ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Front Tyres 2ea. 245/40ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Rear Tyres

05-09-2007	#15 (permalink)
Baron7700 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pennyslvania Vehicle: 2006 Slk 350 Other Toys: Lots of ATV's Posts: 1,599 Country: Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	haha i went cheap with Nankangs, my rear tires have about 6,000 miles on them, and they are still looking new so far. ANd im not easy on them either...

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

05-09-2007	#16 (permalink)
jamesbond007 Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Paris (France) Vehicle: CLK 500 Cabriolet Posts: 154 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I think I'll go for the Michelin PS2. 500 € installed for the rear set.

05-10-2007	#18 (permalink)
Banned Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,167 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	In the test the Michelin needed from 100 to 0 just 6 meters more in rain than the Hankook. You should look onto money if you buy it because you´ll need the money for your forwarded car possibly A long life of a tyre is a question of driving, too. My first Pirelli have been down at 23.000km, the Hankook are 15.000km old now and they are looking quite okay. I believe they reach 15k more. On my BMW 5 series the Dunlops lived 90.000km! But that´s more than 10 years ago.

05-10-2007	#19 (permalink)
jamesbond007 Senior SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Paris (France) Vehicle: CLK 500 Cabriolet Posts: 154 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have Continentals and the rear will have done just about 30.000 km. I think Michelin would do a bit more?

05-10-2007	#20 (permalink)
Banned Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,167 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Tyre buy is awful. The producers dont give any miles garantee and there is no test drive possible. There should be a worldwide test standard for all. Because of that and the "standard dealers" in my area didnt want to sell Hankook because they get no high commission on it, I decided to buy them. And - what wonder - they are really good. May be the Michelin are living a little bit longer, but the price difference is too high. One point was the most important: the width of the tyres. Im driving 8,5 and 9,5 rims and Ive seen SLK with big problems to get the wheels under the fenders. I didnt want to pull it. And 255 is not like 255*. Goodyear is large, Hankook small. Ive had no problems with it and so I think my decision was not bad. And SLK is not SLK. There are really big gaps too. On one there is 9,5x19 with 265/30 Goodyears no problem, others are dispairing with 255/30. A good friend is driving spacers on the rear axis - 10mm left, 5mm right side - to get an equal width.