Confused on Tyres

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TheStid

New Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2010
Messages
28
Location
Hants
Car
W205 C200 Sport Premium
Looking for 2 new Michelin tyres for my 2008 W211 E220 and was scanning e-tyres site and saw this:
Pilot Premacy - HP 225/55 R16 95W @ 159.40ukp a pop;
Then the next entry was:
Pilot Premacy - HP 225/55 R16 95W MO Mercedes fitment @ 162.70ukp a pop;

So whats the difference? Why am I being asked to pay 3.30 per tyre more just cos they're for a Merc? (paltry amount of money admittedly, but in todays ecomomic climate every penny counts)
 
When every penny counts.......

Michelin Primacy HP
Tyre Size 225/55W16
Designed for high perfomance saloons and MPVs

Approved by many vechicle manufacturers
Supple construction with rigid tread pattern for excellent tread life with improved wet braking performance
Highly advanced tread conpounds using a "full silica" mixture
Load Index: 95
A Load Index of 95 and Speed Rating W indicates the tyre can carry a load of 690kg at a maximum speed of 168mph (270kph)

For more information on Load Indices and Speed Ratings, click here.
Book & Pay Online £143.70 each

That is fitted, balanced, new valve and disposal.
Although some on here do not like kwik-fit.
 
They're just the MB approved versions, you're not obliged to buy them.
 
from mytyres.co.uk (fitted prices, not delivered):

Michelin PRIMACY HP 225/55 R16 95W with rim protection ridge, M0, GRNX BSW £154.50
Buy 4 and claim £40 in fuel vouchers. (so £144.50 each).

The MO model from mytyres is a pound cheaper than the ordinary one!
 
As said - The MO tyres are identical to the non-MO tyres, and prices differ slightly so shop around.

The short answer is does is it give you comfort to know that the tyres are MO? Would you only use the original MB first aid kit, or will you be happy with having any good-quality first-aid kit in the boot? I suppose that this is what it boils down to.

Hope this helps.
 
markjay said:
As said - The MO tyres are identical to the non-MO tyres
Manufacturer designated tyres are most definitely not the same as the generic version. Typically there will be minor compound changes and occasionally the tyre is structurally different too. Most obvious differences in use are generally noise and tread life.
 
manufacturer designated tyres are most definitely not the same as the generic version. Typically there will be minor compound changes and occasionally the tyre is structurally different too. Most obvious differences in use are generally noise and tread life.

^+1
 
Manufacturer designated tyres are most definitely not the same as the generic version. Typically there will be minor compound changes and occasionally the tyre is structurally different too. Most obvious differences in use are generally noise and tread life.

I concur. May also be slightly different width/shape to fit into wheel arch.

Given choice of MO and non-MO, especially on the front, go with the MO.
 
From the practical point of view, I find it very difficult to see how mainstream manufacturers can make tyres with the same model name, but differing in materials and pattern?

And at any rate why would MB cars require tyres that are different than all other cars?

Are the Eagle NCTs that were factory fitted on my car really different to the Eagle NCTs that I can buy in a tyre shop?

And finally, are manufactures actually saying that their non-MO tyres should not be fitted to MB cars?

I stand to be corrected but would appreciate some sort official confirmation - if someone can post a link to a manufacturers' site confirming this claim that MO tyres are different than their non-MO namesakes?
 
I concur. May also be slightly different width/shape to fit into wheel arch....

How is this possible? Surely a 225 tyre is exactly 225mm wide - whether MO or not? And they are all round! What size and shape difference could two otherwise identically-labelled tyres - e.g. 225/45x17 - have?

The claim that MO tyres differ in compound and pattern is more difficult to disprove, although as stated above I find it to be a very odd arrangement given the otherwise same make and model of tyre.
 
How is this possible? Surely a 225 tyre is exactly 225mm wide - whether MO or not?
The actual base of the tread is 225mm wide but the shoulders can be quite square on some tyres and a little softer on others. This makes a difference on cars with oversized wheels or shortened suspension setups. I'm sure I've read about modders cutting the shoulders down to fit on extremely modified cars :)
 
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Google is your friend - I assume we can consider this matter closed.
I would have accepted the contents of that document were it not for this little bit of scaremongery at the end:
There is no statutory requirement to abide by this recommendation. This being the case, the customer is free to decide if he wants to equip his Mercedes-Benz with MO marked tyres or not. However, if a vehicle is involved in an accident and the tyres are deemed to be a contributory factor it is possible that this may invalidate the vehicle insurance.
The last sentence makes them look like idiots. Might as well put: "You're not obliged to buy MO tyres, feel free to buy whatever tyres you want! Naturally if you don't buy MO tyres and you have an accident the the insurance company won't pay out, you'll lose your job, spouse, friends and home and will end up living under a railway arch drinking the backwash from empty cans of Kestrel and sleeping among litter and rats.

Don't say we didn't warn you!"

:rolleyes:
 
Agreed I too found the last paragraph patronising but it is relevant. The first thing an insurance assessor does when checking cars involved in an accident is check the tyres.
 
The handbook for my R129 does state that only certain types of tyre are approved for use on it.
 
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This is a document produced by and MB dealer, saying that you should only buy MB-approved tyres. I was hoping for some independent support (e.g. from a tyre manufacturer) to what I find an unlikely claim - that 205 tyres with MO marking are actually less than 205mm wide...

The wrong tyre width is in fact the only concrete piece of information in the document - the other paragraph is very vague:

'Tyres with original equipment markings have been specifically designed to comply with the needs of the respective vehicle manufacturer, i.e. they have been ‘fine-tuned’ to fulfill the unique characteristics requested, e.g. comfort, rolling resistance, handling, wet performance, road noise etc. Tyres without original equipment markings are adapted to meet the general requirements of a range of different vehicles and hence are a compromise of performance criteria'

and in fact, it sounds exactly the same answer an MB dealer would give if you asked them if you can use Bosch or NGK spark plugs with the same code designation but without the MB logo.

I don't blame them - it makes perfect sense that they only comment on MB-approved products - but this is a legitimate marketing attitude rather than a factual statement..

So I remain unconvinced...
 
Just to clarify - I am in no way against MO tyres. I do have the original MB first aid kit, as well as an MB pen in the glove compartment, and I did buy NGK spark plugs from BRABUSK8 (Acid) with the MB logo that came in a nice white MB box. Yes, it gives me a nice warm feeling - even-though no one will ever see the MB logo on the spark plugs, other than BlackC55 (Olly) who fitted them for me, or the first aid kit in my boot - so by all means please do buy MO tyres, I might do so as well myself.

Especially so when the MB branded NGK spark plugs or the MO tyres do not cost more that their non-MB counterparts.

I am simply referring to the fact that I don't believe there is a difference in the actual product.

Still, will be happy to be proven wrong, though not through an MB dealer marketing material...
 
On top of all that... the brochure seems to strangely relate only to items that the MB dealer can charge for... fitting new tyres, repairing punctures, and checking for uneven wear i.e. correctly setting the wheel alignment.

This 'helpful' advice conveniently neglects to mention one of the most important aspect of tyre maintenance - how to correctly check of tyre pressure - when cold, car is unladen, and on flat surface, and inflated to the specification as listed on the inside of the fuel filler flap - or indeed the actual fact that for your safety and in the interest of longer tyre service life the owner should check these regularly.

Not a single word regarding this essential safety check - in a supposedly 'helpful' tyre maintenance brochure with lots of harsh warning ('...The capacity to disperse water is drastically reduced with low and worn tread depth – so carefully monitor the depth of tread on your tyres – your life [sic] could depend on it....Don’t ever let anyone else attempt to repair your tyre to a lesser standard - it could prove fatal in the event of the repair failing at speed').

It seems that whatever does not produce an income for the dealer, is of no relevance to them, regardless of the safety implications (if you check you tyre pressure and find it to be incorrect, you are likely to inflate the tyres yourself; hence no financial interest for the dealer). This is bordering on negligence.

This brochure looks to me a particularly badly-written piece of glossy documentation created by a local MB dealer in order to generate income, misleadingly disguised as safety advice, and one that would have never been approved by MB HQ.

So I see no reason to trust their opinion of MO tyres, and I do find their insurance invalidation claim bizarre and scaremongering, but at the same time serving to highlight what is really behind this brochure - getting more business.
 

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