MO/Non MO Tyres - Confirmation at Last!!!

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It seems that 205/55 16 Michelin Primacy Alpins in MO were available last year this year they no longer make them in that size! They do not do any MO winter tyres in that size.

My car has that size front and 225/50/16 on the rear. I forget which way round it is, but one of the sizes isn't available in MO even in the summer version Primacy HP. So I've never used MO tyres.

My car came with Bridgestones from the factory and they weren't MO.
 
That does seem a good price.


That is very true.

I already spotted the Conti SuperContact 3 MO on Camskill's website some time ago, albeit a smaller size for my lowly C180K, and bookmarked the site for when I need new tyres (still got 4-5mm on my Dunlops, but tempted to swap them...) - read very good test reports on the SuperContact 3.
 
That is very true.

I already spotted the Conti SuperContact 3 MO on Camskill's website some time ago, albeit a smaller size for my lowly C180K, and bookmarked the site for when I need new tyres (still got 4-5mm on my Dunlops, but tempted to swap them...) - read very good test reports on the SuperContact 3.

do you mean SportContact?

I have them on my CLS .. incredibly, the rears (285/35 18) lasted 13k miles.
 
So what 'MO DC' then? :confused:
 
Just to continue the saga, here's Michelin's pennyworth.

"The 'MO' marking on a tyre means that the tyre is approved by Mercedes for fitment to all new vehicles that come out of production, therefore the tyre will beOriginal Equipment.
Mercedes may have had an input with the Tyres Designers to change the tyre slightly to their own specification.

Mercedes and Michelin recommend that 'MO' marked tyres are used in complete sets of four."

Until this year, I've never knowingly fitted MO tyres to anything. Cannot say for or against, but running in sets of four makes sense.
 
..Mercedes may have had an input with the Tyres Designers to change the tyre slightly to their own specification...

:doh:

And just how does this help...? :D

I think that the PR officers writing these replies have no idea either...
 
The MO designator will be an indication that the tyre has been manufactured to, and meets the requirements of a Mercedes-Benz unique Specification. That Specification will typically place tighter tolerances on a tyre's attributes than the Manufacturer’s spec and/or any Statutory requirement.
The nice man at Continental would not typically know this and/or as Grober said, would not be inclined let you know in anycase. You may find that as the performance demands on the tyre increase, the MB spec will tighten the attributes even more. This is probably why the inference was that on the higher performance cars there tends to be a greater difference.

Suspension designers really want the best from their design, this is their way of gaining an advantage from a better designed and manufactured tyre, only, the tyre manufacturers are not going to tell you a non MO tyre is not as good as an MO tyre.

That's my take on it Gents......


It's nice to know MB don't charge as much a premium as others for this service. :):)
 
From Michelin -

MO Specific marking for MERCEDES vehicles
MO1 Specific marking for Mercedes-AMG vehicles

Make sure you get the correct fitment.... ;)
 
Holy thread resurrection Batman!

Actually I've just ordered some Sport Contact 5 MOs for our S203 :D

I had to look up what MOE (as opposed to MO) was ... hadn't seen that before.
Tires branded with MOExtended or MOE on their sidewalls identify them as being specifically tuned for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The Extended portion of the name identifies they feature run-flat-like tire characteristics by offering temporary extended mobility. However since they don't meet all of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) run-flat tire operating limits under all permitted vehicle loads, they cannot be branded as run-flat tires.
 
I've not conti sport on my ML63 (and that I guess is a heavy fast car by definition).

I have MO on one axle, and NO on the other axle (because I had NO there for some reason). The NO tyre and the MO tyre look ever so slightly different right in the middle (deeper grooves on one). This may have only looked different because I was looking at part worn tyres that were going back on as my winter tyres were being removed.

From Mercedes video about tyre changing, they say the MO tyres have thicker sidewalls (and thus you need to have an extra expensive tyre machine to change them apparently!!!)

Richard
 
The really daft thing is that if you actually want to specify particular MO(E) tyres on your new built-to-order motor, MB won't let you. In the UK anyway. So it all seems a bit of a waste of effort.
 
Please let me say I do appreciate your posting your experience with Continental. I was merely pointing out that there may be confidentiality constraints preventing Continental from divulging the relevant information. If the tyres are exactly the same why mark them differently- I don't buy it. :confused: I have heard anecdotal evidence that the tread mix used is different- perhaps to yield a better ride quality/ wet weather/ economy performance at the expense of mileage/wear characteristics. :dk: In this day and age of published economy figures /CO2 emissions rolling resistance may be taking on a greater significance for example. In the open tyre aftermarket on the other hand wear and mileage may take on a greater significance when a particular manufacturer 's products have to compete with other makes. The differences may be subtle but in the end probably reflect that Mercedes sell cars and Continental sell tyres and thus have slightly different priorities in what they demand from their tyres :dk:

I've also come across the suggestion that MO tyres may incorporate a softer compound to enhance ride quality. The important issue in all this is what insurance companies think, if I had an accident involving a skid would they invalidate my insurance because I didn't fit MO tyres to my Mercedes......
 
I've also come across the suggestion that MO tyres may incorporate a softer compound to enhance ride quality. The important issue in all this is what insurance companies think, if I had an accident involving a skid would they invalidate my insurance because I didn't fit MO tyres to my Mercedes......

I have never heard of insurers stipulating use of manufacturer-approved tyres. The tyre size and type needs to be approved for the vehicle, but not the make and model.

In any event, manufacturers recommend use of manufacturer-approved tyres, but they do not make it obligatory, so I don't think the insurers would have a legal leg to stand on anyway.
 
I've also come across the suggestion that MO tyres may incorporate a softer compound to enhance ride quality. The important issue in all this is what insurance companies think, if I had an accident involving a skid would they invalidate my insurance because I didn't fit MO tyres to my Mercedes......

No

As long as the tyres meet the speed and load rating stipulated by the manufacturer and are within the correct size range for the rim width as recommended by the tyre manufacturer.
 
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