Which Michelin tyres for my W210?

[ringway]

I'll soon be buying 4no Michelin 235 X 45 X 17 tyres for my W210.

I hear good reports about Falken tyres etc but I have a lot of faith in Michelin tyres (even our Sprinter sports these) so that's what I'll go for.

I use Costco and until February 18th they have a 20% discount on Michelin Pilot Sports 2 and Primacy High Performance tyres - both are priced at £85.59 + Vat.

I don't think the latest pilot sports 3 is yet available at Costco but I don't mind buying the pilot sports 2 at £100 per tyre.

Does anyone have:

Primacy High Performance?

Pilot Sports 2?

If so, which do you prefer taking into account overall performance /wet/dry/noise/comfort?

TIA.

Paul.

 

[cplnoonoo]

The primacy hp ones were on my my w203 coupe when i got it and i think iirc i read somewhere that mb do alot of their tuning of suspension setups etc on certain types of tyres and these maybe what they did their setups on. If you look on some tyre comparison sites they have specific sizes with car manufacturers names after them as they are designed for that specific car.

I may be wrong but as i say im sure i read it somewhere on here.

A word of warning though with the recent weather the primacy hp are the worst possible choice you could make as michelin say that they are NOT designed for use in cold weather conditions, ice, snow or heavy rain. I can second that as i couldnt get the car out the driveway without spinning up the rears when it was mild frost before all the heavy snow arrived. Needless to say it didnt get any easier when it snowed lol. Stuck some winter tyres on a few weeks back and what a difference...the steep hill up to my house was like it was bone dry, just tonnes and tonnes of grip and if the eps kicked in it sorted it instantly.

If your thinking of putting them on for summer go for it. Theres plenty of grip to be had with them and the road noise is pretty minimal. Just keep in mind when it starts getting cold again towards the end of the year to have a backup plan for putting winter tyres on because you will definitely need them.

Not a bad price either but dont get run flats if they are selling them because they are rock solid and make a lot of road noise.

 

[moonloops]

I put all 4 Pilot sport 2's on my CLK 500 a couple of months ago. From costco. Very quiet and grippy wet or dry. I didn't get stuck on ice or snow either - just went nice an slow and the merc pulled itself out of trouble.

 

[cplnoonoo]

Mines eventually managed in the snow to a certain degree just had to let the esp try its hardest to sort itself out.

 

[goldestate]

My car on Primacys was as much use as Bambi in the recent snow, mind you it is an estate and they are TO MY MIND noisy have only ever had them on it so cannot compare objectively.
225/55/16 93W All 4
They weren't from Costco even though we are members, a local Tyre place matched them and they were nearer but Costco also fill them with nitrogen and the food is incredibly cheap in the cafe!
Costco used to do a range of makes but have tied to Michelin on tyres and I think they have missed out doing so.

 

[survey]

goldestate - you have me worried now. My C Class estate is due a set of rear tyres. Presently on Bridgestone Turanza that have not worn well and perhaps a little noisy. I intended to change to Michelin Primacy (using the Costco offer) but want less noise and at least the same grip in the wet & snow. Worrying what cplnoono says! What to do now???

 

[goldestate]

The grip issue is fundamentally wide tyre on rear wheel drive car doesn't dig in, I can only give my opinion based on my experience a friend (a farmer) uses Mud and Snow tyres and the difference is marked but i think you have to accept on normal road tyres grip is a problem, there are plenty of tyre reviews on the net to get the compromise that suits you, and it always will be a compromise.

 

[cplnoonoo]

goldestate - you have me worried now. My C Class estate is due a set of rear tyres. Presently on Bridgestone Turanza that have not worn well and perhaps a little noisy. I intended to change to Michelin Primacy (using the Costco offer) but want less noise and at least the same grip in the wet & snow. Worrying what cplnoono says! What to do now???

You cant have everything im afraid lol. Best thing i can advise is 2 options.

1. If you can afford to put winter tyres on during the winter season then change them back to summers later on in the year go for it. You can then guarantee yourself that the correct tyre for the conditions are fitted. Also at least you know that if you get a puncture or something youve got 4 spares to use temporarily until you get a new one fitted. Plus youre tyres will last a bit longer (kind of) as your only spending winter months on the winter tyres and change to the other set when it starts getting consistently warmer.

2. If you want to sacrifice a little bit of grip but want to keep low road noise try getting a set of all seasons that give you the best of both worlds. Vredestein have a good make of Quatracs that essentially have 2 tyres in the one as one side of the tyre is a summer tread pattern and the other side a winter. They are built with the tread pattern rotating in the opposite direction so when it gets to the appropriate season swap the tyres round putting left on right and right on left. Dont swap front to back etc as this doesnt change the side of pattern you are using.

Think of it more as summer pattern going forwards and winter pattern going backwards so swap the left for rights etc to put the appropriate pattern rotating towards the front of the vehicle. These should do nicely for a mix between the 2.

Remember though nothing beats the grip of dedicated season tyres so if you stick all-seasons on your motor your not going to get the same grip as if you were putting full winter tyres on but it does have the advantage that they work in all conditions and you dont need to change the tyres so often. It goes without saying that using a winter tyre in summer conditions wont last as long and may not have the best grip but they can still be used. Check the specs of specific tyre makes as some sites tell you what the grip ratings and noise levels are in different conditions.

Hope this helps.

 

[x332race]

2. If you want to sacrifice a little bit of grip but want to keep low road noise try getting a set of all seasons that give you the best of both worlds. Vredestein have a good make of Quatracs that essentially have 2 tyres in the one as one side of the tyre is a summer tread pattern and the other side a winter. They are built with the tread pattern rotating in the opposite direction so when it gets to the appropriate season swap the tyres round putting left on right and right on left. Dont swap front to back etc as this doesnt change the side of pattern you are using.

Think of it more as summer pattern going forwards and winter pattern going backwards so swap the left for rights etc to put the appropriate pattern rotating towards the front of the vehicle. These should do nicely for a mix between the 2.

Quatracs are "all season" tyres and I can confirm that they are excellent in the snow and seem to perform ok on wet and dry tarmac. However, they do not need to be "switched" from side to side summer/winter......see

 

[cplnoonoo]

Really? Oh well thats another plus point then lol. I must have misread at some point.

 

[ringway]

Thanks for the views and opinions.

It looks like I'll be going for Pilot Sports 2's.


Thanks.

Paul.

 

[ringway]

I ended up getting 4no Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres from Costco. Ordered today and have them fitted next week.

With the 20% discount coupon = £402.28 including Vat, valve balance etc..

Filled with Nitrogen too!

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 information. LINK.

 

[survey]

goldestate - you have me worried now. My C Class estate is due a set of rear tyres. Presently on Bridgestone Turanza that have not worn well and perhaps a little noisy. I intended to change to Michelin Primacy (using the Costco offer) but want less noise and at least the same grip in the wet & snow. Worrying what cplnoono says! What to do now???

I just wonder therefore if I am better off replacing my tyres with the present Bridgestone Turanza bearing in mind Michelin HP's are considerably more expensive for their longer life (unless one catches one of the Costco deals)?