Winter tyres

[emma9403]

I am just wondering if someone can help? I have a c class w204 kompressor with the 17" amg alloys. On the rear I currently have 245/40/17 and on the front 225/40/17 . Would it be ok to purchase 4 tyres at the 245/40/17 or would these cause rubbing at the front

 

[whitenemesis]

Check your handbook, it will list the recommended winter tyre/rim combo

 

[Rory]

On the rear I currently have 245/40/17 and on the front 225/40/17 . Would it be ok to purchase 4 tyres at the 245/40/17 or would these cause rubbing at the front

Are you sure that's the apsect ratio on the fronts? I think it should be 45.

You'be probably got 'staggered' wheels - 7.5J on front and 8.5J on rear. If so, 245 is probably a step too wide for that wheel.

 

[Chrishazle]

The other option is to buy a set of 16" rims for winter use - so the change is just a change of wheels, not a change of tyres. This also minimises the chances of the tyre change causing damage to your lovely 17" AMG rims.

Accepted wisdom is that smaller rims and thus narrower tyres are better for winter wheels. I had 16's winter and summer on my S203, and now have 16's winter and summer (2 sets of wheels) for my S204, and the confidence I have in the winter wheels in the wet (where they're better than summer tyres) let alone white stuff - but I've also bought a set of 17" AMG rims that I intend to refurbish and put new (summer) rubber on over the next 6-8 months as I find the summer handling on 16's a bit soft (car is Elegance spec).

Are you anywhere close to Ashford,Kent - maybe my set of Elegance 16's would make a good set of winter wheels for you! I'll be taking them off the car (and putting my 16" winter wheels on) in a couple of months time.

 

[Paddcomp]

For winter tyres narrower is better. I'd buy 225/45 all round.

 

[essel]

Without wanting to derail from the discussion, what should i be doing on my SL55? What the handbook says, or get a smaller set of wheels?

 

[Chrishazle]

For winter tyres narrower is better. I'd buy 225/45 all round.

If staying with 17" rims, I'd agree with you. However, if you only have one set of rims, you're paying someone £40-50 every 6 months to have the tyres swopped (and taking the chance that your rims will be damaged in the process). It only takes a short time for the price of a second set of (second hand, of course!) rims to be cost effective, especially as you can then get 16's for winter - and the 16" tyres are cheaper (compare 205/55 R16 with 225/45 R17!)!!

So - my recommendation would be to buy a set of 16" rims for the winter tyres! One thing I know from experience - on white stuff, a C without winter tyres is a chocolate fireguard!!

 

[stevehg]

For winter tyres narrower is better. I'd buy 225/45 all round.

I'd second the 225 all round route, as this is what MB views as optimal for your steering axle.

Narrower the better for winter tyres is essentially a myth though. There are very few instances of certain type of snow/slush where for example a 185 tyre would gain a marginal traction advantage over a 225 tyre.

There are numerous conditions where for example the extra traction of a 225 tyre would give advantages over a 185 tyre.

 

[Meldrew2]

Narrower the better for winter tyres is essentially a myth though. There are very few instances of certain type of snow/slush where for example a 185 tyre would gain a marginal traction advantage over a 225 tyre.

There are numerous conditions where for example the extra traction of a 225 tyre would give advantages over a 185 tyre.

You appear to be suggesting a course of action contrary to convention - I'm sure that I'm not alone in being very interested to hear examples of these "numerous conditions".

 

[emma9403]

The other option is to buy a set of 16" rims for winter use - so the change is just a change of wheels, not a change of tyres. This also minimises the chances of the tyre change causing damage to your lovely 17" AMG rims. Accepted wisdom is that smaller rims and thus narrower tyres are better for winter wheels. I had 16's winter and summer on my S203, and now have 16's winter and summer (2 sets of wheels) for my S204, and the confidence I have in the winter wheels in the wet (where they're better than summer tyres) let alone white stuff - but I've also bought a set of 17" AMG rims that I intend to refurbish and put new (summer) rubber on over the next 6-8 months as I find the summer handling on 16's a bit soft (car is Elegance spec). Are you anywhere close to Ashford,Kent - maybe my set of Elegance 16's would make a good set of winter wheels for you! I'll be taking them off the car (and putting my 16" winter wheels on) in a couple of months time.

Thanks for your help I'm in nottingham so might be worth me looking on eBay

 

[cinek]

You appear to be suggesting a course of action contrary to convention - I'm sure that I'm not alone in being very interested to hear examples of these "numerous conditions".

And me.

All you have to do, is look at the rally in winter, with studded tyres.
They are not exactly 275 or more, most are way below 200.

 

[219]

I do wish that , whenever discussion turns to winter tyres , all other tyres being referred to , by implication , 'summer tyres' would stop .

The standard tyres that we have all been using for many years always were , and remain to be , designed for general purpose use , all year round .

Yes , specialised winter tyres with different rubber formulations and different tread patterns may give some advantage in certain conditions , just as slicks may give an advantage on a dry track day , but that does not mean that general purpose tyres have suddenly had their use diminished .

As for the other discussion above re tyre sizes vs traction , as the tyre footprint increases for the same weight bearing down on it ( and assuming same coefficient of friction ) , then contact pressure will reduce - hence larger tyres do have a propensity to let go earlier on wet or slippery surfaces , and there can be an advantage in using smaller tyres which will dig in and get a grip where larger tyres would sit on top of snow and slip .

Many ( if not most ) modern cars are 'over-tyred' and at a disadvantage in anything other than dry conditions , as an example , my Diesel C Class has larger tyres than my 5 litre W126 did , and I know which one would keep going in all conditions vs which one would get stuck !

 

[Chrishazle]

Thanks for your help I'm in nottingham so might be worth me looking on eBay

Before you go shopping on eBay, find out the EXACT specification for the rims (and thus tyres) you want. For example, it's no good shopping for C Class wheels as W/S203 wheels will not fit a W/S204 despite both being C Class (203 uses 12mm bolts, 204 uses 14mm).

The full spec should read something like 7J x 16 ET52 5 x 130 - 7J is the profile of the rim, 16", ET52 is the offset, 5 x 130 is 5 bolts 130mm bolt circle. You'll need to check somewhere like Alloy Wheels Direct - Buy Alloys, Wheels and Tyres to find the bolt size. With this information you're not limited to MB wheels, which can help find a bargain!

 

[Merlin1]

Thanks for your help I'm in nottingham so might be worth me looking on eBay

I had same car & wheel combination bought set of steel wheels and tyres from http://www.mytyres.co.uk/start.html...D=google_pkw&wt_t=1409307109000&wt_ga=&wt_kw=

 

[Bellow]

And me.

All you have to do, is look at the rally in winter, with studded tyres.
They are not exactly 275 or more, most are way below 200.

In the above instance the aim is to cut through the snow and allow the studs to engage with the hard packed ice beneath.

From my experience with modern day winter tyres the aim is to gain traction on the snow surface by engaging with it and width doesn't harm that. Also, as ground clearance becomes limited, digging in prematurely bellys the car and all traction is lost.

195s allround on a 730kg car and plenty grip on snow.

Well worth having winter tyres mounted on their own wheels for all the reasons already stated. Lets you tuck your pretty alloys up nice and safe over winter away from the salt and nasty kerb knocks to boot.

 

[robtt]

Just bought four Nokian WR A3 for my Merc from Tyreleader.They were the cheapest by far and had superb service. have a look

 

[stevehg]

You appear to be suggesting a course of action contrary to convention - I'm sure that I'm not alone in being very interested to hear examples of these "numerous conditions".

You start with the simple fact that majority of countries and certainly the UK do not have a snow covering all through late autumn, winter and early spring. So for most UK drivers your winter tyres are going to be on Tarmac most of the time. On dry Tarmac the wider tyre is going to have better traction. On wet Tarmac the wider tyre again is going to have better traction. On ice it's down to frictional coefficients, the wider tyre will have a greater contact patch.

Modern winter tyres use siping to grip in snowy conditions. So again a wider tyre will afford more grip in the majority of snow conditions.

It's only in slushy conditions where it's possible to bite through to the harder surface affording more grip where a narrower tyre may give more traction where too wide a tyre may mean you still float on the slush.

So when considering winter tyres, the narrower they are the cheaper they are, but not necessarily the better.

cheers, Steve

 

[emma9403]

That's some great advice thanks

 

[Pitts Pilot]

the other option is to buy a set of 16" rims for winter use - so the change is just a change of wheels, not a change of tyres. This also minimises the chances of the tyre change causing damage to your lovely 17" amg rims.

Accepted wisdom is that smaller rims and thus narrower tyres are better for winter wheels. I had 16's winter and summer on my s203, and now have 16's winter and summer (2 sets of wheels) for my s204, and the confidence i have in the winter wheels in the wet (where they're better than summer tyres) let alone white stuff - but i've also bought a set of 17" amg rims that i intend to refurbish and put new (summer) rubber on over the next 6-8 months as i find the summer handling on 16's a bit soft (car is elegance spec).

Are you anywhere close to ashford,kent - maybe my set of elegance 16's would make a good set of winter wheels for you! I'll be taking them off the car (and putting my 16" winter wheels on) in a couple of months time.

+1

 

[Rory]

I do wish that , whenever discussion turns to winter tyres , all other tyres being referred to , by implication , 'summer tyres' would stop .

The standard tyres that we have all been using for many years always were , and remain to be , designed for general purpose use , all year round .

In that case, my wish would be that we stopped referring to winter tyres - the tyres sold in the UK are more properly "cold weather tyres".

My missus runs Michelin Alpin A4's on her super-mini year round and they look and behave just like summer tyres. Even the wear rate seems similar.

Proper winter tyres are sold in Nordic countries and are super soft or have studs.

I put All-Season Kumho KH21's on the back of my car last year and can't detect any difference between them and the Michelin Primacy HP's that were on before - ride is fine and they're not noisier. I didn't drive in any snow last winter to test that aspect though.