Tire Opinions W123 300D

I've seen other posts on tires here, but wanted to solicit opinions on a comparison between Michelin, Perelli (P3000) and Bridgestone. These are 195/70/14s.

I'm looking for a smooth, quiet ride, more than "performance" in the sense of how the tire handles under hard maneuvering.

Thanks in advance.

Reply to
randallbrink
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I've had Pirelli P3000 & CN36, and Mich MXV. I currently have Goodrich Traction T/A's and IMO they are by far the best tire I've had. With the Mich I could easily spin the rear wheels on wet pavement from a dead start. The Goodrich stick. They are what I'd call a sport/touring type of tire, with a very comfortable ride.

Reply to
trader4

This is very good to know, as I had not considered the Goodrich brand before.

I do know, however, that the Michelin is about USD $110 per tire, and the Pirelli about $120 per tire. I am currently using the Toyo tire, which is a Japanese tire that I have had good luck with in the past-- about $80/tire. Money is not the critical factor, however.

Thanks very much for the info.

Reply to
randallbrink

I think you'll find the Goodrich are closer in price to the Toyo than the Michelin.

Reply to
trader4

I have 402,768 miles on my 1982 300 TDT. I have run Bridgestone and Michelin tires. I have tried going up one width in size. The car handles and rides better with the 195 70R 14 tire, which is the stock size.

I have Dunlop A2s on the car right now and I like that tire quite well. You can get them on-line for $64 plus shipping at the TireRack.com

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They are H rated speed radials, which are recommended for my car.

I like Wal-Mart for mounting and balancing. That will cost you an additional $20 or so per tire for lifetime guaranteed balancing and mounting. (It might be a little less)

I have had terrible luck with CostCo tire places. They have sold me tires that were out of round, their tire guys have bent rims and refused to admit it, they have twisted off lug bolts, and their balancing is lousy. I will never go back there again for tires, period.

" Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus

"The SP Sport A2 Plus is the enhanced descendant of Dunlop's popular D60 A2 High Performance All-Season radial. The SP Sport A2 Plus was developed to deliver year round performance for the drivers of sport cars, coupes and sedans. The SP Sport A2 Plus is designed to blend long treadwear, responsive handling and dependable traction on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow.

"On the outside, the SP Sport A2 Plus molds a longer wearing tread compound into a mildly asymmetric tread design that features outside shoulder blocks with minimal siping to enhance steering response and cornering stability while the inside shoulder blocks feature more sipes to provide the additional biting edges to aid traction in foul weather. The SP Sport A2 Plus radial's 3-rib center contact patch is designed to enhance dry, wet and light snow traction during acceleration, braking and cornering. The entire tread design features Dunlop's "CHAOS" pitch sequencing of tread block shapes and sizes to help reduce noise and increase acoustic comfort. On the inside, the SP Sport A2 Plus features twin, high-density steel belts reinforced by Dunlop's JointLess Band (JLB) nylon to enhance driving control and provide long, even treadwear while minimizing weight and enhancing ride quality. Additionally, hard rubber bead fillers and a high ply turn-up enhance steering response and cornering stability."

Reply to
heav

Here is a link to a comparison chart at the Tire Rack.

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(Y) If you study the table you will see that the Dunlop is quieter and more comfortable than the Goodrich tire, but the Goodrich rates higher overall and higher in traction categories.

Reply to
heav

Very good information. Thank you!

Reply to
randallbrink

Keep in mind that he has a TDT which is a 123.193 station wagon. The stock wheels on it were 6J x 14, alloys w/MB part number 126 400 19 02 with an offset of 30. Your 300D is a 123.130 and came with stock wheels that are 5 1/2J x 14, alloys were part number 123 40017 02 and steel were part number 123 400 03

02; both have an offset of 30. The stock original tire size was 175R14.

Very good information. Thank you!

Reply to
Karl

Heav is right... Tirerack is the best place for information on tires that matches your tire size. If you do want to spend $110 to $120 per tire and wants great snow traction, then go with Nokian WR All Weather tire.

Reply to
Tiger

This interesting because the car had 205/70R/14s and I put on what the manual said was the original tire--195/70/14. What would be the effect of having the 175/70/14. Am I OK with the 195s?

Reply to
randallbrink

Money is no object, but sometimes I wonder where the value curve is on tires. I generally believe in buying the best for this car or any, as you get what you pay for. But I decided against the Perelli P4000 at $120 per tire, figuring that, for my type of driving, the cost of a "performance" tire would not be justified. At the same time, I decided against Cooper, which I have used before, as just not a heavyweight tire for this type of car.

Reply to
randallbrink

Go here:

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175 70 14 on the left side, 195 70 14 on the right.

195 65 14 would get you closer to 175 70 14

This interesting because the car had 205/70R/14s and I put on what the manual said was the original tire--195/70/14. What would be the effect of having the 175/70/14. Am I OK with the 195s?

Reply to
Karl

Well, the manual did say 195 for the '79. I must admit that I don't know the net effect of the difference.

Reply to
randallbrink

Best tire is subjective and it is easily determined at Tirerack.com. Best does not mean $$$ either. I bought General UHP high performance tire for 3 season use and the tire was cheap but the performance and ride comfort is #1... even Tirerack people and customers said so.

I used to like Pirelli... no more. The name is famous but the performance is not there. Only their most expensive tire may be worthy but I would choose other brands before I decide on them. Same goes for Michelin, overpriced and definitely lack in performance and traction. They may be long lasting tire but buying their tires is like wearing dress shoe all the time regardless of weather. I am talking about their all season tires.

Reply to
Tiger

I agree on all counts. One reason I got away from buying the $100+ tires is that, while they have a very high mileage rating, I drive relatively little, probably around 5,000 miles per year, and the tires don't wear out, they just get old and brittle. I just replaced a set that had nearly new tread, but were so hard that they were like riding on wooden wheels.

Reply to
randallbrink

I've also had good luck with the Toyo tires. Both the Toyo and the Yokohama Avids have worked well for me. Both are a little perofrmance oriented, and maybe more so than you're looking for, but they don't have the downsides of a performance tire. Like being noisy or harsh riding. Both are fine in the snow too.

Reply to
weelliott

I forgot to mention, I went up to the 205/60 or 205/65(they only offer one of these.) It gives a little more tread width and about the same sidewall height for a little better handling. I'm not trying to turn my merc into a sports car, but rather to compensate for the mediocre handling.

Reply to
weelliott

Very good information for future consideration. I went with the

195/70/14 and the car is riding smooth and sure again.
Reply to
randallbrink

What brand of tire did you decide to purchase?

Reply to
heav

I went with the Toyo, primarily becasue that was what was on it, and because I have used Toyo before with good results.

Reply to
randallbrink

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