Tire recommendation, limited selection for old Mercedes

Joined
Apr 11, 2015
Messages
4
Location
NY, NY
Hi guys -- I have an older Mercedes (W140 S420) that's been in restoration for about a year now, and it's going to be coming back to me and needing new tires.

I currently have a set of Michelin Premier A/S on it, but they're about 60% worn and aged out. Unfortunately, Michelin no longer supports these cars with their standard line of tires. They have a Primacy 3 available in the correct size under their classic vehicle line, but it's a summer-only tire and I'd really prefer an all-season because I live in New York and want to drive the car in cold weather without worry.

The tire size is a 235 60R16. They came out of the factory with a Z rated tire, but I've completely given up on finding anything other than an H rating at this point. Anyway, my only real choices seem to be as follows:

Michelin Defender 2
Hankook Kinergy PT
Yokohama Avid Ascend LX
Kumho Solus TA51a

My primary concern here is ride comfort above all else, with handling and performance a close second. I don't really care about fuel efficiency or treadwear. If I have to replace the tires every two years so be it, because I just had the entire suspension refurbished and I want to enjoy the proper feel of the car -- or as close to it as I can. Mercedes designed the tires as an integral part of the suspension, so I want to make sure I get as close to ideal as possible. I also don't care what they cost.

Unfortunately, none of these tires are 'premium', and looking them up on their respective websites and reviews I find a lot of talk about 'durability' and 'fuel efficiency' and 'long treadlife' but no real focus on what's actually important in my case.

So, does anyone have any experience/input here? Any thoughts on which of these choices might be my best bet? Any help would be hugely appreciated, I just feel like I'm up against a brick wall now.

Thank you all in advance.
 
I don’t recall that my w140 had a 235 tire - thought it took 225/60-16. Did you verify on the door card?

I do recall a higher weight spec and v rated. I doubt that an h rated tire woukd be much of a difference for thst car, but you do want them rated for the loads, amd decently stiff, imo….

I can’t say that any of those are great options. The w140 I had for a while had waterfall tires. They seemed like a Turkish ripoff of Michelin, iirc.
 
Yeah, they're 235-60. I've been knee deep in this for a week lmao.

But yeah they're 100 weight spec and should be at least V rated. The weight spec is easy enough, but I've given up on the V rating also and settled for the reality that they're going to be H rated. Speed rating isn't the most important thing.

It's not a great list of options. Thing is, the Primacy 3 vintage tires are actually designed specifically for these cars -- all the specs are correct, even the speed rating. But I just really want an all-season, especially since we're going into the winter right now also.

There are other Chineseum brands that fit, but I'm not going there. I also had a set of Nokian tires on it at one point and they were like rocks. I want to avoid that.

It's super frustrating.
 
I've seen those as well, but I'm also concerned about the ride quality. I have Kumho Ecstas on my SL500 and I like them, but I wouldn't say they offer a pliable ride. I never really considered Generals or Coopers, but if anyone wants to talk them up I'm all ears.

I'd also consider Uniroyals as well, as the W140 was actually originally shown in press photos with the Uniroyal Tiger Paw, before switching to Michelin as standard equipment. I just know nothing about them other than they're considered more of a budget tire now. But if anyone has positive experience I'd love to hear it.
 
I've seen those as well, but I'm also concerned about the ride quality. I have Kumho Ecstas on my SL500 and I like them, but I wouldn't say they offer a pliable ride. I never really considered Generals or Coopers, but if anyone wants to talk them up I'm all ears.

I'd also consider Uniroyals as well, as the W140 was actually originally shown in press photos with the Uniroyal Tiger Paw, before switching to Michelin as standard equipment. I just know nothing about them other than they're considered more of a budget tire now. But if anyone has positive experience I'd love to hear it.
I remember the Uniroyal being on an S class. I had the earlier generation Generals and the ride quality was much better than the stock Continenetals. There were a couple V rated tires in there I posted as well.
 
I've seen those as well, but I'm also concerned about the ride quality. I have Kumho Ecstas on my SL500 and I like them, but I wouldn't say they offer a pliable ride. I never really considered Generals or Coopers, but if anyone wants to talk them up I'm all ears.
A couple of years ago I purchased a set of Coopers for my Camry. Cooper Evolution 215/60/16, and I was pleasantly surprised at what a comfortable tire it turned out to be. The streets around here are pretty miserable, but these tires are a big improvement in comfort over Bridgestones and Michelins that I've used. Based on my experience with them and your requirement for a "pliable ride," I'd say that the Coopers are at least worth a look.

And, the the FWIW department, when I had a technical question about the tires, I received a good response in just a few days.
 
I was going to suggest the Tire Rack search sorted by highest rated but it's already there. You want all dark green ratings with maybe a light green if you otherwise really like a tire. But no yellow. The Kumho would be out for me. Good luck deciding.
 
I would recommend that you look at the Yokohama AVID Ascend LX. It is H rated, of course, but the official TireRack review (only thing worth looking at on their site) is pretty decent. Here's their summary below. $520 for a set of 4 from them which includes $80 instant savings (not rebate). This is what I would go with I think.
  • What We Liked: A luxurious ride and competent light snow traction.
  • What We’d Improve: A slight boost in wet traction.
  • Conclusion: A comfortable option with appropriate performance.

Another option is Toyo Celsius II, H rated, $605 for set of 4. TR Review says:
  • What We Liked: On the road, it's composed, cushioned and comfortable.
  • What We'd Improve: It could be a tad quieter.
  • Conclusion: A deserving entry that understands the mission of a touring tire.

A 3rd option that's not as good for your preferences is Hankook Kinergy PT. It's also H rated for $584 for a set of 4. Official TireRack review says:
  • What We Liked: Delivered best in test performance in our dry and wet track testing.
  • What We’d Improve: The ride is a little firm, feels nervous over grooved concrete.
  • Conclusion: A new option that is a good addition to the category.
 
I had the Uniroyal Touring A/S tires put on the company's spare Dodge GC about a year ago after my indy recommended them, said that his customers had good experiences with them. They've been good so far, and I have loaded it fairly heavily a couple times when my Transit was at the dealer for transmission issues.
 
Noikan WRG4 or Nordman Solstice 4. I doubt any modern Nokians will ride like rocks. Both have Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake.
 
Uniroyal is old tech Michelin as so understand it. So some reviews aside, if the VC spec is right and the suspension sorted properly, they could be worth a shot. The Toyo tires linked above may be good too. Anecdotally we had really good luck with Toyo tires on heavier vehicles but it was a few generations of tire ago…
 
Has OP considered getting the Classic Primacy 3s for the summer and a set of dedicated winters for the winter? It looks like there are some good winter tire options in this size.

OP: Since you said money was no object, I would get the Classic Primacy 3s for the summer and the Blizzak WS90 for the winter (it appears these come in your size). You can get a set of hub-centric steel rims for the winter tires. You will love driving this car in the New York winters with the Blizzaks.
 
If you really care about all season performance and want to drive in cold weather without worry, you should consider all-weather tires. However, all the all-weather tires in your size are H-rated.

Some good all-weather tires available in 235/60-16:
Toyo Celsius II
Nokian Nordman Solstice 4

If the speed rating matters the most, get the W-rated Kumho LX Platinum from Walmart. It is an all-season tire (not all-weather), but might still be acceptable.
 
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