what should my customers buy Mercedes BENZ C5?

 

Tires are kind of like colors, everyone has their own favorite....
I would look on Tire Racks website and see how they rate the various brands. At least that way you have some backup in case a customer complains etc.

Just my .02

 

I'd add that you also need to consider what kind of winter weather is local to you. First decision is size. Narrow tires cut through snow better than wide (you want to get to the firm base rather than floating on top of the snow). Its pretty common to go to a -1 set up (ie I run 205/50-16s in the summer on my S40 and 195/60-15s on my 850 but use 185/65-15s in the winter for both). The taller side wall of the 185/65s has the benefit of being more resistant to pot holes. Personally I like to use winter wheels (steelies on the 850 and the OEM 15s on the S40) so I can rotate on/swap as needed. If you live in an area where chains are a good idea, you need to go narrow (ie 175/70s) to fit the chains. Next is the choice of tire. Good news is the base size for this car is not that expensive a tire - say compared to the 235/45/17s on my VW CC. Again the tread designs vary by brand. Generally speaking, wide open treads with deep side lugs are best for deep/soft snow but are noisy and perform worse on dry roads. Winter tires with tightly blocked treads perform better on hard pack and ice and tend to be quieter and better on dry roads. Finally some brands can accept studs - which are most effective on ice, and the worst/noisiest on dry roads. For me, I own 4 cars: I have Blizzaks on my S40, General Artic Altimax on a Highlander and Semperits on the 850. (my VW stays in the garage when it snows). I'd say the Blizzaks are good on ice and in the dry, the Altimax are the best in snow and the Semperits are in between. I'd also consider Conti winter extremes as a best buy (per Car and Driver's testing) and Michelin X-Ice as my high end. Going budget, I'd go with the Altimax or consider the Winterforce if you get a lot of soft snow. If you get more ice, I'd consider Conti's, Blizzak or X-Ice but you'll be paying a $30 a tire premium. Note in all cases winter tires far outperform summer and all seasons...

 

I have Blizzaks on my 03 S40 for winter. Not much to say on other brands, just that if you are on the fence, snow tires are a game changer in the winter vs an all weather tire.

 

Agreed definitely game changers.