Proper tires

[gdpmv152]

I am new here, but I have been restoring my 1968 250SL for the last 7 months. My question is, what is the correct brand and tire size I should put on the car. I have the original Continental spare and would like to keep the same brand. The tires now are a 185/75 R14 which run 2/10ths of a mile more per mile. That is 1 extra mile per 5 miles. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Jonny B]

There is a lot of information about tires and different brands, alternatives, reproductions (Coker is about the only game in town for those).

Go to the search function, search "General Discussion" , subject only, with "tire Nirvana" and you will get a large amount of information and opinions.
You can further search "general discussion", subject only, with "tire" and get even more.

I went with the Coker 185R14 repros several years ago, these are Phoenix, I do not beleive there is a Continental available, but I have not looked lately.

Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

[J. Huber]

Hey Greg. Welcome aboard. I can't really help with tires other than to say I have Michelins which I like. (195s).

Also, I notice you are in Northern Nevada -- It would be great to have a bunch of us converge on Lake Tahoe for a gathering someday. There are several within striking distance...(even the Bay Area folks might enjoy that one.)

James
63 230SL

[BHap]

Does anyone have any experience with this tire?

 Vredestein > 185R14 Vredestein Sprint Classic Blackwall

http://http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25050&category_id=340



Universaltire.com has them - $130 each - description says they have the rub strip.....

Bob Happe
Pittsburgh, Pa
1970 280SL, white/black 4 speed

[glennard]

Don't see the rub strip-like on the old ones.

[gdpmv152]

Thanks for the feedback. I was away for a bit and a little slow to respond.
I checked that website and saw that those tires have the rub strip, but I'm worried about the size. I think I need the 195's to increase the outer diameter so my speedo is accurate. I will dig deeper into the archives and find out more later.
As far as getting together locally, I am up for that. Better do it quick though, winter is around the corner!

[nick350]

this is quite useful


http://www.antiquetyres.com.au/michelin.html

[cascadia]

quote:Originally posted by BHap

Does anyone have any experience with this tire?

 Vredestein > 185R14 Vredestein Sprint Classic Blackwall

http://http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25050&category_id=340



Universaltire.com has them - $130 each - description says they have the rub strip.....

Bob Happe
Pittsburgh, Pa
1970 280SL, white/black 4 speed

Bob,
I've put about 200 miles on these Vredesteins and like them very much.  Good handling and you can't beat the looks.
Bob in Portland

[Bob G MN]

I bought the Vredestein 185R14 tires about a year ago and really like them.  They don't have the rub rail but they are the correct size and preform well.

Bob

[gdpmv152]

Well, I pulled the trigger on some Toyo Eclipse 195/75 HR14 tires. I really like the ride and performance aspects of these tires, even though they are far from an original look. I have restored the car with 99% of NOS parts or better original MB parts off eBay, but I'm looking for handling over name and rub strips.
I will get some pictures posted soon, I think the car is actually complete without getting in so deep I will be upside down in it.

[Cees Klumper]

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BHap

Does anyone have any experience with this tire?

 Vredestein > 185R14 Vredestein Sprint Classic Blackwall

http://http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25050&category_id=340

Universaltire.com has them - $130 each - description says they have the rub strip.....

Bob Happe
Pittsburgh, Pa
1970 280SL, white/black 4 speed
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Bob,
I've put about 200 miles on these Vredesteins and like them very much.  Good handling and you can't beat the looks.
Bob in Portland

I've just had a new set put on my car today (5 including the spare wheel) to replace my 8.5 year old 205-size Pirellis. The width difference, although only 2 centimeters (185 vs 205) is very significant optically. Once I've had the chance to drive some distances, I will report back here. Oh, and the cost was EUR 721 for the 5, so I suppose around USD 1,000 including the mounting, stems and balancing. They seem a bit cheaper in the US these days for some reason!

[glenn]

How does the rim size( 5,  6, etc) fit into all this?

[Peter van Es]

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=WheelsTires.Start will tell you all!

Peter

[glenn]

Any words of wisdom on how a given tire will perform on a 5.5 rim vs. 6 rim?  effect the speedo/odo?  visual?   Is any given tire designed for a specific rim width?

[Peter van Es]

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=WheelsTires.TireSize. Just ONE click away from the page I gave you earlier. Additionally there have been many posts on this topic in the past. Use the Search function!

Peter