<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16608" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY
style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space">
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Paul,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I've
got a '95 SL320 (43,000 mi) that I put new tires on a while back, and went
through considerable research before buying. I stayed with the stock alloy
wheels and tire size (225/ 55 R16). I"m also past 'aggressive' driving,
but still like to "blow out the cobwebs" once in a while here in the mountains
of SW Virginia.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
ended up with the 225/ 55 R16 95V Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires, to replace
the original Pirelli P600's (225/ 55 ZR16). The Turanza's are a V
rated tire, but have a couple of (what I consider) advantages over other V, Z,
W, & Y rated comparable tires. First, the cost was considerably less
than the Michelin, Pirelli, or Yokohama tires I had considered. The tires
were $142 each (not including M & B, tax, stems, etc.). They come
with a 50,000 mile warranty, which is pretty good for a high performance rated
tire (some don't/ won't give a mileage warranty at all). The other
'plus' to these tires is that they are omni-directional, so they can be cross
rotated, unlike a lot of other performance tires that only permit
front/ back, same side (unidirectional), switching. I have about 2500
miles on them and have been pleased with their handling and performance, in both
wet & dry conditions.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
ended up getting the tire locally at a Firestone/ Bridgestone dealer, as they
were no more expensive than Tire Rack (when you factor in shipping, etc.), plus
it's a local resource to utilize, if needed. The dealer also said that I
had 30 days to 'test drive' the tires, and if not satisfied, I could exchange
them for something else. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>As a
sidebar, I had the original wheels refinished (the previous original owner had
inflicted a fair amount of curb rash on the rims) while getting new tires, and
Wheel Warehouse in Ohio does a great job on restoring wheels back to factory
specifications, including paint match. They look brand new, and at
considerably less expense than new replacement wheels from the MB dealer or
other wheel sources (some of which have 'replica' wheels, to be avoided).
Good luck!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Steve
Hinrichs</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=218123213-18022008></SPAN><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=218123213-18022008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=218123213-18022008> </SPAN>---Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
Paul Samarin [mailto:pauls@sbcglobal.net]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 15,
2008 1:49 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists; SL Mailing
List<BR><B>Subject:</B> [R129 SL] Tires and alignment for
SL<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">Time for new shoes for the '90
500 SL; recommended size (and currently on the car) is 225x55x16 all around.
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>What is the most current list wisdom as to:</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>1) tire size (I'm not considering new wheels or a staggered set-up at
this time); would slightly wider tires give any benefit?</DIV>
<DIV>2) tire rating; my aggressive driving days are behind me, so Z is
definitely ridiculous, but what's a good daily driver that can handle "a
little more"?</DIV>
<DIV>3) brand and model;</DIV>
<DIV>4) where to buy; I'll check tirerack.com and costco, of course; any other
suggestions?</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Camber is wrong on rear: outside wearing excessively. So, I also need a
good alignment/suspension shop in So.Cal. (S/E LA County, Orange
County).</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks for any and all advice!</DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV><SPAN class=Apple-style-span
style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 18px Arial; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2">
<DIV>Paul Samarin</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:pauls@sbcglobal.net">pauls@sbcglobal.net</A></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline></SPAN></DIV><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>