Last pieces of rubber between bum and road

[WGB]

After a 4 1/2 year odyssey I have now replaced the last bits of rubber between me and the road.

I have always blamed the rough low speed ride on my 16 inch wheels because my 450 was always much more pleasant to ride in over low speed bumps but last Saturday I went to take the 6.9 for a reviving drive and was met with a flat tyre.

I purchased the car from AMG69 with it wearing a set of Chinese Nangkangs which I have never been comfortable with in terms of either ride quality or grip.

Accordingly I did not bother with a wheel alignment after last xmas's front end work and it sure showed when the tyre was removed and a bead of visible canvas could be seen around the inner edge.

We have a Dunlop dealer in our local suburb and I was always planning to try a set of budget Dunlops to see what they were like.

So my 6.9 now has a set of Dunlop SP Sport LM 703 in 225x55x16 and they seem really good as well as reducing bump thump and tyre noise down to the level of my E500 and all for the cost of $135 each - a set of four and the wheel alignment was about the same as one E500 tyre or slightly more than the wheel alignment I had done at the agents recently on my E500.



Being thrilled with a better riding straight steering car I dropped it off with "The Indians" - these collections of car washers called "Magic Hand Car Wash" which are springing up all over town for a wash, wax and leather treatment.



Not only is it driving absolutely beautifully



But I think it looks pretty good too - he says modestly

Bill

 

[SEL_69L]

I agree. That's exactly the words I would have chosen.

(Bill: As an aside, John R. - brother - has been in Sydney helping me out for a few months now.)

 

[WiSeGuYY]

BILL , the car looks STUNNING , I love it.

Dunlop , i never try them before on BENZ , i did in early 90 used them on one of the JEEP CHEROKEE , was not bad but your looks nice actually , a bit like the CONTI and FULDA ( i donno if they exist down there).

REGARDS

TAREK

 

[Michel]

Woaw.... It looks stunning..

I love the shine and the stance.

One thing I love about my 6.9 is the suspension and the feel you get from the hydraulics.

l have always stated that my 6.9 is smoother over bumps than what my Rolls Royce Silver Spur II was.

Even with the low profile 18s it still is smooth, albeit a tad noisier with the Italian rubber on it

 

[Styria]

Hi Bill, good write-up, although I have to admit to some sort of concern about your remarks (observations) regarding the Nankangs. As you may recall, I have a set of 235.45.18s on Gleaming Beauty, and thus far I have experienced no problems - touch wood. I believe that one can buy Nankangs in two designs - conventional and agressive. I have the aggressives on GB and even they are quite acceptable as far as ride comfort is concerned. Somewhat softer than the Italian variety on Michel's Red Terror, and certainly no worse than the 14" Michelins that are fitted to the standard size Bundts that I have used occasionally. BTW, my Nankangs I bought for $135.00 each as well.

Your choice of Dunlops - excellent. I have used SP300 Sports, 15", on GB prior to fitting the Taiwanese Speedys (with Nankangs) and they provided excellent service and driving dynamics. Unfortunately, I damaged two of the rims (I must find some pics) and that's when I decided to shell out on the larger tyres and wheels. Obviously, you're getting a much softer ride from your 'BABE' now, but should we not keep in mind that the Nankangs were several years old - surely there had to be some deterioration in road feel and road comfort. BTW, your car looks smashing - you now know why it made the home page of TK ! Just digressing for half a moment ot two - ever lay eyes on Chris Pearson with his 6.9 - I am sure you'd remember him. Regards Styria

N.B. Your cost comparison makes interesting reading - how cheap it can be to run a 6.9 (sometimes) !

 

[WGB]

Hi Styria,

Sorry but I have never been a fan of the nankangs that came with the car.
I guess they are five or six years old now so it is not fair to compare. But the new tyres really change the ride.

It would be unusual that I would try them at the limit but I did a very rare wet drive in the rain last week and the Dunlops certainly had better traction.

I have never heard from ChrisP since the day we went for a drive.

Bill

P.S. The new rear window demister also worked well in the rain but I will probably never see it used again as a trip in the wet is a very rare event for me.

 

[Oversize]

Oh boy that's looks so nice!! Totally jealous right now!

I think people underestimate the value of tyres and looking for the cheapest tyre is not the best approach. Getting value for money should be the aim. I've always used Bridgestones, but I may try some Continentals when I get tyres for the 18" wheels I now own. I may even try Kumhos.

I'll be looking for the widest that'll fit on my wheels without rubbing on the bodywork and a profile / load rating that won't cause legality or speedo error issues. Probably 235/45ZR18 97 (f) and 255/40ZR18 97 (r). The 'new' Vehicle Standard Bulletins allow a profile difference of up to 10 between the front and rear. The rear profile should be the lowest to prevent oversteer.

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/ro...Tyres_Suspension_Steering_V2_1Jan_2011 v3.pdf

Two questions WGB; what's the size of your Pentas and where can I get new centres for mine???

 

[Oversize]

BTW she looks a little high at the front; maybe a slight adjustment of the front valve link might be in order?

I just noticed the red sidewall balance mark isn't aligned with the valve, hence the additional wheel weights on the rim. They may not be necessary if the tyre is mounted correctly....

http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires_101/tire_care_and_safety/match_mounting/

I did notice the chrome wheel bolts and I think they're more practical than painted ones and look good too!

And I think it's great to see a 6.9 at the local carwash! If they had a cafe I'd be there all day watching.... Thanks for the pics, they're brilliant!

 

[Oversize]

And just to add confusion to match mounting:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2330949

Red dot OPPOSITE valve stem???

 

[Oversize]

And now red dot AT valve stem!!!

http://www.bridgestonetrucktires.com/us_eng/real/magazines/97v1issue2/Doctor.asp

Currently throwing my hands in the air!! WTF?

 

[260ebenz]

Very nice 6.9 WGB!

You are so far happy with the Dunlop tyres WGB?

Not a fan of Dunlop, Bridgestone or Goodyear tyres.

300SE had 4 Goodyear tyres when I bought car the car they had 50% wear left in the tyres.

Front two tyres have been replaced with 15" Toyo Eco and will replace the back tyres as well.

Double check the spare tyre I see it is a Toyo.

MBCNSW Member Mat Kean told me he was going to fit Kumho's to his 420SEL, Mat gave the Kumho's a good review when I saw him last month.

Happy motoring WGB.

Cheers.

 

[WGB]

I don't know about Kumho's in smaller sizes but in 18 inch sizes (245 and 265) for my E500 they were not recommended by the M-B Agents Diesel Motors as being too noisy. I settled on Bridgestones and they are better than the continentals the car came with at a major reduction in price.

One of my business partners has 18 inch Kumho's on his Audi and he says they are significantly noisier than the original tyres ?Michelins or Continentals.

Bill

 

[Michel]

I have to agree with Bill, Bridgestones are a much quieter tyre than most others (barring Avon perhaps).

The work's VR-X Magna came with Bridgestones and when I replaced them with Maxxis, I could 'hear' the difference.

 

[Oversize]

I don't know about Kumho's in smaller sizes but in 18 inch sizes (245 and 265) for my E500 they were not recommended by the M-B Agents Diesel Motors as being too noisy. I settled on Bridgestones and they are better than the continentals the car came with at a major reduction in price.

One of my business partners has 18 inch Kumho's on his Audi and he says they are significantly noisier than the original tyres ?Michelins or Continentals.

Bill

Didn't you settle on Dunlops??

 

[WGB]

Didn't you settle on Dunlops??

I have four M-B's

Usually I buy Bridgestones and have done as replacements for my W212 E500 and W164 ML320CDI.

The Dunlops are for my 6.9.

You raised a comment about my 6.9 sitting nose high but if you look at the photo in the car wash you will see that it is actually slightly nose down - it's usual posture..

The picture outside my townhouse is deceptive as the road has a slight rise so it appears the car is sitting nose high when the opposite is true.

Bill

 

[motec 6.9]

Hi Bill your car looks stunning i would really like to see it one day . Spotted the Mohican once at Fremantle . Looking forward to seeing the end work on your 450 as well . Geoff

 

[WiSeGuYY]

I'm blindly chose MICHLEN and CONTINENTAL ( always did for my w126) but lately i see the new production of BMW 7 series comes with BRIDGSTONE ( strange but true) i saw racing cars PHOTOS with TOYO and KOMHO

Chinese brands were banned here till 2 years back but no review about it yet.
Dunlop here was produced locally and not selling good.


REGARDS
TAREK