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After having one good set of Michelins in five sets, I doubt I'll ever buy another set.
The OE tires from my C230 were installed on Dad's 190E 2.6. They were good.
The MXV4's on our E300 were out of round and could not be balanced by anyone. Pitched them for RE950's, problems solved.
Pilot Alpins installed on the C230 and Dad's 190E 2.6. The C230's tires were good for one season and then grip just was gone. then the tires went out of round. The Pilot Alpins on the 190E got to the point where the car could not be driven. We spent tons on trying to sort it out and then finally replaced the Michelins with Kumho tires, and presto all the crap was gone. Again, the Pilot Alpins were pretty much traction-less after one season.
Dad's C230 had a new set of MXV4's that went bad and despite attempts to balance/etc. it was in vain. They were bad.
My Dad's memory was too short. He had a new Ford pick-up back in 1973 and he put Michelins on it and had all kinds of problems. He vowed not to buy any more, but that was a looong time ago. Seems Michelin has changed little.
Three different cars, two different cities, many different install shops, four sets bad.
I was once a "tire brand" snob fully thinking you "got what you paid for" when it came to tires. Now I think otherwise. Slighlty less expensive tires (than Michelin) can be had that are superior in every respect. MUCH less expensive tires can be had that are the equal to the Michelins and superior in some areas.
In many ways Michelin reminds of Mercedes-Benz "home office." Arrogant and unconcerned with cutomer satisfaction.
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