Best tires for the Mercedes-Benz S400 (255/45R18, ranked by category)

Q: What's the best all-season tire for the Mercedes-Benz S400?

Our top all-season touring pick for the 255/45R18 OEM size is Bridgestone Potenza Sport, selected by matching segment fitment, all-season compound class, and premium-brand quality bonus.

Q: Should I get a cheaper tire for my Mercedes-Benz S400?

The budget pick ranks by cost-per-warranty-mile. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not actual safety risk.

Daily driver

Best all-season touring

Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.

Bridgestone

Potenza Sport

Touring-tuned summer compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.

UTQG 300 72 dB summer

Goodyear

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6

UTQG 320 with a 30,000-mile warranty — long-wear summer compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Mercedes-Benz S400 owners.

UTQG 320 30k mi warranty 71 dB summer

Yokohama

Advan Apex V601

UTQG 300 with a 30,000-mile warranty — long-wear summer compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Mercedes-Benz S400 owners.

UTQG 300 30k mi warranty 72 dB summer

Bridgestone

Blizzak LM 32 255/45R18

Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.

Lowest cost per mile

Best budget

Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.

Yokohama

AVID Ascend GT

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 740

Falken

Ziex ZE960 A/S

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 640

Continental

ProContact TX

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 540

Michelin

Primacy Tour A/S

Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.

UTQG 540

Lowest cabin noise

Best quiet

Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.

Goodyear

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6

71 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.

UTQG 320 30k mi warranty 71 dB summer

Michelin

X-Ice Snow

71 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.

71 dB winter

Bridgestone

Potenza Sport

72 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.

UTQG 300 72 dB summer

Yokohama

Advan Apex V601

72 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label — well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.

UTQG 300 30k mi warranty 72 dB summer

Cold-weather grip

Best winter

Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.

Michelin

X-Ice Snow

Dedicated winter tire compound — stays pliable below 7 °C where summer/all-season rubber hardens. Recommended for Mercedes-Benz S400 drivers in cold or snowy regions.

71 dB winter

Side-by-side

Pick the trade-off that matches your driving

	All-season Bridgestone Potenza Sport	Best budget Yokohama AVID Ascend GT	Best quiet Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6	Best winter Michelin X-Ice Snow
UTQG treadwear	300	740	320	—
Mileage warranty	—	—	30,000 mi	—
Cabin noise	72 dB	—	71 dB	71 dB
Season class	summer	—	summer	winter
Type	performance	—	performance	passenger

OEM tire sizes by year

What size does the Mercedes-Benz S400 use?

Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.

Year	OEM size
2010–2013	`255/40R19`	Year-specific fitment →

Browse Mercedes-Benz S400 fitment by year →

How we ranked these tires for the Mercedes-Benz S400

We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size — 255/45R18 — and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:

Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches performance car segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile — the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.

Performance trims trade tread life for grip. Expect summer-class compounds to wear 15,000–25,000 miles vs 50,000+ for all-season touring. The all-season recommendation below is the daily-driver compromise; the budget pick saves money for owners who want the same compound class without the brand premium. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving — highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.

FAQ

What's the best all-season tire for the Mercedes-Benz S400?

The all-season touring slate above ranks the top options for the 255/45R18 OEM size. The leader is selected by matching mercedes-benz-segment fitment, all-season compound class, and premium-brand quality bonus. For most Mercedes-Benz S400 owners, the all-season touring pick is the best one-tire compromise — long warranty, low noise, reasonable cost per mile.

Should I get a cheaper tire for my Mercedes-Benz S400?

The budget slate above ranks tires by cost-per-warranty-mile, ignoring brand premium. The budget pick is genuinely competitive on durability metrics — the trade-off is shorter warranty and slightly higher cabin noise, not actual safety risk. If you drive less than 15,000 miles a year, the budget pick will outlast your replacement window regardless.

Does the Mercedes-Benz S400 need winter tires?

If you see more than 5 snow days a year or drive at sustained temperatures below 7 °C, yes — winter compounds stay pliable in cold where all-season rubber hardens, which translates directly to shorter braking distances. The winter pick above is 3PMSF severe-snow rated and works for the 255/45R18 OEM fitment. Storage cost is real (4 extra tires somewhere), but the safety margin in winter conditions is substantial.

Can I run a different tire size on my Mercedes-Benz S400?

Plus-size and minus-size alternatives within ±3% overall diameter are typically safe per the ETRTO standard. See the 255/45R18 upsize options for the full categorised alternatives table with verdicts.

Where can I buy these tires?

Each tire links to its detail page with live pricing from our online retailer partners. Out-the-door cost (including mount, balance, TPMS service, and disposal) varies by state — use the install cost calculator for a realistic estimate.