Just booked mine in at WheelsInMotion

[Gareth]

Well after last year having 2 new ContactSport 2's fitted at the rear and having tracking done at a local garage, 10,000 miles later and as was I suspecting to be the case has indeed happened, the so called tracking the local garage fixed has had no effect on the car whatsoever, the offside front tyre is badly worn on the inside edge and the rear tyres are both STILL wearing unevenly on the centre of the tyre (the near side more). Also the car still pulls to the left and the steering wheel doesn't feel central (feels slightly to the left).

So I've just booked in at WheelsInMotion for a full set of Mercedes fitment Contact Sport 3s and some geometry, hopefully they can sort it all out once and for all. I should be putting my private plate on the car in the next week or two also, I may even purchase some illuminated sills.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

If your tyres are the same size front and rear, it's best to rotate them.

While I'm sure that WIM will adjust your car and make it better, particularly with regard to the pulling, MBs are fundamentally set up to wear the outer edges of the fronts and the centres of the rear tyres, and tyre rotation is MBs recommendation where possible.

 

[Gareth]

fronts are 245/40/18

rears are 265/35/18

But the dealer who I bought the car from had fitted (against my wishes) budget tyres to the front so I'm glad to see the back of them anyway

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Caught ya.....Lol...

Front tyre wear not a problem, pulling not a problem, steering position, not a problem but the rear centre wear is not Geometric. We inflate using Nitrogen so this will help but we may need to use a pressure cycle to perfect the correct pressure for your car.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>fronts are 245/40/18

>>rears are 265/35/18

OK, so, you can't rotate them.

Some aspects of this tyre wear are, for an MB, simply fixed.

For example, consider the rear tyres wearing in the centre. There's no change you can make to that wheel's alignment to the road surface which can fix that wear pattern. If the wear is to one side, then, yes, an adjustment will help.

The same is true for the fronts, they will tend to wear on their edges - yes, if one edge is worn away first, that may be helped by adjusting the alignment.

Assuming that they tyres are standard size, the correct pressure for your tyres will be in the car's handbook.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Not forgetting the pressures listed are a "suggestion" not the law, so this can be manipulated +- 1 or 2psi to suit.

 

[Dazzler]

Tony will do all he can, and in my opinion you wont find a better service

 

[Rory]

MBs are fundamentally set up to wear the outer edges of the fronts and the centres of the rear tyres, and tyre rotation is MBs recommendation where possible.

It's therefore particularly irritating that many MBs (the majority?) have a staggered set up.

 

[Gareth]

Caught ya.....Lol...

Front tyre wear not a problem, pulling not a problem, steering position, not a problem but the rear centre wear is not Geometric. We inflate using Nitrogen so this will help but we may need to use a pressure cycle to perfect the correct pressure for your car.

I tend to run fairly high pressures (32/34 psi) and usually keep a close eye on them throughout the use of the car. I've just noticed that the rear tyres seem to have worn in exactly the same way as before (the nearside more so than the offside)

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Tony will do all he can, and in my opinion you wont find a better service

£50 in post.....

 

[wheels-inmotion]

I tend to run fairly high pressures (32/34 psi) and usually keep a close eye on them throughout the use of the car. I've just noticed that the rear tyres seem to have worn in exactly the same way as before (the nearside more so than the offside)

High is technically correct depending on your driving percentage town/ motorway. We need to find the idyllic positions between the tyre stagger, pressures, chassis positions, reads like a nightmare but this is what we do.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

If tweaking tyre pressures, the big pitfall to avoid is reducing the difference between the front and rear pressures.

For example, if MB specify 31R, 29F, then, even after the 1 or 2 psi tweaking, keep the rears at least 2 psi higher than the fronts.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Pressure manipulation will not respect MB's suggestion, if their suggestion worked then there wouldn't be a problem. In this case with rear centre tyre wear i use MB's suggestion as a template then adjust the pressure according to the patten of wear, we also inflate with nitrogen which helps maintain the pressure.

 

[rf065]

It's therefore particularly irritating that many MBs (the majority?) have a staggered set up.

Not when you floor the throttle coming out of a corner it isn't!

Russ

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>Pressure manipulation will not respect MB's suggestion

Then, you really shouldn't be doing it.

 

[Rory]

Does the (very) old racing method of seeing how a chalk line across the tyre wears off still work for pressure setting?

I've never tried it - can't find any chalk. My daughter is a teacher but she looks bemused by the suggestion she might have some!

 

[Number_Cruncher]

The chalk method is fine for racing use, but, most MBs when set correctly will have more contact force at the edges on the front tyres, and more in the centres on the rear. Adjusting this out by fiddling with the tyre pressures isn't wise or shrewd.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

>>Pressure manipulation will not respect MB's suggestion

Then, you really shouldn't be doing it.

So MB's pressure suggestion is law in your opinion then?... In my book it's identify the criminal and deal with it, if this violates MB's suggestions then so be it.

 

[scumbag]

so what tyre pressures should my car have?

And do I measure it a various times of the day to ensure perfect accuracy?

 

[74merc]

It's therefore particularly irritating that many MBs (the majority?) have a staggered set up.

Having a narrower front tyre also prevents tramlining.