2011 W212 E250 - rear tyres heavy wear in middle?

[derektrotter]

Hi All

I have a 2011 W212 E250 and need 4 new tyres, checking the tyre wear I've noticed:
- Fronts - outer has a bit more tread then rest of the tyre but fairly level otherwise across the tyre
- Rears - the centre of the tyre has heavy wear compared to the outer edges.

I check tyre pressures regularly and they are always set correctly, I use the lightly loaded (3 passengers) PSI values on the sticker.

Is the above rear tyre wear pattern normal? I'm getting 4x new tyres anyway but am reluctant to also get alignment done if it does not need doing, car doesnt pull in any direction and steering wheel is dead on centre, car was brought from dealer and have not encountered any heavy potholes that i'm aware of.

Reason for reluctance in getting alignment done, my previous MB when I had tyres done they advised alignment was out, after they (F1 Autocentre) did alignment however car started drifting more towards the left when you let go of the steering wheel (prior to this it was dead on centre), when I took it back they advised thats how it is supposed to be on UK roads for safety reasons, didnt get a chance to check if that was accurate in the end as I traded it in when I purchased current car, dont want to go thru similar if I dont need to

As an aside any opinions on:
Goodyear efficientgrip XL
Continental ContiPremiumContact 5
Michelin Pilot sport 4

I've had the efficientgrip before and been happy with it, quietest tyre which I like but the Conti seems to come out higher in autoexpress and other sites..

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Usually heavy centre wear points to over inflation of the tyre.

 

[c63chris]

Usually heavy centre wear points to over inflation of the tyre.

This. Sounds right for the fronts and over inflated rears

 

[derektrotter]

Apologies forgot to mention, I keep on top of the tyre pressures and check regularly, they are all set correctly, its only ever me in the car with no load or passengers, maybe I should drop it down by a couple of PSI, I already use the lightly loaded tyre pressure option on the sticker..

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

When you say ‘set correctly’ - the recommended tyre pressure is a range depending on load, so do you have it set to the minimum for the ‘three passengers and one or two bags’ picture?

 

[Deletedmember130310]

i would invest in an alignment check at a reputable garage - cheaper than a new set of tyres in 12-18 months time.

 

[derektrotter]

Yep I use the minimum 3 passengers option

 

[whitenemesis]

 

[derektrotter]

Thanks, based on above I think I can rule out alignment at least

 

[Gbrowncls55]

I have had many 911s and found the same problem on the rears with those. I cured it and increased the ride comfort by dropping 5psi from the manufcturers recs. (10psi was even better but made me nervous) Obviously many will say this is ill advised but over many years I never had a problem and had even wear accross the tread. NOT recommending it but that was my experience.

 

[Bellow]

its only ever me in the car with no load or passengers, .

Yep I use the minimum 3 passengers option

Does MB not recognise that most cars for most of the time are driven solo?

There was a recent thread where someone was experiencing a harsh ride with the recommended pressures but dropping them improved matters considerably. The consensus was that the recommended pressures are too high and are displayed as they are due to being the pressures used during type approval testing.

 

[steveq]

Hi,

I have the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance on my E212 and find them great.
I also had them on my previous E211 and was very happy with them on that too.

They do well in reviews, long lasting with good fuel economy (in my experience) and are cheaper than either the Contis or Michelins you mention.

 

[leonatlarge]

I would say definitely over inflation, as said above I have found the manufacturers guide to be way over the top especially when using that German shit they call continental.

Go for Good year F1 's I have had twice as many miles when compared to the Conti sport contact 5/6 (both about the same).

The Good year are also quiet on the road, they are much cheaper and in my opinion grip better on our bumpy pot holed roads so in reality are 35% of the cost of the Conti's.

 

[wheels-inmotion]

Within reason the tyre pressure offered is a suggestion. A change of 1 or 2psi is fine, but no more or less. Reason i say this is motorway use is also subject to centrifugal force but if you drive 50/ 50 motorways and around town then there needs to be a working average.

Alignment or geometry cannot wear the centre of the tyre.

 

[derektrotter]

Thank you all for the replies they've been very helpful

Now to get some tyres booked, probably get some mobile fitters to do it.

 

[Chrishazle]

+1 for the Goodyear option, my experience of Contis is noisy and harsh ride, also wore out quickly when I had a set on my 968 coupe. Have Eagle F1's on the 204 and Efficientgrips on the 968 cab, quiet, comfortable and grippy. Opted for Michelin Crossclimates for the 204 fronts recently, slightly noisier than the F1's but otherwise good. Can't be bothered these days to fit my winter wheel set, which I'll probably sell soon!

 

[Will]

What sort of use and load does the car typically have?

Ie do you actually carry much load/luggage and how many passengers?

Mainly motorways/fast A-roads or more town use, etc.

I wouldn’t usually recommend messing around too much from the manufacturers spec but in your case the specified pressures clearly aren’t working very well for you/your car. The contact patch can’t be all that good either if it’s wearing the centres out?

Finally - have you checked your pressure gauge against another reference? It’s possibly a few psi out?

 

[derektrotter]

What sort of use and load does the car typically have?

Ie do you actually carry much load/luggage and how many passengers?

Mainly motorways/fast A-roads or more town use, etc.

I wouldn’t usually recommend messing around too much from the manufacturers spec but in your case the specified pressures clearly aren’t working very well for you/your car. The contact patch can’t be all that good either if it’s wearing the centres out?

Finally - have you checked your pressure gauge against another reference? It’s possibly a few psi out?

Just me in the car, no passengers or load 95% of the time, 70% motorway/fast A roads, I've used 2 different ring branded compressors and they both seemed to match, the current one which i'm using was rated for its reliability, its a analogue guage rather then the digital which is supposed to be a bit more accurate, I've never used the forecourt ones as by the time I get there i'm worried the tyre may have warmed up which effects readings..

On the topic of tread, can anyone recommend any good tyre depth gauges? the simple one I have does not seem very accurate as it moves when I take it off the tyre, I saw the dealer use a laser powered one but cant find a consumer model otherwise that looked ideal.

 

[Will]

That’s interesting as if you compare the recommended inflation pressures including luggage for say 5 passengers compared to 3, it usually goes up significantly. Hence I would have thought if there were a figure stated for zero load (driver only/minimum luggage) it would be quite a bit lower than what you’re running now.

So potentially 95% of the time, the tyres are over inflated relative to the load on them at the rear (ie none)

Coupled with the 70% motorway use - centrifugal force throwing the centres out further - I suspect this is where the problem lies.

Probably worth considering a drop in pressures on the rear in your case especially as you’ve got proof the centres are wearing too quickly. You can always top the pressures up for those 5% of instances when you need to carry luggage and extra passengers?

 

[Bellow]

On the topic of tread, can anyone recommend any good tyre depth gauges? the simple one I have does not seem very accurate as it moves when I take it off the tyre, I saw the dealer use a laser powered one but cant find a consumer model otherwise that looked ideal.

Vernier caliper will work well. Cheapo digital jobbie from China (circa £5) will do - just remove battery when not in use as they eat batteries just sitting.