E350 cdi coupe lively rear

[gr4h4m]

Hi all, my second post after my first 4 years ago I finally purchased a Mercedes....

I have an e350 cdi coupe and the back end seems a bit lively in the recent wet conditions. Now I know it's just rained so the roads will be a bit greasy, and the car has a fair amount of torque. But the wife is a bit worried that the car looses grip too easily.
We are both used to rwd cars having owned bms for the last 6 years.

So I was thinking of getting the geo hunter checked. Also wondering if the rear tyres might be a bit hard, or need to be wider?.

The car is a 2010 model with 255 18 rears.

Is there any suggestion on wider rears or sticky tyres that work well? Or is it a case of the engine giving out too much torque? I wonder what the c63 is like!

Thanks for any help/experiences

Graham

 

[DSM10000]

The traction and stability control should prevent any rear end break away unless severely provoked. What brand of tyres are fitted and how worn are they? Also, have you checked the pressures?

Is the wear on the tyres even? I assume there is no history of accident damage?

 

[gr4h4m]

Hi I don't know of any damage, it was bought from a mb main dealer, all checked.

The rears are Pirelli I will check the tread in the morning but they were all ok. I reset the pressure to the petrol cap numbers.

The traction does catch it but it seems quite easy to get the light on compared to my wife's 325 convertable.

 

[DSM10000]

My C320 felt unsettled in the damp and wet when it had Pirelli P6000 tyres fitted, I have changed them to Michelin Primacy and the car feels much more stable and predictable in the dry or wet

 

[Dieselman]

The traction does catch it but it seems quite easy to get the light on compared to my wife's 325 convertable.

Not surprising really since you have about twice as much torque available.

 

[gr4h4m]

Thanks both, I was thinking the same thing I mean it's knocking on supercar torque, I have. A feeling the rears are a little hard but I will investigate that and check the suspension setup.

Anyone got any good experiences with tyres on a. E350? I have had a search but most talk about winter tyres, I guess they are also a must!

 

[grober]

Do not go wider- narrower tyres "bite" into slippery road surfaces better, disperse water better, and are less liable to "float" on a build up of water under the tyre. The only time you benefit from a wider tyre is in the dry. As the DM says you are dealing with V8 petrol levels of torque with a large V6 diesel car. In terms of tyre pressure its my suspicion that in common with other manufacturers Mercedes have in recent years upped tyre pressures several psi beyond normal load bearing demands to decrease rolling resistance and help MPG/EMISSION figures.

ps anything less than 3mm tread depth [ despite being legal] will exhibit a marked fall off in performance. In terms of a RWD car the better tyres should always be fitted to the rear if you are looking for stability= understeer rather than oversteer.

 

[V12]

Michelin or continental tyres are the ones to go for when it's time to change...

Are you driving it in comfort or sport mode?

 

[gr4h4m]

I was running in comfort. I have given it some boot today and it feels fine I think it was just greasy roads due to the fresh rain. The tyres all have 5mm so a bit early to swap and then I will try some conti's

Thanks for the help

 

[Chris Murray]

Hi Graham

Reference your comment on your rear end and also the mention of winter tyres, once temperatures go below 7 degrees normal summer tyres start to harden up thus giving less grip which is why winter tyres are recommended between normally september and march as these have a lot higher rubber compound so don't freeze up like summer tyres they also have a different tread pattern which enables them not only to work in snow but general cold weather, this could be the reason your rear end is unpredictable in the wet and cold weather depending on what time of year it is. As you say it could also be the greasy roads after the hot weather we have had recently and then going to cold.