Expected Tyre Life

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tommy060289

New Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2013
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21
Car
Mercedes-Benz C250
Hey everyone,

I am nearing 10,000 miles of enjoyble Mercedes C-Class Ownership and the car is almost bang on 20,000 miles but I just have a bit of a question as to how many miles people tend to get out of their tyres. I drive pretty sensibly 99% of the time and 75% of my mileage is motorway mileage but I have never had RWD before so not entirely what to expect. I had a Vauxhall Astra before the C-Class and tended to get around 25,000 miles out the fronts and 75,000 out of the backs (I very rarely used the rear seats/boot) but I would expect a RWD would meet a bit more in the middle in terms of a front/rear split.

What are other peoples experiance of the tyre life, especially if you suspect you have a similar driving style (pretty standard, not a maniac and plenty of motorway cruising).

I had a quick check of my tyres this morning on one side and the rear appeared to be ok but probably not a huge amount left (maybe 4-5000) and the front seems to have loads left on. So much so that I need to check the other front as it almost seems as if they already replaced one of the fronts to have so much tread left on!

Also, what are peoples experiance on tyres. I'm pretty happy with the Conti sports contact 5 that are on as standard but are there any other recommended tyres to take a look at as these seem quite reasonably priced (It's a 12 plate C250 the car btw)

Cheers,

Tom
 
I guess so much depends on driving style and the brand of tyre. I'm running on Conti winter contacts which came factory fitted when I picked up the car new alost 2 years ago. I've done nearly 37k fairly gentle miles on them and there is still 3.5mm tread on the rear offside (according to MB dealer who serviced the car last week), slightly more on the others so I'm well impressed.
 
driving style is obviously are big factor. But most importantly you need to have the right air pressure ,rotate wheels and have a alignment check. l rotate my wheels at 5000km and judge on the way they are wearing, then opt for an alignment if need be. Depending on make of tyres, vehicle and use do play a role as well.
 
Bought mine s/hand at 19,000 and the rears had been replaced (with some odd brand) they still look good at 36,000. What I presume were the original fronts I replaced at 21,000 with Conti 3's and they are looking fine. I'm a steady, avoid the brakes type of driver. Squirt and Stop drivers would get less.
 
This is so subjective.

My ML used for the odd long trip but mostly short runs 15k ish

The c63 14k in 10 months mainly a commuter but. Two track days with electronics on.

The SL63 24 hrs after I bought it one two hr session on track handling training session with electrics off!! Since then 6k and i will need another set after Goodwood in Nov!
 
With modern "grippy" tyres I reckon if you get 25K out of them you are doing well. Remember these modern turbo diesel 4 cylinder engines can output the same sort of torque figures as the old V8's did at very low RPM so a heavy right foot can wear away those rears pretty quick. Mercedes in recent years have increased their recommended tyre inflation pressures----- the result is lower rolling resistance [ better emissions and fuel consumption figures] but possibly at the expense of wear and ride comfort??
 
I just had my rear tyres replaced on Tuesday. They had been on from build and I have covered 24,000 miles. The fronts are still ok with 5 and 6 mm remaining. I went for Contis (MO) again but found the best price and asked the dealership to price match, which they did. Worth asking as it was almost £50 cheaper than the original quote from them.
 
I guess so much depends on driving style and the brand of tyre. I'm running on Conti winter contacts which came factory fitted when I picked up the car new alost 2 years ago. I've done nearly 37k fairly gentle miles on them and there is still 3.5mm tread on the rear offside (according to MB dealer who serviced the car last week), slightly more on the others so I'm well impressed.


As you say Frugal, "It depends on driving style."

I passed my test in the days of the "Mobil Economy Runs" and regularly get 50,000 plus miles from sets of Michelin Primacy tyres.
Motoring does not have to be expensive nor time consuming as it all depends.........

Regards
 
As others said it really depends how you drive. My C350 is on 24k miles and about to get its third set of rears but then I don't hang about.........
 
Replaced the fronts on my C250 Estate almost 2 months ago. Put Conti 5s on. Had the tracking done to give me as much life in the tyres as possible. I reckon I've done about 2500 miles since then and am down 2mm from new. No idea if tyres wear evenly throughout or more quickly/slowly once they get going but that will probably mean new tyres at circa 7500 miles or every 6 months and that's just the fronts :-(
 
I find I change 2 sets of rears for each set if fronts. On a rear wheel drive car the fronts have less to do so should last much longer than the rears.
 
Well I guess at least I can get Club Card points if I buy via Black Circles ;-)

It's about time I grew up anyway.
 
Looking to sort winter wheel and tyre combo, anybody had experience of Nokian tyres? On paper seem to be a good cost v quality tyre, plus I figure what the Fins don't know about cold weather motoring...just wondering if the extra for the likes of Conti, Dunlop et al is worth it or it's a name/snobbery thing.
 
Nokian are a good mid price brand and up with the best as far as winter tyres are concerned. They were popular for years in the USA with their studded Hakkapeliitta tyres [ named after FINNISH light cavalry] before they became known here. They can be difficult to source except on line as they don't seem to be keen on marketing them in the UK for some reason.
 
Nokian are a good mid price brand and up with the best as far as winter tyres are concerned. They were popular for years in the USA with their studded Hakkapeliitta tyres [ named after FINNISH light cavalry] before they became known here. They can be difficult to source except on line as they don't seem to be keen on marketing them in the UK for some reason.

Have just put mine on for the third winter (4-5mm) very happy with grip & wear
characteristics. Used predominantly on rural roads with no salt.

splitpin
 
Thanks gents that's good to know and re-assuring.

If I find a set of 2nd wheels with tyres on then great but I think I'd be happier getting new tyres all round so will continue to hunt.
 
When i first got my car the had a full set of pirelli rosso p zero the ones on the front have now done 20K and still go another 4-6 months driving. I would say around another 5-7K miles the rears only lasted 12K and they were on the wear bars. I do mostly motorways and as a general rule only poodle around but once in a while it does get a clean out :)
 

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