Tyre wear on W202

[reflexboy]

Morning all-Just wanted some other members opinions. The outer edges of both front tyres seem to be wearing out a lot quicker than the rest of the rubber. I have been told W202's are prone to this. Anyone have any ideas to the truth in this? I have read all about Mercs pulling to the left slightly. Last year I had the center drag link, idler arm and both lower ball joints replaced and due to the tyre wear the tracking has been checked several times and it spot on. any ideas?

 

[Dieselman]

You should have a full 4 wheel alignment performed to be sure.
If the tread is feathering then it could be tracking but if the tread is just wearing then it's probably due to using the power steering too much.

 

[GrahamC230K]

I have had four rear wheel drive cars, two of which w202s and they all wore the fronts out around the edges while the middle was good and the rears bald around the centres while the edges were fine (very easy to miss an illegal tyre unless you check regularly or notice the loss of traction).

I even tried over inflating fronts and under inflating rears, but even this does't cure the wear pattern, it's just the way it is.

 

[Will]

If you have the same size wheels and tyres all around, what about rotating them to even out the wear?

No good for us folks with staggered AMGs though

Will

 

[reflexboy]

You should have a full 4 wheel alignment performed to be sure.
If the tread is feathering then it could be tracking but if the tread is just wearing then it's probably due to using the power steering too much.

Yep, I did have the full four wheel allignment done (twice) and its spot on. Thanks for your comments. With regard to swopping the front and rears around-I dont really want to do this because then I will have to replace all four tyres in one hit instead of just two. So its looking like its a 'characteristic' of the W202 then? Any other ideas people?

 

[Will]

With regard to swopping the front and rears around-I dont really want to do this because then I will have to replace all four tyres in one hit instead of just two.

But surely you will end up replacing tyres more often = even more cost!?

Just set aside the money when you would normally be replacing them, then you will have the cash to do all four at once

Good Luck

Will

 

[GrahamC230K]

So its looking like its a 'characteristic' of the W202 then? Any other ideas people?

It's a charateristic of a RWD car!

 

[reflexboy]

It's a charateristic of a RWD car!

But my trusty old Vauxhall Carlton that I owned some years ago didnt suffer with the same problem. Thanks for all your help guys...Anyone drive a W202 that DOESNT wear the front tyres on the outer edges prematurely?

 

[Will]

Nope, both W202s, both W201s that I have owned were the same. Same as other RWD cars

Will

 

[reflexboy]

Ok thanks Will- Well im due a service in Febuary so I will get them to do another 4 wheel alignmnet check, just be be sure, then I suppose I'll have to live with it -Together with the left hand drifting too that I have read in previous posts is due to the steering set up being extra sensitive to road camber.Hey,whereabouts in Surrey are you from Will-Im near Tolworth Tower?

 

[Dieselman]

Check the drift by driving either on a flat road or opposite cambered one, the car then should drift toward the other side.

As has been said rotate the tyres around otherwise you will wear them out more quickly.

 

[Wezzel]

That's interesting. My W202 wears out tyres on the inside edge. Tracking is okay.

Unfortunately I think it would be cheaper to replace the tyres more frequently than splash out a fortune for an alignment check.

 

[Thmsshaun]

No but this is something I am closely keeping my eye on. When I got the C43 the outer edges of the tyres were worn. I then put the new wheels on and had the tracking done.

I was called by the garage as they said where were they wearing as the tracking was within the tolerances but was leaning towards the wear on the outside.

The thing I dont know is how many miles had been done on the old tyres to get them to wear how they had.