DrgnflyZ28

I had an issue with my alignment and the tires feathered a bit on the outer edges in the front. I called the TireRack and they confirmed that the Asimmetrico version is non-directional and will accept rotation of the tires from left to right and vice versa. Has anyone tried this yet?

i_am_amused

I will be doing exactly that with my assymetrical staggered Conti DWS set. Haven't done it yet, but have confirmed it's OK to do so and expect no troubles.

SeaCoupe

Unless you are driving at 10/10ths, or in the rain, you won't notice much of a differance. You will just get a bit more miles out of the tires.

Ed

DrgnflyZ28

Cool. I hope you post the results either way.

I'm certainly not easy on them! I frequent the "360 degree" loop on-ramps to my local highway and push hard on the understeer (these lil' sport setups do hang on nicely!). If I can smooth out the outer feathering a bit, ill consider it a benefit. The extra longevity is one of my main reasons for the rotation. I've read a lot of negative comments regarding their lifespan. Plus, it's rainy season in South Florida. Thanks for the feedback

Glyn M Ruck

You must rotate to change direction of rotation or those tyres will get noisy as hell. Suggest you increase front pressure as well. You can go to max 35 psi. try it.

LILBENZ230

I have Conti DWS tires with 15,400 miles of service thus far. I rotated them left/right at 6,000 and 12,000 miles so far and will do so again at 18,000. The tires are wearing more evenly and staying quiet but it isn't looking like it will make much difference in rear tire life. About all these cars seem good for are 30k miles on rears over a wide range of brands.

I also am running higher pressure (~35-37psi) in the front tires to counter the shoulder wear the W203s are known for. It has worked so far.

i_am_amused

My hope is that in addition to longer life, they will stay quieter longer.

i_am_amused

I'll be thrilled if I can get 30k miles (and two winters) out of my set of DWS

DrgnflyZ28

So I'm not crazy... I've noticed an increase in tire noise with the 15k I've put on them but contributed that to the slight uneven wear. I did have it set to 35 psi but the front end seemed a bit nervous (prior to the alignment). I hope to rotate them tomorrow and will adjust the pressure up a bit to see if it helps. Thank you sir!

Good info! Like Glyn and you suggest, I will toy with the pressure to see if I can find the sweet spot. So how do you like the DWS Conti (feel free to chime in i_am_amused!)? Planning my new set way in advanced.

Glyn M Ruck

I see Matt is going a little higher in pressure - That's fine. You must find the sweet spot for your driving style & use of the car to produce even wear. Watch the front castor/Control arm bushes for cracks & silicone fluid leaks. If they are shot it will make cupping & feathering worse.

If you don't kill that cupping & feathering the tyres will become permanently noisy & you will feel vibration through the steering when cornering.

LILBENZ230

I'll tell you as I've told others in regards to the DWS tires:

I like them overall but I wouldn't back-order them and wait. I have ran Kumho Ecsta ASXs on several of my cars (including the C230) for years and those have always been very good tires. They gave me 30,000 miles on my C230 and I never rotated them left/right. If the DWS tires are any better than the ASXs, then I cannot tell it. I just wanted to try something new and the DWS were only $50 more for my set of four.

When it comes time for my next set, I'll likely save $50 and go back to ASXs since those served me just as well.

maverik259

i was seeing increased wear/rot on my front tires on the outer edge (part away from engine). So i had them removed and switched to the other side of my car. I figured this is because I'm running 19" and when the car turns the inside tire angles with the top of the tire extending further out than the bottom of the tire. Took to MB dealer and they said that was normal for the low profile tires on my car. HOwever it was rotting my toyo t1r on the edge so i "rotated" them. about 3k into it so far. Fear this is gonna cause me to get new tires more frequently. the middle of the tires are still really good looking, I'd say 70% life left. Unfortunately the edges are about 30-40%

LILBENZ230

This is a normal characteristic of the W203 from everything I have experienced and read. I've been told that increasing the pressure in the front tires will cut this down, as will the left/right rotations.

DrgnflyZ28

This is good to read. I completed the left/right rotation (a great time to scrub the wheels inside & out too) and noticed the rapid inner tread wear on the rears as indicated by many here. It's dissapointing to see the tires wear that fast. I decreased the pressure to a stock 30psi and increased the front to 35psi. I will see how it feels and wears now.

04mbc230

Since we are in the topic of tires. What is the typical setup on your ride? I know there is a guideline from the specs, but I doubt anyone actually follows that base on their fine tunning.

Oh.. I heard Costco has nitrogen in their airpump, is this any good for the tires?

LILBENZ230

Nitrogen allows more stable pressure. It doesn't absorb moisture and the PSI won't vary as it does with regular air.

Glyn M Ruck

The benefits of Nitrogen are oversold in domestic cars - very important in race cars to maintain constant pressure with varying temperature.

Probably the most positive aspect of running Nitrogen in domestic cars is leak rate. Tyres loose pressure more slowly due to Nitrogen's molecular size.

Norwichdelta06

so if you have ur tires filled with nitrogen can you mix it with normal air?

johnand

Yes, I have many times. You just lose what little benefit Nitrogen has. No big deal. I hate having to go to the tire store to adjust air pressure, so I use my own air at home. Too much hassle to setup my own Nitrogen system at home.

DrgnflyZ28

I have the stock sport setup:
Front: 17x7.5" - 225/45/17 28psi to 35psi to 33 psi back to 35 for now
Rear: 17x8.5" - 245/40/17 30psi to 35psi to 33 psi back to 30 for now

maverik259

Front:19x8 225/35/19
Rear: 19x9.5 245/30/19

both at 50psi

fookoo303

wow 50psi. can i ask why so high?

04mbc230

Okay.. let me get this right.. So your front is 35psi and your rear is 30 psi. If so.. why is the front more inflated than the rear? Is this correct?

Also, why are there variation? If so, at what point do you set them to the deviation psi?

DrgnflyZ28

You are correct about my current psi front & rear. I daily drive the MB for now and have been trying to acquire the best pressure for a combo of decent mileage, comfort and wear. The higher pressure in the rear surely helped increase the center tire wear just like my Z28 with it's 315/35/17s. I need to keep them at a low 28psi to get max wear from its contact patch. MB's OEM suggested 30psi might be the best bet for the rear. The front tires appear to be wearing a bit more on the outer tread blocks (in conjunction with slight feathering from an alignment that was a bit off spec. I know its still uneven even after two back-to-back alignments - damn MB Dealership ). I'm hoping the increased psi with the current rotation might help it to wear more evenly on the outside. Today was pretty hot in south Florida and the the roads were dry so I played with the handling a bit and was pretty happy with the results so far.
Now to wait for the long term wear results...