Carsy

I am coming up to the 10,000 km mark on my Michelin Primacy HP Tyres & would like to know the correct method of tyre rotation.

I have found that the car is susceptable to tyre cupping so wish to avoid this.

MB state in the 204 WIS that tyres should be swapped front to rear only.

I have read that to avoid cupping noise & for tyre longivity that cross rotation is the way to go ie changing the tyre rotation.

I would be pleased to know of a tyre rotation program for each 10,000 km for a tyre life of 50,000 km.

Thank you.

Glyn M Ruck

You are fortunately not staggered. You must rotate opposite corner to corner to change direction of rotation of tyres for non directional tyres. With directional tyres you have a problem. You can only do a back to front. Not ideal!

EDIT - Your tyres are not directional! They only have an "outside". Do this every 10K Km's & you will get the best out of the tyres. To me rotation is crucial but remember it also accelerates wear as a tyre settles to it's new location. It's all a matter of balance. Often enough but not too often.

kevink2

+1 ^

I would only add that if the fronts are feathering more than the rears, then once in a while just rotate side to side (vs corner to corner), to quicky reverse the feathering wear up front.

Feathering wear has to do with the way each tread block meets the pavement with a little squirm, as well as when it stops contact.

You can feel it by lightly touching the outer tread edge with finger tips, at the top of the tire. "Rough Back" and "Smooth Forward" indicate feathering. Another way to visualize this is like lightly rubbing a hack saw blade cutting edge ... rough one way, smooth the other.

Carsy

Thanks fella's .

Jimmy D

Some things you should know about tyre rotation.

I am a mechanic by trade and I have seen all different tyre rotations. But I have noticed a few things that customers never bring up.

1. Good tire rotation does not prolong tyre life as such, it only makes the front and rear tires wear so they all need to be replaced at once.

2. To prolong tire life make sure you check and adjust tire pressures every time you fill up your vehicle, or every 2 weeks. So many customers want tires swapped as per owners manual but never follow this simple instruction which is under general care in there owners manual. By not doing this, under inflated / over inflated tires wear the tire uneven and decrease tire life, affects fuel economy and stability. Note: re-set run flat / tire indicator in instrument cluster menu!

3. Pay attention to directional tires, they should only be swapped front to back.

4. There is much debate about this but l always put the best tires to the front, this is for numerous reason. But the main one which affects the customer is front tires wear faster due to the braking and steering forces acting on them. You will find you may only have to rotate the tires every 15,000 km "during service" this also saves you time and money. But make sure you always balance the tires, this will reduce tire noise and vibration.

5. Wheel alignment should always be done with new tire replacement! Also if uneven tire wear is noted.

6. Different countries of the world have different road surface and conditions. For example Europe road surface is normally flat where Australia´s roads are cambered. So the vehicle tires can wear more aggressive in Australia. One thing which can normally prevent the severity of this is by making the castor on the LH front of the vehicle more than the right. This will help prevent the vehicle following the camber of the road "drifting left" Then having correct toe front and rear as per work instructions.

Last thing, do not go cheap on new tires. Good tires can improve fuel economy, steering, stability, braking. Also I have notices some cheap brands make undesirable noises which can not be fixed. Best recommendation..... well my preference is Michelin tires, but each to there own.

Glyn M Ruck

+1 !

Carsy

Thank you Jimmy for the good input.

Just one thing , I do not agree with your point on the front tyres always wearing faster than the rears.

With my driving conditions ,my rear wheel drive vehicles wear the rears a third faster than the fronts & visa versa for the front wheel drive .

Glyn M Ruck

Indeed. On our RWD cars I find in-town cars, due to braking etc., wear similarly back to front. Open road cars wear rear more quickly. Obviously too much loud pedal from starts will rip up the rears very quickly.

As Michelin will tell you, rotation actually accelerates wear as the tyres wear into their new location & then settle down.

Jimmy D

Hi Carsy, you do make a good point with city driving. I may have left this option too liberal because it is for normal driving.

Fast acceleration and stopping does decrease tire life. So driving conditions is always a factor.

The cars I have services are normally in semi rural in Australia. These cars regardless of front wheel, rear wheel drive generally wear the front faster.

The exceptions I have found is when
1. The vehicle is always loaded heavy in the rear.
2. Towing
3. Driving too fast around corners - depending on your braking system SBC - ADR etc the brakes can operate going around corners without applying the brakes. Standard safety feature for over / under steering particually 211 E-Class with SBC.
4. When you let your son borrow the car :-) I have seen a few cars go through rear tires in 5,000km ...... burn outs may look good but they will cost you good $$$ in tires!

Glyn M Ruck

My comments apply specifically to Mercedes sedans.

Carsy

Here are a few figures for mostly county/country town driving over the years.

2007 220CDI MB Rear worn out 35,000 km, fronts (extrapolated as the Bridgestone's fell apart) about 60,000 Km.Independent rear wheel drive.

1994 Peugeot 405 SRDT fronts 40,000, rears 60,000.Front wheel drive.Independent rear

1979 Peugeot 504 GL fronts 60,000 km rears 40,000 km. Independent rear wheel drive.

There has to be something very wacky about my driving style. Even my MB brake pads will be 75% when the rotors are down to their limits.

I will have to lift my game !!

Glyn M Ruck

I would be suspicious that you had a heavy foot on the gas pedal but your overall tyre mileage is good. 30,000 Km is about my average tyre life. I do go for soft compound tyres though!

Carsy

I am a ' feather foot' & rarely use the torque.

The Peugeots were a little underpowered . Maybe just the conditions & some gravel roads.

kevink2

I get your general point. But for some cases, esp with wide, low aspect ratio tires, you can have a conditions of "feathering" which is tough to cure with alignment. Good tire rotation, reversing the rotational direction, will extend life by reversing the feathering process, and adding useful life by eliminating feathering wear, or just allowing more miles before the noise becomes overwhelming.

Like what was said before, may be true for old ladies/men driving with a soft pedal with their RWD MB. More interesting issue was a valid tire company video that showed, for raining conditions, the best tire on the rear ( or was it front ??? ), FWD or RWD, always made it through a wet corner better.

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Glyn M Ruck

Kevin - the greater useful life out of the tyre comment is valid & why I rotate. I also like replacing tyres as a full set.

The best tyre location for wet driving is something that the tyre companies have flip flopped over during the years. When Michelin was our racing sponsor they always said a road car should have it's best tyres up front so that you could brake hard in a straight line & then lift off the brakes & steer yourself out of trouble. If you lost steering capability you were in trouble.

Having spent a lot of time on skid pans having redone my advanced driver training course numerous times at the request of the oilco I worked for I'm inclined to accept the best up-front comment. Advanced driving certification also gives me an insurance break.

kevink2

I kept my advanced driving habbit (and the request that I be an instructor) from my insurance company.

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