ecohen2

I have had my CLK320 for about 3 months now. A couple of days ago I noticed that my front tires were really wearing on the outside edge compared to the rear. The dealer said that my alignment was slightly off and gave me a new alignment.

Does this amount of wear in about 2000 miles seem a bit extreme for a "slightly off" alignment? Or is this a symptom of something bigger?

Thanks,
Ed

MARK CUMMINS

The Dealer should have Flipped the tires...So They will wear even

Chi500

If the shoulders of your tires are wearing faster than the center of the tire, it means that your tire pressure is too low. I don't think it was problem with the alignment (dealer might have screwed you over here). I've had the same thing happen to me, so now I inflate my tires about 2-3 psi higher than what MB recommends. Solved the problem. Not only will the higher pressure even out the tire wear, it'll give your wheel a little more protection from potholes, because I've bent both of my front wheels with MB's recommended pressure. Also, you'll know if the tire is overinflated if the center wears more than the shoulders of the tire.

ecohen2

I keep my tires at the 100 mph+ pressure that is noted inside the gas lid, that should be enough. I also check the pressure about once a week, so they have never been low.. .

MarcusF

That’s a fair amount of wear. It looks like you’ve got too much positive toe. A little toe will make the car feel more stable during braking and under acceleration. Too much devours tires, which is what you’re seeing. Did the dealer print the before and after specs? If so print them. If not, in the future, it’s a good thing to request.

When you check the tire pressures, are the tires cold (as in overnight cold)? Your pressure gauge, is it a quality gauge, something that’s under $5, or (heaven forbid) whatever’s available at the local filling station? What’s the range of the gauge and has it ever been dropped? Both of those questions will reflect the accuracy of the gauge. I have several stick gauges in my garage that are 25% off at 35 PSI. I know they are because I also have a calibrated gauge. A quality gauge is about $20 and will pay for itself a zillion times in extended tire life. Ditto for an infrared pyrometer.

whoover

A good gauge is a must, I agree. And TPMS is even better; it's more accurate. But Marcus is right that that's an alignment problem. Low inflation pressure would cause wear on the inside edge as well as outside.

If the tires aren't assymetrical or directional, you can try reversing them (dismounting and remounting after flipping). It would buy you most of the life back but could possibly cause steering problems or vibration, in which case you'd have to put them back again. And of course pay for balancing each time.

CLK Masters

How do you drive your car.

I have a 500 and EVERY time i go to the dealer they say i need an alignment, becuase of the EXACTLY same problem you have.

For me it's because i drive the car pretty hard, and take corners quickly, not to mention freeway on/off ramps at good speed.

This combined with the fact the mercedes does not put enough camber in the suspension, makes for this problem.

ecohen2

Just an update....

Last Sunday I noticed that the tires were getting really bad on the outside edge so I replaced them with Yokohama AS430's. On Monday I brought my car in for an A Service and explained about the wear issue and that I was about to take a 1000+ mile trip. I also explained that the car was pulling to the right. They told me that my tires were "not approved" and that I shouldn't worry about it or to take it back to where I got the tires. They also filled my tires with nitrogen.

Yesterday I filled out the survey form they email you after work is done. Almost immediately I got an email from the service manager asking me to call. 30 seconds later I called him and now my car is going back for another alignment on Friday.

Does anyone know the correct camber and toe numbers for my car? I am going to ask for the sheet from the previous alignment and whatever they do on Friday.

More to come...

Ed

Chi500

You can put any tires you want on there.

You just need to put more air in the front tires than recommended. The same thing happened to my old CLK500 and 5 more psi helped it. If it's only worn on the outside shoulders of the tire, then you have a problem. But if it's worn on both shoulders of the tire, it just needs more air.

ItalianStallion

My CLK500 also used to lean to the right. I got aftermarket rims and for some reason the car stays straight now.

moondust

Tire tread wear is visually deceptive, and it really needs quantifying.

Most tire data on the web is from US sites where tread depth is measured in Imperial fractions of an inch in 32nds. A new tire tread depth is reckoned to be 10/32. The legal minimum is 2/32.

The UK MoT test checks tire tread depths in mm. This translates into 8mm when new. The legal minimum depth is 1.6mm, although tests show that below 3mm a tyre is equally unsafe.

My CLK has done 10K miles on its factory fitted Continentals and the tread depth is now about 6 mm, with the wear even across the width. At this rate I am expecting to get about 30K miles out of this set of tires.

MarsRedCLK

Way too much toe in- s/b about .08 to .12 - that is all you need to track straight- mine were at .40 toe in, and burned up the outside tread-

If you are burning the inside, toe out is to much,
Tell them the settings you want....