jdhiller

The inside shoulder of my rear tires wore through the steel belt almost to failure. I last swapped sides 10k ago and all looked good now this. what are the likely suspects in this. I put new tires on but don't want to ruin them. the car goes straight and seems to handle normally.

Yidney

You swapped sides 10K ago but you didn't say how many miles on the tires total. My rear tires are nearly bald at 13K miles. The reason they wear first on the inside is called negative camber - the tops of your wheels lean in. A little bit of negative camber is normal. But MBs - at least this model - often have a little more than they should. There is no adjustment built in. It will be worse if your rear suspension bushings are worn. Depending on miles, get yours inspected if you can't do it yourself. But if they are OK, and your toe alignment is ok, your options are (1) get used to buying rear tires a lot like I do, or (2) buy a set of rear camber bolts. A vendor here sells them. Basically you are replacing the two top outside bushings with ones with an offset hole so they can be adjusted. KMAC is the brand I believe.

jdhiller

They had 23k on them the tread was not bad the inside shoulder was scary bad.

Fatz

I agree with Yidney..... If you have not modified your suspension (lowering) and the tire wear rate has changed, it is probably due to worn bushings.

Even before lowering my car, I was changing the rears every 12-14K miles. Lowering made changing necessary more frequently (10-12K).

If all is good with the suspension, make sure you buy your tires where you can get them prorated when you come back in 12K miles; or install KMAC bushings and adjust the camber.

Yidney

If your wear is that bad inside compared to outside then you do need to check your bushings and your toe alignment. Mine wear noticeably more inside, but not nearly as much different as you are describing. My issue I think is within a range of what I would call a normal quirk of the car, but yours does not sound that way. You have an actual issue.

totita

My Michelin rear tires are almost gone. Fronts are almost new. Would it be OK to replace them with Continentals? TireRack has a sale on EXTREMECONTACT DW ($175) vs PILOT SUPER SPORT ($225). The threadware seems better on the Continentals too 340 vs 300.

The Michelin warranty is only 15K miles for staggered tires. Continental does not specify it.

Any other more durable max performance tires recommended by forum members?

How long do rear vs front tires last on a CLK 550? I'm new to the car ...

Thanks.

eteller

FWIW this Saturday I just replaced my two front Continentials. Both had broken belts, only 3k mi on them. Went with Michelin Super Sports.

eteller

Interesting:
http://www.mbca.org/forum/bad-continental-tires

Yidney

What year is you car? You may get better wear on the 17" on a 2007 than the 18" on a 2008-09. I have Conti DWS and have had no issues, but rears are bald at about 13k - same with Michelin. I tend to start hard with increases wear. Fronts will last at least twice as long as the rears. Probably more.

SilverE5588

Sorry posted in the wrong thread

OR-CLK350