blake_k

My wife's E430 sport has worn down the 2 front tires (radial belt is showing) and only has 10+K miles on it.

Any one have similar experiences? How long should these suckers last? She is very easy on the car (if i was driving it, i wouldn't be surprised of such wear).

Thanks,
Blake

mrbeverlyhills

I had the same trouble with mine, even though I was driving like the frustrated race car driver I am I thought 10k was a little too soon for new tires. The dealer said it was the "soft" compound of the Goodyear Eagles that came stock on the Sport so I tried firmer Sumitomos. Same thing. Each time the dealer checked the car out and pronounced it healthy. Bridgestones, same thing. By this time I went to a goodyear dealer and had them check the front end- the front sway bar had been prised away from the frame completely and although the dealer was able to align it on a rack, any cornering was causing terrible and abnormal wear. The dealer took it to a frame shop where a kit is available from the factory to repair this (common) problem, took about a week and although they fixed it under warranty they did not want to pay for the tires.
When I got the car back I put on Sumitomo HTR z 2's. 8k later and I can't tell if there has been any wear at all and they grip the road like a set of pliers. Having a sway bar that is actually connected is a huge improvement too!
Nobody can say why the sway bars on these cars fail, a massive pothole or hitting a curb would do it but none of my wheels were bent.
I would recomend you take your wife's car to an independent alignment specialist and tell them what to look for, it's not easy to see with the naked eye and then have the dealer perform the work at the best frame shop available under warranty.
Hope this helps.

techbike

What tire pressures are you using? Recommended tire pressures from the factory are too low for the 17" tires that come with the Sport or the SE. That heavy V8 also requires a slightly higher front tire pressure, not the other way around as they print on the gas filler door. Many drivers here have complained of premature wear , particularly on the outside treads of the front tires; then solving the problem with higher pressures. I think the factory is trying to "soften" the feel of otherwise harsh ride of the lower profile 17" tires. I suggest 39PSI front and 37PSI rear. I have been using this and the tires are wearing evenly so far, albeit a much firmer ride.


The sway bar problem is possible but IMO, unlikely.
Mr. beverlyhills, did the shop that diagnosed the problem correctly say if they had seen this before? I hope it's not a common occurence.

phungpho

I agree with Techbike, check your tire pressure regularly.
I adjusted the tire pressure on my E430 less than 2 months ago, this morning I just checked it again and each tire lost about 4 to 6 psi. The front tire was set to 33 and now down to 27 !!!

Half year ago, I set the Front at 36-37 and the Rear 42 (pressure recommended by Mercedes for high speed - over 100 mph). After couple months including 1 trip at high speed, all the tires were premature worn, especially the inside treats, and the Front was hit hard. The car had about 6K miles but the Front inside treats wear at least 50%. The Rear is acceptable, about 20%. Then, I changed the tire pressure to 32 for Front and 33 for Rear (still recommended by Benz). Now, 3 months later, the Front currently is at 27 (loosing 6 psi) caused a premature wear, especially the outside treats - 50%.

Low pressure causes premature wear, especially the outside treats. However, high pressure does to the inside treats.

I guess I'll set 33-34 for the Front and 36-37 for the Rear. Anyway, those performance tires will last max 15-20K miles.

blake_k

Thanks guys for the great feedback. I am going to take it back to the dealer tomorrow and talk to the service manager about your observations (including the sway bar issue). Will try to find out how "common" this is.

Thanks,
Blake