Vik888

I had a brand new set of Michelin PS2's put on at the end of Oct 2009. The car was lowered with SDS by the dealer to the lowest setting a dealer can legally set it to and an alignment was performed. I have maybe driven the car 3k miles since then.

I've noticed that the wall of my left front tire is getting some wear and its only that tire. Its as if I've drive against the sidewalk with just that tire BUT the rim isn't "curbed" and I've wiped down the tire and the white substance reappears showing some wear on the wall.

Any ideas?

I will take pictures in the next day or two comparing my left and right front tires and wipe the tire down and go different drives and see whats doing it. I just washed my car Saturday evening, then did a 120 mile drive Sunday and the wear showed up on Monday when I checked.

sunny_j

post pics

petep86

is the tire tucked in the fender?

might be rubbing the inside of the fender when at the lowest possision on the highway.

Vik888

Photos are at http://www.pi1ot.com/w211tire/

35,36,37 are left front
38, 39, 40 are right front

The photos with the "s" are just smaller size for those with lower bandwidth.

Let me know what you guys think.

petep86 - the car is lowered via SDS but still within MB spec, so its not even at the lowest SDS setting. I've seen W211's even lower than mine, so I don't think its likely its rubbing the inside of the fender.

Let me know what you guys think. I can take more photos and even wash the tires if required.

Vik888

Just to add, there is some/gray matter on the wall of the left front and it looks like its wearing on the edge ... or maybe not, i'm not an expert at tires.

SZMB

Is this the 2008 E550? Three common factors contribute to uneven tire wear: incorrect air pressure, wheel alignment, and worn out suspension (usually the shocks). Was the tire pressure around 30 PSI? Maybe the dealer misaligned that wheel: the camber could be too positive. Don't forget to rotate the tires on these cars.

Vik888

It is the 2008 E550. The wheels are staggered, so you cannot rotate.

Yes, my front air pressure is at 30 psi and checked regularly.

The alignment was done in Oct 2009. I'm going to contact the dealer that did it, but since alignment has no guarantee I'm guessing I'd have to pay for the car to be realigned.

vettdvr

Look inside the fender for the shinny rub marks. Bet you find them.

SZMB

On my 2004 E500, the dealer had to do another alignment only after 5k mi because the car was still pulling to the right. After the 2nd alignment and now 8k mi later, the alignment is still good.

Vik888

I'll check, but it would be odd that only the front left tire rubs and my car isn't even lowered that much. Its still within MB specs.