2006_C350

I noticed on the 2014 E350 18 inch wheels (not the AMG) they no longer come staggered, unlike the previous model years.

How many people are rotating their tires on the 2014? Does it really need to be performed?

noka

My '15 E350 4Matic with 18" AMG wheels came with non-staggered widths. I plan to monitor wear and rotate if I see uneven wear. Not sure whether it is recommended (...need to check Owner and Maintenance Manual).

MJ50

u can rotate tires if u have non-staggered all-season tires...
looks like '14 E350 only comes staggered in optional 19" wheels...

Arrie

You will get longer life from the tires if you rotate them. I have the staggered setup on my car meaning I cannot rotate front to rear and the rear tires wear about 50% faster than the front. It is a RWD car.


I'm not sure if the 4-Matic makes a big wear difference between axles as all tires are pulling the car but for a RWD car it does and the rear tires wear faster. Of course, this depends on how heavy your right foot is on the gas pedal but regardless of this the driving axle tires will experience faster wear.

noka

FWIW, my '09 C300 Sport 4Matic with staggered setup wore much faster on the rear also. The only way at that time to get the non-staggered setup was with the Luxury model. One of the attractions of the E350 Sport 4Matic for me was that I could get standard tires (i.e. non run-flats, although I know the industry seems to be moving in that direction and they have improved somewhat with succeeding generations) and also I could get the non-staggered setup, so I could get them rotated, if needed.

hyperion667

don't forget: Mercedes Benz eat tires, especially the 4 matic's......I rotate what I can every 5K or so, and ALWAYS get a pro-rated set when they're done

thenew3

My '13 E350 4matic wagon has nearly 12k miles on it. Never rotated tires. Dealers said no need on the 4 matics.
Measured the tread, they are at just above 8/32" at all four corners. Measured 4 different spots on each tire. They are wearing very evenly. So at 1.5/32" for 12k miles without rotation is really good. They have the factory continental pro contacts on them.

The same tires on my wife's FWD passat only got 18k miles and that's with 5k mile rotations.

My previous AWD car (Passat 3.6 4motion wagon) also never rotated tires and got even wear on all 4 tires.

Live Oak

Oh, why bother. I've never noticed significant uneven wear.

But, then, I've never made blue smoke --- except in the 1950s.

Alex.currie44

My 2011 E350 4Matic wagon W212 came with 18" wheels no stagger.
I move fronts to the rears on the same side withing a switch to winter tires on their own rims.
Most tires on these cars are directional so rotation can only be done by dismounting tires and remounting on the other side to preserve the rotational direction.
I understand there are some cars were delivered with a Conti line of tire which are not directional and therefore could be used in a 4 wheel rotation but I have yet to come across any cars with that tire.

noka

I didn't think my OEM Conti-Pro Contacts were directional but will need to confirm that. The Owner's Manual specifes that rotatation should be done. The Maintenance Manual specifies rotation front to back to maintain the same spin direction, whether unidirectional or not.

looney100

Tire rotations should be performed wherever possible, regardless of drive wheels if you want to maximize tire life.
Just because a car is AWD, doesn't mean tires will wear evenly. Driving style, alignment differences, etc. can cause uneven wear.

instantfob

I rotated my square setup 245/40/R18 every 5k miles for free since I replaced the factory ContiProContact on day one. (Thx to Costco and Road Hazard included)

Heavier car eats the shoulders fast due to the weight and castor angle. Rotating helps a lot.

aquinob

I've got a new set of conti pro contacts on my 2010 E350 and they are on the 18" staggered rims. I checked with conti and they are not directional so they can be rotated from side to side even though the owners manual says no rotation (probably to protect MB from folks that have directional tires mounted). I plan on keeping the car for a long time so I may spring for a set of 17" rims or at least pick up a pair of the front 18" size (which were also an OEM option on all 4) and get back to a standard rotation pattern. Seventeens would be a bit cheaper to buy and have a bit softer ride due to the wider shoulder. In any event, it will probably be a couple of years before I need new rubber so I'll figure it out then.

BeachBunny

I've found having a proper alignment done (esp when the car is brand new, you'd be surprise how many cars aren't aligned after their misadventures in delivery) minimizes the need for tire rotation.

noka

I suppose it's possible but I've never done that and probably won't be doing it on the E350 unless I see an early warning sign. Although my C300 4Matic had premature wear with the OEM tires, (admittedly, OEM's are not typically great tires for cost reasons) and mainly on the rears, the wear pattern was quite even across the contact patch, leading me to believe that alignment was not an issue.

Alex.currie44

I don't have the staggered setup on my 2011. Not an option at the time.
After nearly 20 yr of Benz ownership I will always recommend a 4 wheel alignment at least every 3 yr at a shop with the mentality that a Benz is not a Chevy and attention to detail is important. I usually do it after 2 yr.
When I was in Ontario my dealer had factory trained guys on their own machine which worked to finer tolerances.
Out here on Vancouver Island dealers don't do the alignments and use "specialty" shops but they are sloppy by comparison.

noka

I made the mistake with my '09 C300 of having an alignment done at a chain tire retailer. Good price on tires and when they suggested an alignment I went for it, since the tires wore prematurely. Thinking back on it, it probably wasn't justified because the wear was all even, mostly on the rears. Shot after about 20K mi. Anyway, when I got it back it was pulling really badly to one side and it had always been straight as an arrow. So I brought it to my MB dealer and their alignment brought it back to the way it was. If I need an alignment, I'll let the dealer do it next time. However, I'm also a believer of if 'it isn't broken, don't fix it' when it comes to alignments. If tire wear is even and there is no pulling, etc., I'm inclined to leave it alone.

Arrie

Would you recommend alignment also when all tires on the car wear very evenly across the tire and the car tracks straight without any sign of pulling on either side just because it is 3 years old?

noka

Kind of what I was saying in my post above, last sentence. My answer would be 'no'.

K-Mac

Fact is “Full front and rear wheel alignment” is no more!


Since the mid ‘90 model’s, with the ever increasing speed of vehicle assembly lines there has been no front or rear Camber (or front Caster) adjustment facility fitted OEM


Only current adjustment is front and rear Toe!

To attempt to return vehicle to factory specs to resolve costly premature inner edge tire wear, improve traction, and fix steering pull the only current alternative for Camber and Caster is to fit offset, slotted bolts (for the front only). But these are inaccurate - one only position bolts - offering a minimal .3 of one degree adjustment (3mm / 1/8”).

It’s no wonder many owners continually change tire brands or go from one MB Dealer or alignment shop to another trying to get it right/fix the problem!


We saw the need therefore "to fix it right the first time" by designing, developing, patenting (and re-instating from the 1990's) fully adjustable front (and rear) suspension for virtually all models.

The current K-MAC kits have up to 4 times the adjustment of these one only position offset bolts (both Positive or Negative). And unlike these one position bolts they can be accurately adjusted on car(under load) direct on alignment turntable (no need for labor intensive removal/replacement each time).


Providing ongoing full, precise adjustment of both Camber and Caster settings if altering suspension height, fitting wide profile tires/wheels, curb knock damage or being able to quickly fine tune/change specs on race days (extra Negative/plus track width to go deeper into the corners/lower lap times). With the unique K-MAC patented design only requiring use of a single wrench/no disassembly.

For the rear, similar kits for precise Camber adjustment (with additional Toe to compensate for the new Camber facility). Importantly unlike the alternative rear adjustable Camber control arms available K-MAC kits do not move top of tire outwards - this reducing essential clearance top of tire to outer fender when adjusting to fix premature inner edge tire wear/improve rear traction.


Also instead of spherical bearings as used on control arms which prematurely pound out allowing metal to metal contact. At K-MAC we have developed long life elastomer bushings.


Bonus with the four front and four rear bushes is that they are also designed with twice the load bearing area and replace the highest wearing suspension bushings. And with K-MAC no special tools are required to fit.


Note (Product background re bushings): Majority OEM bushes have air voids to allow 2 axis movement. So control arms can travel through their required arcs without binding, locking up.


Essential with today’s modern designs of “multi-link” arms with different angle mount points!


Yet most “aftermarket” replacement bushes the industry standard is to eliminate these air voids in an attempt to improve both steering response and reduce wheel hop, loss of traction under brake and acceleration.


The opposite is often the case – the elimination of the air voids causes even more severe wheel hop, loss of traction through binding, locking up of arms.


K-MAC bushes – with 50 years now of bush technology are designed without the air voids but where needed with “full 2 axis movement”. Result is power to the ground – maximum traction/acceleration/braking - along with noticeably improved directional control and steering response for highway driving, lane changing.

Martin Hewitt

I have a 2014 E350 wagon 4Matic. Tires (unstaggered & undirectional) have around 10K miles on them and the wear is completely even/uniform. No need to rotate.