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2023 E 450 Sedan. 2018 GLC 300. 2013 E 350 Coupe (retired)
May have to consider the smallest wheel, 18 or 19, thickest tire, non runflat, to get the most relief. Otherwise go one or two psi lower than on the gas flap, any lower runs the risk of tire damage.
May have to consider the smallest wheel, 18 or 19, thickest tire, non runflat, to get the most relief. Otherwise go one or two psi lower than on the gas flap, any lower runs the risk of tire damage.
Ride quality and interior noise are areas where the E53 takes an unfortunate step back from the luxuriously smooth and quiet E350 and E450. Impacts are sharp, and there's quite a bit of tire slap, particularly with the high tire pressures specified on the door-jamb placard (44 psi front, 51 psi rear). Lowering them by 15 psi to the low-load setting made the ride far more tolerable. The tire noise over our not perfectly smooth test surface is probably why our sound-level reading wasn't better than 72 decibels, way louder than the 67 we recorded in the E450. If the roads aren't pristine where you live, consider the standard 20-inch wheels rather than the optional 21s.
Ride quality and interior noise are areas where the E53 takes an unfortunate step back from the luxuriously smooth and quiet E350 and E450. Impacts are sharp, and there's quite a bit of tire slap, particularly with the high tire pressures specified on the door-jamb placard (44 psi front, 51 psi rear). Lowering them by 15 psi to the low-load setting made the ride far more tolerable. The tire noise over our not perfectly smooth test surface is probably why our sound-level reading wasn't better than 72 decibels, way louder than the 67 we recorded in the E450. If the roads aren't pristine where you live, consider the standard 20-inch wheels rather than the optional 21s.
The tire pressure listed on the door sticker is the max load tire pressure. That one is for when the car is loaded to its gross weight and you plan to drive faster than 155 mph. For normal driving just by yourself mostly and below 155 mph, those pressures will make for a terrible ride. You need to look at the sticker inside of the fuel door. On there you'll find the normal load pressure for when there's only 1-2 passengers in the car and little cargo in the trunk and you don't plan on exceeding 155 mph. It's usually much lower and will give you a more suitable ride. It will also improve tire wear, because if the car is not weighed down enough, the pressures on the door sticker will bulge your tires in the center and wear them more in the center vs the edges.
I've mentioned this before. The door sticker in NA only lists the max pressure, because it's technically the safest pressure. Americans apparently have no clue about tire pressures, which was proven in the 90s with a bunch of SUVs overturning, because they had their Firestone tires underinflated and then loaded up their SUVs to the point where the tires overheated and the tread separated. As a result, the door sticker was changed. For those who know what they are doing, the fuel door sticker has all the information, and everybody else just suffers from the bad ride if they don't have a clue.
Aside from that, the E53 is a very heavy car, that's also supposed to handle well at high speeds, so that means the suspension is stiff, to deal with the weight, and no air suspension either. Not the kind of car to expect a soft ride from.
Last edited by superswiss; Apr 3, 2026 at 12:48 AM.
Super helpful reminder to look inside the fuel door! Have adjusted down to minimum and will report back. Note, of course, these images are from my car and you should check your car before adjusting.
Last edited by E53DadWagon; Apr 3, 2026 at 08:01 AM.
Ride quality and interior noise are areas where the E53 takes an unfortunate step back from the luxuriously smooth and quiet E350 and E450. Impacts are sharp, and there's quite a bit of tire slap, particularly with the high tire pressures specified on the door-jamb placard (44 psi front, 51 psi rear). Lowering them by 15 psi to the low-load setting made the ride far more tolerable. The tire noise over our not perfectly smooth test surface is probably why our sound-level reading wasn't better than 72 decibels, way louder than the 67 we recorded in the E450. If the roads aren't pristine where you live, consider the standard 20-inch wheels rather than the optional 21s.
Interesting. My label has every wheel/tire size printed plus the 2 max speeds. Maybe an EU model difference? I ordered my car with the 19" winter wheel set, so perhaps that's why I also have the M+S pressures.
Your label shows 1 psi higher than mine for the 20" wheels. Weird.
Also, when I put the 21s on i set them in the middle of the two load ratings to start. I find it not as harsh as everyone makes the 21s out to be in reviews, but it's definitely a bit rougher than the 19s. I will be dropping it down to 35F/41R, since I don't see myself loading up to max load or going over 155mph in regular driving.
Now that you say that, I think that is more than likely the answer. The only tires available for the 21s are summers, so they have to give us more options to cover 20s or 19s for winter.
Now that you say that, I think that is more than likely the answer. The only tires available for the 21s are summers, so they have to give us more options to cover 20s or 19s for winter.
My neighbor put winter tires on her '25 E53 w/21" wheels for a ski trip to Sugar Mountain. IIRC they are Pirelli Winter tires rated for severe snow service. They don't look like typical knobby winter tires.
******************** Edited model year is 2025, not 2026 originally posted
My neighbor put winter tires on her '26 E53 w/21" wheels for a ski trip to Sugar Mountain. IIRC they are Pirelli Winter tires rated for severe snow service. They don't look like typical knobby winter tires.
I'll beat the other guy to the punch....if she did, they're not rated for the weight of these cars. a 102/105 combo doesn't exist for 21s. I have the Pirelli P-Zero Winters on my 19s too, but they are rated for the weight.
I'll beat the other guy to the punch....if she did, they're not rated for the weight of these cars. a 102/105 combo doesn't exist for 21s. I have the Pirelli P-Zero Winters on my 19s too, but they are rated for the weight.
You are misinformed. The tires are specifically for Mercedes (OE M01) with a 110/115 load index sold by Mercedes-Benz Tire Center.
@wdimagineer 's fuel filler says 39F/42R for low load and 41F/48R for high load on M+S 20" tires. @E53DadWagon 's fuel filler says 39F/48R for low load and 42F/51R for high load.
Apparently heavier people sit in the back seat of the E53 in the United States versus Germany.
Not sure how "15" makes sense in the C&D article for KPA, PSI, percentage, etc. Sometimes people will say to drop the max load pressure by 15%, which may be what C&D was attempting to say. If they had just said that they lowered the tire pressure from the maximum setting, it would have made more sense.
I tried the suspension in C and S+ on i-684 recently. For people outside the area, I-684 has many small imperfections that are noticeable when driving. Driving straight at 65 MPH on I-684, the comfort and S+ suspension settings seemed similar. At 30 to 45 MPH on local roads, I find road imperfections less noticeable in comfort mode. I also drove some twisty roads recently. The suspension in comfort mode handled the corners really well. The car was easy to drive. In the E53, comfort and Sport plus settings are close together, but that's good in my opinion. With an adaptive suspension, we should be able to get sport and comfort at the same time.
In the same review, C&D said that "sound wasn't better than 72 dB, way louder than the 67 we recorded in the E450." It isn't clear which measurement C&D is referring to there, but possibly the 70 MPH constant speed sound test.
Driving around town at 30-45 MPH, I recorded 52 to 64 dB in the E53 in electric mode with the 20" tires. I'll see what I get at 70 MPH with the combustion engine on.
Last edited by Mercuccio; Apr 4, 2026 at 01:55 AM.
At 70 MPH on the combustion engine, I recorded noise levels in the E53 between 60 and 63 dB. On electric at 70 MPH, I saw a noise level of 64 dB. My 2026 E53 wagon is fairly quiet at 70 MPH. The tire noise that Car and Driver had in the E53 was significantly (double) louder.
Since reviewers have said that the E53 with the 21" tires have tire noise, I would suspect that the 21" tires are causing the tire noise. Other possibilities are improper insulation or seals on the review cars or more insulation on the 2026 cars.
Last edited by Mercuccio; Apr 13, 2026 at 12:01 AM.
[QUOTE=E53DadWagon;9278064]Super helpful reminder to look inside the fuel door! Have adjusted down to minimum and will report back. Note, of course, these images are from my car and you should check your car before adjusting.
[/QUOTE
Just curious why there are no tire size options on your sticker. Here's my E350 sticker (I'm on 20in).
Obviously not comparing apples and oranges with the E350 sedan and E53 wagon, but I tend to set my tire pressure at 37psi. With relatively good roads in my area the ride is comfortable and quiet (63db on phone app). Someone with more expertise than I should go over the pros and cons, cautions even, of lowering tire pressure too much.
Last edited by Cao Black; Apr 14, 2026 at 04:17 PM.
Reason: grammer
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
