CBR2200

I'm experiencing what I feel is unusual tire wear. The inside edge of both front tires looks like the picture. Has anyone experienced this or have any advice to offer?

Thanks,

Kirk

minus13

Normal - front and rears have negative camber. Looks like you baby her through the turns.

CBR2200

Haha pretty much. If I'm driving the GL that means the offspring are with me, so I try to go easy.

minus13

Don't think of it as premature wear on the inside of the tire. Think of it as normal wear on the inside of the tire and little wear on the outside of the tire for lack of use.

I believe that the camber is fixed on these vehicles. It's just something you'll have to live with. How old are the tires?

CBR2200

Unknown. I bought the GL used. I guess I need to start using the family truckster on solo drives so I can get some use out of the rest of the tread.

Nihsel10

I am new to this forum.

It looks normal and Continental are good tires. Just keep an eye on them if you see any still wires from the end, preferably the inside.

At least it's not as bad as the tires that nearly killed me two days ago while traveling. My GL had Pirelli Zero 295/40/R21 The right rear tire ripped from the inside. Had to take it to the dealer and they looked at it. All 4 are bad. Also to add things, the alignment was gone as well. The GL is leased btw. Close to 36k and the tire gave up. Here is also to add, the dealer I gave to service did an inspection, and didn't check the tires.

Usually some high end tires are suppose to run more than 30k. This ordeal was new to me. My 2011 Escalade's Bridgestone Dueler tires is over 50k and still looking good as new.

At the end, 2400 buck gone out of the pocket. Tires replaced with Continentals. Called MB about the issue, they said no. And this is my first MB ever and still already having bad luck.

Anyone had this issue?

I got pics of it.

EWT

Yes, both sets of mine have corded on the inside edge in the same spot. It is hard to see from the outside too. If you got 36K out of yours, you got about 6K more than I have out of a set. The cost of tires is one of the negatives about owning a 550 since it is an oddball tire size, and tire choices are very limited.

K-Mac

Since the mid 90s model’s, there has been no accurate Camber and Caster adjustment facility fitted OEM!

Only current adjustment is front and rear Toe.

To attempt to return vehicle to factory specs to resolve premature inner edge tire wear, improve traction, fix steering pull the only alternative for Camber and Caster is to fit offset, slotted bolts.
But these are inaccurate one only position bolts with a minuscule .3 of one degree adjustment (3mm).

After installation it's no wonder many owners then go on to stating dealerships or alignment shops still did not 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 suspension for virtually all models.

The current K-MAC kits have up to 4 times the adjustment of the one position offset bolts (both Positive or Negative). And unlike the bolts can be accurately adjusted - under load, direct on alignment turntable (no need to jack and reinstall each time).

Ongoing precise adjustment of both Camber and Caster settings if altering suspension height, fitting wide profile tires/wheels or for curb knock damage with the unique K-MAC patented design is just a single wrench/no disassembly.

For the rear, similar kits for precise Camber adjustment with additional Toe to compensate for the new Camber facility. Unlike adjustable arms K-MAC rear kits do not move top of tire outwards reducing all important clearance to outer fender when adjusting to reduce premature inner edge tire wear/improve rear traction.

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

Shellbmb

I knew my tires were getting a little worn, but I was shocked when I had them replaced at how much cord was showing. I was thanking my stars that they didn't blow out on me.

Agreed with a previous post that the tires are the worst part of owning a 550. Gotta pay to play I guess.

Do the 450's have a similar problem? Or are they less geared for performance and more for normal driving?

Nihsel10

You guys had Pirelli Scorpion 295/40/R21 right?

I was reading somewhere that the Pirelli Scorpion I had that went bad were performance tires. Dang I should have done my research and made the switch.

I remember having Pirellis on an Excursion I had before giving it up. The cords were showing on that as well. So I am not sure if the the problem with pirellis.

The Continentals look fine to me and actually rides better than the Pirellis.

I wish Bridgestone had those 295/40/R21, but the size are only found in Continental and Pirelli.

CBR2200

Mine are the Continentals. I'm seriously considering changing wheels just to open up a better selection of tires. I'm quite happy with the grip of these tires, but the longevity seems to be an issue from what I've read. I've always used Michelins or Bridgestones on my other vehicles and could not be happier with all aspects of their performance. I'll try to stick with what works.

2010GL550

Sorry to hear all the problems, but now I feel better knowing it's not just me. We have the EXACT same problem with the rear tires. ESPECIALLY the rear passenger. Belts were showing, but we never knew until we heard a noise (part of the belt was hitting exhaust as we drove...tink, tink, tink).


Just yesterday I told the wife to take it in for an alignment. From the sounds of things, that probably won't help. We have the Conti's on the 21" rims.

SmokinReefer

Tried the Pirelli Scorpions once on my ML. They were down to the wear bars in only 8K miles. Pirelli was nice enough refund a lot of my money but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I have avoided them since. They must have known they had a bad batch since they came up off the refund very easily.

Nihsel10

Checked Tire Rack.

Choice is only limited to Continentals and Pirellis


Dang. At least they refund the money.

drgeeforce

I don't know about anyone else's qualifications but, this is toe wear.
$80,000 SUVs do not need camber kits. You need an alignment.

heralddrive

drgeeforce, yes, the photos show that camber wear is easy to identify with inner edge wear being caused by front and rear wheel tilt or squat.

drgeeforce

CBR220 has toe-out wear not camber wear only the inner edge is worn. The tire does not have trapezoidal wear as seen in excessive camber.

CBR2200

Can any alignment shop check this vehicle, or is there some reason that only a dealer could check it?

minus13

I only see toe alignment (because it appears camber is fixed) so I don't see why not if it's only toe and not camber, but I have had many say they won't do it precisely because they don't see the traditional camber adjustment points.

minus13

Nope - camber wear will also give the appearance of premature, inside tire wear. If the tire is still on the vehicle, only the keen eye will notice the obvious slant of the tread pattern so as to tell the difference between toe wear and camber wear.

minus13

I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. Everything you type makes sense, except one thing that I believe you are infer instead of actually saying. It seems you are suggesting that the tire wear we are seeing is something that cannot be correct because of a design flaw. Instead, I believe that Mercedes intended for the camber to be fixed just as it is and that inside tire wear is an expected result of same rather than a result that wasn't considered. This setup gives the best handling characteristics.

Please set me straight. By the way, I am interested in your product, but not because I think the camber needs to be adjusted. I simply like the idea of having options.

CBR2200

It is my understanding that some European auto manufacturers build in what we consider big camber angles due to their domestic market roadways being mainly curvy and that setup offers the best handling characteristics. In the US we have a greater percentage of high speed, straight roads that end up causing premature inside tread wear with high camber angles.
I took my GL into a trusted tire shop and they echoed my thinking about swapping out the odd side 21" wheels. Comparable tires on 22" wheels cost literally half of what the 21's go for ($217 vs $425 each), and there are infinitely more choices than the TWO I can pick from now. I'm still on the fence about replacing my fronts or going with a full set of wheels and tires. I'm leaning towards just get the pair this time around since my rears appear to be nearly new and it would be a shame to waste them.

K-Mac

Re "I simply like the idea of having options"


Till the late 1980's majority or vehicles had this full, precise front and rear adjustment of Camber, Caster, Toe. Fast, efficient - no disassembly required.


There is no doubt therefore of the advantage of having this type of ongoing capability. It being essential to allow to return vehicles to factory specs to resolve curb knock damage, steering pull, altering height, load carrying or fitting wider profile tires - whenever it is needed.


Today though majority of auto's only have front and rear Toe adjustment. This has been brought about through both cost cutting, but more importantly the industry need for ever increasing speed of assembly lines. Average time for each task it is said today is down to 64 seconds, hence basic front and rear only Toe with the deletion of front Camber, Caster and rear Camber adjustment facilities.

will_w204

I believe the Pirellis are directional, so that wouldn't work, but what about the Contis and some others? Is this an outlandish or unworkable idea?

My 450 has 19s, and there are about as many options for me as the 550s with 21s. The Pirellis that the dealership somehow CPOd my car with have been horrible since day 1.

On the next set, either Contis or Michelins, I'm thinking of rotating them every 3k to see if it helps.

Also, I've run everything from 32 to 38 psi all around. I've always found MB suggested tire pressure to be unnecessarily low, however on the GLs, I'm thinking it's (32) just right

drgeeforce

Solution: take the tire/wheel off the car, stand it on a flat pavement. If it falls over, its camber wear, because a trapeziodal worn tire cannot stand upright. If it remains upright, its toe wear, because the majority of the tread is still flat.

ANY alignment shop can do this.