Ntuck

I am not sure if it's my tires or what, but when I drive in the rain it is down right scary. I usually go the speed limit or a little above even when raining and have never felt unsafe in any car driving in the rain. I have to say that I'm almost scared to drive the GL in the rain. I sway back and forth and it doesn't really feel like a true hydroplane but like I'm a little out of control.

Wondering if anyone else has this problem. My FIL said that it's probably all the computers taking over and trying to keep me in line. I don't know that it is. Just wondering if a different tire would help. I've got about 50% tread left and 16K miles so far, and of course not having much luck finding a decent tire for the 19" wheels.

JimBarnhart

I've had an experience like this on both rain and snow, but it's usually when tread wear is further than 50%.

Ntuck

Hey Jim, what kind of tires are you driving on just by chance?

SmokinReefer

Just like the post above, I've only had that issue when I needed new tires due to wear.

I once replaced the OEM Michelins with the recommended Pirelli tire and they wore out completely in less than 8,000 miles. Vehicle was all over the road. Stopped by dealer who noticed the tires were already down to the wear bars. Dealer was shocked and called Pirelli. Pirelli ended up refunding 50% and I went back to the Michelins.

But I would definitely start by checking the tires for excessive or uneven wear

ERC4

You've got 50% tread left, so it's not that. I'd check what tire pressures you're running versus what others on here are running.

yk0786

What is the best tire pressure for this vehicle?

JimBarnhart

I was on Perelli's, I have the 20" wheels.

Ntuck

I want to say they are set for 38 PSI. I remember when I first got the car they had the back tires set to 5psi higher. The last time I took it in they put them all the same.

Has anyone used the Michelin Latitude sport tires? With the configuration of the 275/55/19 there are only a handful of options. I have the Continental 4x4 on now.

chanaar

I have the Contis on now and they feel fine in the rain. Is your traction control light always flashing in the rain?

Ntuck

Traction control light never comes on in the rain. I'm trying to remember how the car drove when I first got it in the rain. Seems to me this didn't happen. I know the tires aren't ready to be retired but that is all that I can think of.

How many miles are on your Contis?

chanaar

Not too many, 7K

emilner

I've done a few runs upstate early in the morning in solid rain at over 80mph- steady as in the dry. I will say the truck does float a little more than I would like in general, but it hugs in the rain...

blittle

A couple of factors at work here…… first; the tires on our vehicles are WIDE and because of that they WILL push water, snow, whatever to a greater degree than more narrow tires…..resulting in a "squirmy" kind of feeling. Second; ..as they wear, the feeling will become more pronounced. I do NOT like the Conti tires that are standard on our vehicles because they wear so fast… BUTTTT…when the tread is adequate they will handle the wet roads as well as, and are more comfortable than anything else you can buy. ( after 3 GL's and various tire brands….believe me…. I know!) When the "squirmy" feeling is felt your choices are …slow down, or keep going and the stability program will take over and modulate throttle and wheel spin.

Ntuck

Hmm...definitely can't go 80 and in fact going 60 almost makes me nervous when it rains and believe me, I like to drive fast. I truly feel like I am going to fly into a ditch, so maybe at this point I need to talk to my service manager and see what should be done and whether it's the tires.

Blittle- I've driven on a wider tire that were BF Goodrich All Terrains in my old Suburban and never felt unsafe at all. Barely felt the rain actually. Although the tread on those is much thicker. I also realize it was a completely different vehicle but...all good info though. Thank you.

blittle

Yep….I had a 94 Suburban with the All Terrains and did not feel the "squirm." The All Terrains were just that "all terrains" and the deeper tread took care of the water at higher speeds…..it just isn't going to happen with the Conti tires, they do not handle high speed and heavy rain very well….. You CAN get better bad weather tires for the GL, but you will sacrifice the quiet and the comfort. When it's raining hard enough to cause water pooling or flow on the highway….i just slow down., simple wet roads don't seem to cause any problem at speed.

emilner

Something is certainly wrong if your truck feels unstable. 60mph is rock stolid in my truck in anything but snow (I stay under 40-45 in snow).

baobay

Drove my GL450 in moderate to heavy rain the other day, felt very solid and safe. I must say that the ride feels a little more "floaty" than my LR4.

ocddetail

Haven't noticed this really with ours, then again have the Active Curve system. I did notice that the GL350 handles differently compared to the 450. I'm no engineer but that could be due to the weight difference of the motors and overall vehicle. Also the 2014 GL350 has smaller breaks on the front than the 450. I've not had any issues in the rain. Only major gripes are the accelerations isn't as good as the 450 but it's a diesel duhh, and the stopping power, it's like stopping a semi! Sadly I feel like my 2013 Avalon Hybrid stops faster but then it's a big difference in weight between the two.

Ntuck

So I took my GL into the dealer today to get a rotate and balance and told him about the issue with the rain. He looked at the tire and said it had about 5K miles left. I only have 17K miles on them. It's insane that these Continentals only last 20K-25K miles. He said with the handling around curves and driving mainly in the city that they will wear more and eventually not be as good in the rain.

So, I had done some research in the past on others who were not happy with these tires and someone said they switched for a size 255/60/19 and that there is barely a difference. I just researched a Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventure tire in that size that apparently does great on the highway, off road and great for rain and snow. This might just be what I've been looking for since BF Goodrich doesn't make All Terrains to fit the GL.

Ah_gl450

I have the Pirelli Scorpion on my GL, they did get better ratings than the Continental on tire rack.

I can't speak to long term wear as I only have 2k miles.

SmokinReefer

Tried the Pirelli Scorpions once. They were down to the wear bars in 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.

blittle

If you look at all that you see here, and...even go back a couple model years in the 164 run....there is NO really good answer to the tire question. "Good" meaning great ride, longevity, and good traction in all situations. Many of us have tried a variety of brands.....myself included, and each brand/variation had benefits and drawbacks........much like the OEM Contis that we have all said we don't like!

cyclrder

I would look to have a 4 wheel alignment. My GL63 proved to have one of the rear suspensions off a bit.

are you driving the car in C or S? As I am not familiar with the 166 in non AMG format... but my old GL550 164 felt much more solid when not in Comfort mode.

as far as tire wear... figure 17K-19K max

Ntuck

I don't have an option for "C" or "S." What I did find was that it was the tires. At 17K miles I got rid of the original Continentals and ended up with Michelin Latitude sport tires. Solved all the problems! They drive great in the rain. I felt no swaying back and forth or unsafe driving. We had a heavy rain yesterday and the tires were great. I could go 65-70 mph on the highway and no hesitation. Glad to know it was just the tires and not the vehicle. Only problem is, the warranty on these say they are only 20K miles. Ugh. Otherwise they are quiet, grip well and do very well in the rain!

cyclrder

Glad to hear that it was only the tires... I kinda figured that would be the issue... These vehicles drive very well for such large and heavy trucks.

Tires and tire pressure are items that people just don't always appreciate the importance of keeping in check and with the GL it becomes obvious pretty quickly