naplesbeachbum

I have a 2013 GL550 that I bought one year ago. The rear wheels seem to have a negative camber, which makes it wear out the tires on the inside more than on the outside. I know that this gives you more stability when cornering. Is this normal for these vehicles? Do they come like this from the factory, or should I have that corrected to a zero camber, thus saving my tires? Any thoughts?

K-Mac

We manufacture front ‘Camber' and ‘Caster’ and rear ‘Camber’ and extra ‘Toe’ adjuster kits to suit virtually every Mercedes Model 1968 to 2016.

For the SUV’s (W163, W164/X164,W166/X166, W251) the front kit not only provides Camber and Caster adjustment for the 1st time but also replaces the 2 lower arm inner rear bushes that prematurely pound out (and replacements are expensive!).

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mustbebenz

Wish I knew, but this place is so dead that the only reply you get is a robo-sales post. Sorry, man. Try new ml forum?

Lone Star Benz

It's normal, comes from the factory like that. As you mentioned it's set that way for better handling when cornering, and it helps to induce understeer in emergency maneuvers(for safety reasons). In the 20k miles we have had our '15 GL, the wear across the rear wheels looks and measures fairly even. With routine tire rotations and proper pressure I don't think the camber will be a big issue on tire life. On a side note, I can't wait for these crappy factory pirellis to wear out.

Nihsel10

It's suppose to have negative camber because it contains the double wishbone fronts and multilink double wishbone rears. Reason being is to improve handling when going on sharp curves and better control of the vehicles. Also give more surface area to the tires to have better grip on the road. Tires will wear unfortunately, but there are tires like the DWS 06 that gives longer tread wear life.

I was in the same position as you with my 2012 GL550 when my tires blew, but did more study about them to get a better understanding.

fabbrisd1

Frankly - I would suggest you get the rear alignment checked - on a "used GL" I have seen where they have been grabbed in the rear by a two truck - who clips to the rear suspension rather than using the tow hook - and those get wacked out