I got my GLE back form the dealership after Service B and some warranty work. One thing I asked them to check out and fix is whenever I go to make a U-Turn or a somewhat sharp left or right turn, I can hear a deep noise which sounds like the tire(s) are rubbing against something. My service advisor said that is normal and that it is supposed to do that and it is called "Tire Scrub" and it is supposed to get louder as the tires wear and have less tread.

Have any of y'all heard of this before? This is the first time I am hearing that and I did not notice my prior Mercedes (2017 E300) doing that.

 

I have a '22 GLE 450 with over 22K miles. No Rub-a-Dub-Scrub here. Furthermore, I would think that as the tire wears down, then the rubber would naturally be further away from anything it could rub against. Unless, the dealer is referring to less traction and the tire is actually slightly slipping on the pavement. However, I would think that the threads would need to be almost worn away for that to happen, and the dealer should be telling you to replace the tires.

 

I think he’s talking about the lame Ackerman Effect. Does it only happen on slow, full lock turns?

 

Yes tire scrub is a thing.

 

Oh, is that the same as crabbing?

 

It's related. Get ready for the thread to go off the rails in 3.....2......1.......

 

 

Whoops sorry I meant to post links to these:

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/wha...-it-important/
https://news.parkplace.com/porsche/t...20are%20turned.
https://www.motor.com/magazine-summa...november-2019/

 

Happens every day on the the 718 and I fully expect the same thing from our upcoming 911. Oddly enough I haven't noticed it on the GLE, maybe because I have the 21" all seasons and not 22 in summers.

 

Thanks for the work.
The Park Place article on "scrubbing" is a good one.
Worth a read for this thread.

The others about negative / positive scrub radius are also good, but don't apply to this situation.
Scrub radius comes into play at speed, under braking or deceleration events such as braking on irregular surfaces, going partially off road on one side or hitting a puddle.

 

So this happens mostly when I make a U-Turn and sometimes when I make a sharp turn, but the wheel is not fully locked. with the sharp turn and it is almost locked with the U-Turn.

 

I should have seen the "tire scrub" Google shopping links 😂😂

So I guess this is a normal thing. Does anyone know if that will affect the overall reliability of the GLE? I am planning on buying mine when the lease comes due in 1 year.

 

I'd probably watch for both front tires tread patterns and see if there's an odd wear going on. If the wear is even, I wouldn't worry.

 

It only affects tires at near full lock, and it could damage UHP tires in low temps.

Inner city delivery trucks are concerned about this because they spend most of their time at low speeds and tight corners.
Their geometry is optimized for that, but not stability or grip at speed.

It's not a reliability concern. Enjoy your car!