rayzam

Hi, just noticed the rear tires on my 2020 GLS450 are badly worn out. These are stock Coopers on 20" rims. I know that the original tires in these trucks are low quality but the car has only 13K miles and the front tires are in a much better shape. I had the car serviced 2-3 months ago and they didn't mention anything about the tires.
I drive in E mode and use cruise control frequently but also tend to accelerate and brake on more aggressive side. I always thought front tires are more prone to wear due to the weight of the engine, so I was quite shocked to see this. Anyone else has similar experience? Could it be related to my driving in E mode or use of cruise control in hilly areas?
As a point of reference, my 2017 GLS450 lasted over two years on the original tires but then it needed break jobs at every 10K miles. This new one is eating tires more quickly but so far no brake service needed...


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Neyugnct

It’s AWD but still rear biased when accelerating. The new EQ boost also puts out torque a lot earlier on in the power band so most likely heavy acceleration would be your culprit

chassis

MB in general and GL/GLS in particular consume tires with alarming rate. It’s multivariate calculus all chosen by MB. User and suppliers have no role in this, its MB’s choices that result in tire wear. Alignment, suspension geometry, wheelbase, tire compound, tire tread depth from the factory and tire pressure are some of the MB chosen parameters that affect tire wear.

The reason for tire wear is not “heavy vehicle”. Call PACCAR and ask them about heavy vehicles. Tires are carefully specified by manufacturers given the entirety of parameters. MB makes these choices with an eye towards safety, low cost to them and reduction of complaints as the vehicle drives off the dealer lot. Tire wear is a casualty.

DesertGolfer

I got only 12K miles out of OEM Cooper SRX-LE tires (20"). See this thread for more details....
https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...tire-life.html

jdgamble

I just replaced my rears at 14k miles. Fronts still have 6/32. So basically never rotate the tires and just replace the rears at 2x frequency and you should be good!

Just an FYI - I complained a little to the dealer. Apparently there is no warranty for OEM tires, but they gave me a $150 discount on 2 tires.

ghostdog4

I've seen the same. I just replaced my fronts at 11k and they're recommending that I do the back tires as well. I asked the dealer and they said that the GLS 580 23in tires typically last 8-15k based on how it's driven.....

rayzam

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and for the insight! I am at least glad to see that I am not alone with this issue. I just went ahead and ordered 4 new tires online but will keep the front 2 that still have good thread in my garage for future use. Maybe at my lease end will put them back plus two more matching used ones off the ebay and give them their sh*t back!!

thenew3

This issue is not isolated to MB and the GL/GLS. Many BMW X7 owners are also seeing short tire life. Many are only getting around 10k-12k miles out of a set of tires regardless of the brand of tire.

Lanzz

I got 22K out of the tires on my 2020 GLE350. (lighter than GLS, so guessing that is why they lasted longer...) They were down to the wear bars, and even religious rotation every 5k miles didn't seem to help much. Didn't realize it was even shorter life on the GLS... sheesh.

kosta15auto

OEM tires are crap. Never re-purchase the OEM tires. Some of the OEM tires are a brand or model-specific development to gain traction and performance and are not any good for extended and reasonable life. You'll find aftermarket replacements that are slightly more expensive but last you longer with comparable performance. For example, some OEM tires are developed for Mercedes for low noise and better traction without any consideration for life as to keep the cost low.

jbattan

I got 8000 miles out of my OEM Yokohama summer tires on my 2021 GLS 63. Fairly aggressive driving overall. I would much rather have lots of stick and low noise than long tread life.

nc211

We got about 25k out of our OE Pirelli's with the staggered 21" wheels on the back. Fronts were ok with probably 45% of tread left. Rear's were close to the wear bar. We replaced with the Michelin's instead, and currently approaching 40k miles total on the car (15k on the new tires). I'd say the Michelins are probably 50% eaten up on the rear now. But interestingly, the front's are probably the same, whereas the Pirelli's on the front were doing better.

Michelin has a 50k warranty on them, but the fine print of the warranty automatically reduces that coverage to 25k for the rear tires if the car has a staggered setup.

jbattan

Michelin make 51 different models of tires, and I imagine Pirelli probably is likewise, so saying that “I like my Pirelli‘s” without specifying the model (e.g. Scorpion Winter) is pretty useless when discussing performance, treadwear, warranty, price, or pretty much anything.

jbattan

Never say never. Sometimes Mercedes put Michelin pilot sport 4S on their cars, and there’s every reason to buy another set of those since they are so wonderful.

nc211

im speaking of the tires that Mercedes puts on. Mine came with the Pirelli as OE, and we switched over to the MB OE Michelins. What model series those are, I haven’t a clue at the moment. They’re whatever MB uses.

NedNederlander

This is a combination of driving style and product quality.
I live in a hilly area but much of my driving is highway.
I have Michelin Primacy Tour OEM on my 2020 GLS 450 and approaching 23k mi.
Just got it back from B service last week with 7/32 on all 4.
Service advisor pointed out that I needed 4 new tires until I rubbed my fingers on the wear bars and said, "are you kidding me?" then he backed off.
Do they still show all new service advisors the Glenngary Glen Ross movie? (a must watch if you haven't seen it)