wywywywy

Hi all,

I've got a W221 S500 (S550 in the US) with the 5.5L V8.

With it being such a heavy car as well as RWD, I didn't expect much wheel spin. But in fact it happens much more frequently than I had expected.

It's especially bad when I'm in S mode, see a gap in a roundabout and try to pull out quickly. It even happens in C mode. And I'm not talking about full throttle gunning it, I'm just talking about half throttle so the car moves immediately.

I had 4-wheel alignment done and they are perfectly fine, but not made a difference to the wheel spin.

It's not got cheap tyres either - mine are Pirelli P-zero Rosso with about 5/6mm thread left.

Does your W221 do that?

Thanks.

DaveW68

It's the tires....summer tires get very hard (that's what she said) during the colder months and turn into hockey pucks, thus causing significantly more wheel spin.

alx

you have a plebian open rear diff which will keep spinning the driving wheel with least traction (usually the left rear in your case) .. it is worse when turning as the inside wheel has even less traction and thus "blows out"

the asc will try to minimize that effect by braking the spinning wheel (on an open diff this transfers power to the other wheel), but it has limited effectiveness

1bad540

sounds like something is broken. Ive never spun

Garticus

Don't see how you can have wheel spin when you're in Comfort mode (which starts you off in 2nd gear)

Something may be wrong with your S

DaveW68

Nothing wrong with his car....see post #2.

marthyh

Tirewidth within specs ?
And yes not only summertires in too cold circumstances,but also when their too old and the rubber is hardened.
Have you kept them in a garage where there is welding done?Ozone is not great for tyres..

I drive the car hard now and then (who doesn't..), but virtually no wheelspin possible as the traction control immediately kicks in even in S mode .
(..and I would still highly recommend Conti's or Michelin's..?)

wywywywy

Thanks for the replies.

Car's been checked nothing seems to be wrong with the steering or suspension. But tracking was done just in case. If there's anything else to check please let us know.

But yes it's been a bit cold (sub 10C) here in Britain in the last few months but hopefully the weather is going to pick up a bit from now on.

Rear tyres are 275/35 R 20 so they're to spec. You've got a point about their age though - they are a few years old.

What about tyre pressure? What's it supposed to be set to?

Thanks.

DaveW68

I believe around 32 psi when cold.

wywywywy

Thanks.

Last time it was brought up, people were saying when running low profile tyres it should be 40 psi to protect the rims.

I'm currently running 36 psi, and on most days I'm the only one in the car with nothing heavy at the back. I'll drop it to 32 psi and give it a go.

DaveW68

The only time you should run 40 psi when cold is when you like wearing out your tires early and don't mind irregular wear on the center of the tire or the higher probability of a blowout. Higher pressure to protect your rims with low profile tires is a myth and invented by somebody who knows nothing about tires. Always stick with the car manufacturer's recommendation with air pressure, even if your wheels are a plus size.

Jason B

It's either the factory 19's or factory 20's that require 39 psi on the door tag.

Windshield Time

Recommended tire pressures are listed inside of the fuel door.

DaveW68

Ah ha....I was right....32 psi. 35 psi for constant speeds over 100 mph. So apparently 32 psi everywhere in the US.

mnje350

So here is my dumb question. How do the wheels spin with traction control? I can't make my wheels spin in a snow covered parking lot with my pedal to the floor? I must be missing something. Now when I turn TC off, then I can get the car doing doughnuts like when I was a kid. It's pretty hard on the tires though.

Garticus

That's my question......he didn't mention turning the traction control off, so I'm assuming it's on.....even with hard tires in the cold, how do the wheels spin during acceleration from a stop, especially in comfort mode starting off in 2nd gear.

If his TC is not working then something is wrong with his S.....if he did not turn the TC off

....... the rubber in his tires must be granite rock hard, which would change the ride quality, which should be very noticeable.

wywywywy

Sorry I meant it spins for a split second before the TC kicks in. But that hinders progress when I try to make a swift exit out of a busy roundabout.

Garticus

Ahhh....so DaveW68 might be on the right track.......summer tires are not made to be used in temps below like 30*F (-1*C) as they do get hard like plastic and seem less rubbery.

But I woild think they'd be OK in 45-50*F (sub 10*C). Could just be the age + cold UK dreary weather.

RIDE FOREIGN

Stock '08 C63. Conti's, Been pretty cold, 25 - 35 F and if I really put it down (all TC ON, or esp sport) the car wants to fishtail.. readily I might add. This sucks cause it is really noticeable if I am launching in a straight line.. dry pavement and all. The car has wanted to go nose first in to the median a cpl times. Obv no lsd on this car. Also, seems it is pretty exclusively the right rear that tends to kick out and make the chassis point left. First post sorry if I hijacked this one a bit.