SL/R231: Do You Wear Out Rear Tires Faster Than Front Tires?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,336
Likes: 936
From: Brookshire, Texas & Cat Spring, Texas
2019 SL550/2023 EQS 580 SUV
Do You Wear Out Rear Tires Faster Than Front Tires?
I drive my SL a bit more spirited than my other vehicles but do not spin the wheels etc. My Michelin Pilot Sports have 10k on them and the rears have 1/32nd. Less tread than the fronts. Is it normal for the rear tires to wear out sooner with spirited driving and do you normally replace all four when the time comes to buy? I can see more wear on the rear tires with rear wheel drive but I drive a lot of curvy roads for fun and assume the front tires get more abuse on turns. Then again I have no education on tire wear and may be totally wrong. Fill me in on the correct information.....
PS-On all my daily drivers in the past I have just bought new tires every 5 years no matter what the mileage. Must like the smell of new wheels!
Last edited by Utopia Texas; Dec 12, 2017 at 07:42 PM.
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,556
Likes: 3,680
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Rears are always worse. 10k miles is low for Super Sports but normal for PS 2's or 3's. More often than not the tire wear is uneven in the rear. Our Super Sport rears are done at over 20k miles which is phenomenal. When in Germany we used to go through 3-4 sets a year.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 35
Likes: 4
'15 X3, '09 Corvette
Seems to me tires in general just don't last as long as they did back in the 70s/80s. I realize there are different formulations and some rubber compounds wear faster than others while giving you more grip and all that, but even on a "regular old vehicle" like a Nissan Murano AWD that is not driven hard wears out tires too soon. Our '14 just turned 19K and the tires were good enough to pass inspection but not good enough IMO to give optimal traction in winter conditions for my wife. It came with Continentals and I just replaced them with Michelins. Hopefully we'll get at least 25K out of them.
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,556
Likes: 3,680
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Seems to me tires in general just don't last as long as they did back in the 70s/80s. I realize there are different formulations and some rubber compounds wear faster than others while giving you more grip and all that, but even on a "regular old vehicle" like a Nissan Murano AWD that is not driven hard wears out tires too soon. Our '14 just turned 19K and the tires were good enough to pass inspection but not good enough IMO to give optimal traction in winter conditions for my wife. It came with Continentals and I just replaced them with Michelins. Hopefully we'll get at least 25K out of them.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 38
Likes: 4
SL400
I'm at 24k miles. My fronts wore on the inside a lot faster than the rest of the tire. Alignment issue, but I'm told it is "just within spec". The rears are worn evenly. My lease is up soon and I'm exactly at the limits, so I just bought a new set from Tire Rack.
Run flats wear faster in my experience. Also sporty "summer" tires usually have soft tread compounds with low tread life on the UTQG label. I think the Continental run flats are 240 tread wear.
The ones on my Ford minivan are like 400 tread wear or something.
Run flats wear faster in my experience. Also sporty "summer" tires usually have soft tread compounds with low tread life on the UTQG label. I think the Continental run flats are 240 tread wear.
The ones on my Ford minivan are like 400 tread wear or something.
Trending Topics
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)
Verdad Gallardo
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Camry
I bought a new 2014 with conti summer tires. I replaced the rears at 27,000 miles. The fronts are still going strong at 35,000 miles. My tire dealer thinks I will get another 5,000 to 10,000 miles on the fronts. I am amazed at these OEM tires.
