SLK55 (R171) 2004 - 2010: SLK200K, SLK280, SLK350, SLK55, SLK55 Black Series

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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 03:51 AM
  #1  
asahi's Avatar
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From: CANADA
C63
Upset

Hey all just want to express my frustration with everybody
i just changed all 4 rossos on my 06 car last october,(original set lasted me around 27000km since i got the car) and the new set up till now ive only driven it for 4 months which equals around less than 5000km max

so i went to do my service C today and the advisor said i need new rear tires. i was like r u f-ing kidding me, i just spent 2k on tires already last october, its new how can it wear off so quickly? then i got my car and went home to check, it was then i was shocked...... rear tires only had 20% left.... i check the front...they look like pretty new......
so this is really bothering me....how can it wear down SO much when ive driven it normally( no burnouts no nothing) original set lasted me over 20000km

the only POSSIBLE reasons i cna think of is:

alignment- but i got it done after i got fresh tires....maybe they did a bad job? but wouldnt i have known while i was driving it? maybe scrubbing?

wheels: i know the tire guys accidentally switch the original left and right the other way around....i asked but they say it doenst matter since its not directional.......

rubber: as u all know rear size for stock is 245, but i got 255 instead...thought i should be ok


so i have no idea wat or why its wearing off so badly....
godamit now i need to pay for new rear rubber with this bad economy on my back..... f*** my only enjoyment in life is failing me too

Thx 4 reading. any reasons why?


ps: mine is a stock 06 slk55 no mods watsoever
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 06:26 AM
  #2  
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SLK55///AMG The MONSTER on the block
Definitely excessive tire wear. Are you guilty of aggressive driving? I have the same brand tires on my Mazda6 and they aren't wearing well. I had them rebalanced with no help. The tires (new) came with a set of Mazda wheels I purchased off eBay. I'll mark this brand off my list.
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 01:15 PM
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'10 Porsche Turbo PDK, 500e, GL450
switch

tire brands ...

Michelin pilot sports or goodyear GSD3s.
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 02:32 PM
  #4  
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C63
Originally Posted by -1-
Definitely excessive tire wear. Are you guilty of aggressive driving? I have the same brand tires on my Mazda6 and they aren't wearing well. I had them rebalanced with no help. The tires (new) came with a set of Mazda wheels I purchased off eBay. I'll mark this brand off my list.

no way...its winter and im just driving it normally, barley going half throttle
under 4000rpm
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 03:03 PM
  #5  
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slk55
It is most likely the tyres , sticky but high wear but does seem excessive even so. I assume the original tyres were a different brand.
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 04:30 PM
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michelin pilot sports are absolute garbage, their quality is poor and I just had one of my internal chords snap on one of my pilot sports. They are mediocre performance at best and yet they cost the most, they are nothing more than the Gucci/Prada version of tires, all show.

If you want a REAL performance tire, the absolute best choice without a doubt is Dunlap Direzza Z1 star specs, they are literally the #1 tire on the market and a relative bargain. Kuhmo MX is a great low cost alternative, both are world better than pilot sports which are honestly a joke.

Also the biggest problem is inner tire wear on lowered cars, only way to correct this is with adjustable camber arms, they will make your tires last much longer and give you improved straight line traction. Run close to zero as you can and your tires will last very long.
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 06:51 AM
  #7  
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'05 SLK55, Obsidian, black/red, light and premium pkg., COMAND with nav, airscarf, Sirius
I have 42k miles on my car, and 12-16K miles for the rear tires is about normal in my experience. I generally don't drive the car that hard at all. It's a combination of the high torque engine and soft rubber compounds. 35 series tires are built for grip, not for high mileage. My car came with the Pirellis, which I found gave too jarring a ride and are too easily damaged by potholes. Then I went through two sets of Michelin PS2's. I liked them, but they are expensive. I found they gave a far more comfortable ride than the Pirellis and there seemed to be no handling tradeoff. Treadlife seemed to be no different than the Pirellis. I recently bought a set of Goodyear F1's because Tirerack had a great sale on them. They have an even softer ride than the Micheliins, but there is definitely a handling tradeoff IMO.
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 01:30 PM
  #8  
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shrug

Originally Posted by AMS Performance
michelin pilot sports are absolute garbage, their quality is poor and I just had one of my internal chords snap on one of my pilot sports. They are mediocre performance at best and yet they cost the most, they are nothing more than the Gucci/Prada version of tires, all show.

If you want a REAL performance tire, the absolute best choice without a doubt is Dunlap Direzza Z1 star specs, they are literally the #1 tire on the market and a relative bargain. Kuhmo MX is a great low cost alternative, both are world better than pilot sports which are honestly a joke.

Also the biggest problem is inner tire wear on lowered cars, only way to correct this is with adjustable camber arms, they will make your tires last much longer and give you improved straight line traction. Run close to zero as you can and your tires will last very long.
I've never had a complaint regarding Michelin Pilot Sports ever. I've gone thru multiple sets and the are one of the best performance tires I've used. Are they a bit more expensive? Yes but they also seemed to be one of the highest quality.

I think you need to take other things into consideration besides just tread life. Ex would be performance, noise, price etc.

Btw when I say performance tire I do not put them in the same category as R compound tires. Those I consider Ultra performance. If you want a REAL performance tire ... might I suggest Michelin pilot sport cups.
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 01:38 PM
  #9  
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you need to try Dunlap Direzza Z1s, You will never look at tires the same again, including Michelin. They beat any other tire on the market by a long shot including tread life, noise, price etc. Michelin just isn't as good as it once was. Z1 is a much better route.
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 02:09 PM
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will do

I'll try a set next time on the 19s.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 04:09 AM
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'03 clk 500. WTB slk55
if money is a problem go with the sumitomo htr zIII. they are ver very cheap best bang for buck. go to tire rack .com and read the reviews. i had a flat on the interstate today. heard a loud *** "cling" noise wen the tire went out. hope i didnt bend the rim
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 03:18 PM
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Dont' feel bad. My wife's car is just a little over 29k miles. It has already gone thru 2 sets of rear tires and 1 set in the front. Currently running BFG's g-force sport on all 4 corners. So far, so good, but can't really give an adequate evaluation since I drive it probably once every 2 months and my wife will take it out a couple or 3x a month. She says that road noise is much less with these new tires though.
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Old Apr 2, 2009 | 11:46 AM
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+1 on the sumitomos. i've had excellent results with the htrz 3 tires autox-ing other cars.

my wife's slk55 just got outfitted with those (245 front 265 rear on stock rims) and i know they will be good...

the oem pirellis on the 06 slk 55s are absolute garbage. she had 3 blisters on one of the fronts... come to think of it - never had good experience with any pirellis. expensive, non-reliable tire...

alex
few cars
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Old Apr 8, 2009 | 08:14 PM
  #14  
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2006 SLK55
Nitto Invo...great price on great tire so far....got to love or hate the design...

http://www.nittotire.com/#index%2Etire%2Einvo
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Old Apr 9, 2009 | 06:35 PM
  #15  
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From: Gulfcoast MS, Katrina town
'03 clk 500. WTB slk55
alx, those sizes actually fit on stock rims?
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Old Apr 20, 2009 | 03:14 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by phoung
alx, those sizes actually fit on stock rims?
I can answer that question for you too. Yes, those sizes will fit.
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Old Apr 20, 2009 | 06:17 PM
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'05 SLK55 AMG
+2 on the Sumitomo HRTZ III's I have 245/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rears. They are doing a great job on track(even rainy track days), autox and daily driving.

-nmslk
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Old May 11, 2009 | 12:55 PM
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We have Toyo Proxes T1R tires on our SLK55 and they have been great so far! Haven't had the car long enough to comment on tire wear though
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Old May 12, 2009 | 09:07 PM
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slk55 2005; e320 2004 sport
how is the noise level and ride quality on the sumitomos?
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Old May 30, 2009 | 02:19 PM
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Well I just ordered the sumitomo htr zII from tire rack, I'll let you know how it goes.
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Old Jun 5, 2009 | 02:09 AM
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slk55 2005; e320 2004 sport
I got my Sumitomo HRTZ III mounted (245/40/18 front and 265/35/18 rears). I'm not sure why but the steering wheel now has a lot more "play". I can move the wheel left or right a few more degrees than I could before with the stock pirellis. The initial turn-in is a lot slower and the car is not as easy to settle into a turn. Also as a warning to any upsizing to the tire sizes I have, please note the tire circumference is 3-5% longer therefore making the speedo read slower than actual and the car looses a bit of torque at the wheel.

On the plus side the rear and front grip is much better. The rear tire no longer breaks loose under strong acceleration. The ride is also better and significantly quieter.

Has anyone else noticed the initial turn-in slowness with the sumitomos?
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Old Dec 24, 2009 | 12:29 PM
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After 2000 miles on the sumi's I have to say they broke in very nicely. The steering wheel play and vagueness went away entirely with some wear on the tires. I recommend these strongly. The fronts I got were a bit big and rub very slightly on full steering turned to the left.
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