bzliteyear

Hi all,

what do you guys recommend for front and rear tire pressure?

i'm running yokohama AVS DB's that came from the previous owner and they're only about 7k miles old.

Surprisingly the treads look great on outside/inside tread, but I just realized today while looking carefully that the middle of the tread is almost bald. I recall about 2k miles ago it was under inflated and only in the low 20's psi, so i filled it up at the gas station to what it says inside the gas cap. the car's been driving great, but holy cow - the center is bald while the inside and outside treads both still look near new.

p.s. i just checked the front and they look like they're wearing evenly.

xlr8tin

Hmmmm...I always thought that was due to over inflation.

bzliteyear

yes, i think i over inflated it.
there are two #'s that are on the car - one in door frame, and the other inside the gas cap. i went w/ the higher in the gas cap and pumped it up to the mid to hi-40's psi. obviously, i over inflated it. my question is what's everyone else using to get the best best driving and even tread wear.
thx.

ProV1

on my E55, the passenger side rear tires wears a lot faster than the other side's.

Ben

Used to have an '01 E55 with Pilot Sport tires @ 41 psi all-around and had the same problem. So, I dropped it to 38 psi and the tread wear seemed to be more even.

harkgar

I think it has more to do with your driving style than the brand of tire. My sold E55 had rear tires like slicks after 20,000 miles. Expensive to replace those fat rubbers.

zoink

I put 36 all around.... but my car has negative chambers.... so the inner tread is out a lot faster...

ruBENZ

Take another look at the psi specs on the fuel door. The correct psi is 33 rear; 32 front.

Fast55

No, the correct pressure is that which provides even wear. Excess wear in the middle = too much pressure. The factory numbers don't make sense since the front is heavier than the rear. Less weight requires less pressure. In my W210, I ran about 34-35 front and 30-32 rear. The Pilot Sports seemed to like that best.

Dsmed

The front should be set lower that the rear. Like you said the front is heavier, which means the pressure will raise with temp. If you check pressures after getting of the expressway the front will be even with the rear or slightly higher.

I'm pretty shure that MB engineers know what they are doing when the set tires specs.

xlr8tin

All posts seem to be real close to the same. We all know that over 41 psi is too much. So I would think it's safe to say that from 32-38 is good. Personally 36-38 is better.

Fast55

The factory nombers are based on worst case at max. load. That's why they also give different pressures for different maximum sustained speeds. In that case, the rear will be carrying the most weight and could use the higher pressure. They are not based on an empty (only driver) car. You do what you want, I'll do what works.

Dsmed

I don't know if you noticed but the lower pressure setting on the fuel door is for light loads and the second set of numbers is for max load. I've been running the lower numbers for over 30,000miles on my set of tires and I got about another 8-10k left on them.

You do what you want with your car, but don't give out wrong advice to others. I have never seen a rear wheel drive vehicle with tire pressure specs higher in the front and lower in the rear.

ruBENZ

Fast55

Gee, wrong advice? How far off are the numbers I suggest? I guess what actually worked on my car doesn't make sense? How many years have you guys had your cars? How many miles do you have under your belt? Newbies need to take advice from those with more experience than what the book or gas tank door tells them. Probably my car would like a touch less pressure in the rear due to forced induction and lots of torque plus always being empty of passengers and/or cargo, but hey, I could just have a bad tire pressure gauge, right?
The point is, if the numbers you run are causing a lot wear in the middle, the tire fits the wheel, and the balance/alignment are OK, the pressure is too high.

Dsmed

I guess working on these and owning them for the last eight years makes me a newbie to them. I got more experience with these cars than you think. But lets not get into that, I think that the thread is a bit of topic at allready.

ruBENZ

Fast55 My point is not to disagree with you are saying, but in how you are saying it. "..I'll do what works." may have been better received with "...I'll do what works for me". With that said, what works for you is fine with me. However, what works for you does not work for me. There are other factors to consider: tire brand, tire size, and tire composition to name a few. I will admit that factory psi specs from most manufactures are generally at least 1 lb low. Nonetheless, a fairly decent starting point. In my case, factory specs are wearing evenly. Go figure. Finally, do not let the "newbie" status fool you. I have been on a number of vehicle forums (including other MBZ forums) where I have offered thousands of posts. Oddly enough, wheels (tires and rims) have been my forte. In all, what I would like to state is that your point(s) (and former posts) is greatly appreciated. But, in my case, and particularly in this case, your attitude is not. Come on man, it's a friggin' forum.

Fast55

OK guys, but you have made my point. I'm on my fifth MB, third AMG, third E, and have owned over 30 cars/trucks. I stand by my assertion that the correct pressure is the one that gives even tire wear. On stock 18X9's niether Continentals nor Michelins wore evenly at anything above 32, maybe 33 PSI cold on my last car, an '02 E55 (sold at 55K miles). The poster wanted to know what's causing center wear. From the symptoms, and again assuming that all else is well, lowering the air pressure he's running will solve the problem. That works for all cars.

aolsen

Today I noticed that my right rear tire is bald in the middle...the fronts are fine...glad I found this thread...

SleepersRock

Mine wear pretty even at 40PSI, plus the gas mileage is SIGNIFICNATLY increased at that pressure all around vs. 35-38PSI.