So this is ancedotal

I am stock (height). and i run around at 41 front 33 rear (per the fuel cap). I have not had the inner wear that most everyone here talks about.

Yes I am on Pilot Sport 4+ M01

 

I've gone through a couple sets of fronts with abnormal wear and have been told its just due to the alignment from the factory. Apparently somebody makes a part that would fix that and I've read about it on this forum but I failed to write down details . . .

 

I'll try that PSI. Someone said 45 for front and thats where mine are now...
So your wear isnt as bad or none at all after some basic toe alignments?

 

https://f1-fabrication.myshopify.com...5a6f772c&_ss=r

 

No inner wear as of yet...

I wonder if it is due to worn ball joints on the rear control arms.

 

K Mac is another outfit that has been discussed.

I am still stock on my car but my understanding is that the alignment kits are good for the front end, but don't recall if they also help with rear camber - that's what wore out my rear tires prematurely as well,

 

looks like it . . . wonder if anybody has any experience with that . . .

 

I lowered about 20mm and tire wear was pretty bad and mostly on the inside so it wasn't apparent unless you got down and checked out the inside corner of the tires. To fix it I bought the F1 arms and had it aligned by a good alignment shop (dealer was worthless). That worked really well and for a few years tire wear was minimal. Eventually the arms started to squeak. Lube, R&R, etc - nothing would fix it. F1 was unresponsive other than "sometimes that happens". So off went the arms and back on with the OEMs. I'm now lowered about 12mm and I got another competent alignment. Tire wear is minimal. I'm now down to about 3/16ths on the rears and wear is equal and even across both tires. Fronts have a little more tread but are equal and even across both. Also - I'm running stock width/size wheels and tires. The wheels however are offset (+15mm front, +12mm rear) and that will exacerbate any alignment/wear issues.
There seems to be differences between vehicles as some have problems even at stock height and some don't. I do know a quality alignment is crucial and would suggest to get that first before going down the mods route. Stock height/wheels/tires should only require a decent alignment. They type where they give you a printout afterwards that shows all the alignment specs before and after.

Oh and another thing. My dealer would go into brain shock about any mods whatsoever. A lowered MB was considered verboten and everything and anything that could be blamed on the lowering was. It was so bad that even though I would tell them I would pay any costs (essentially no warranty coverage) on suspension work they still couldn't get it (other than criminally breaking the ride height sensor mounts). So if you do go down the mods route be advised you should check out if your particular dealer is mods adverse and if so an independent that isn't.

 

Thanks for the write up.
I never have or will go to a stealership for any reason that isn't 100% mandatory.

I will also eventually lower a touch and add spacers 12/15 spacers like you.
From the sounds of it, the front camberking control arms weren't worth it in the end? Did you get the more expensive version with the OEM bushings? Theres a thread here where the guy said, that solved squeaks.

I'm getting my PS5's installed today and I think we'll do alignment on at least toe since thats all you can do with stock.
I'll post pics of the wear pattern later today.

 

The ones I have have the OEM bushings. They look nice on a shelf in my garage.
If you're looking to lower more than about 12mm then arms like F1/Camber king may be worthwhile. As you go lower you start to run out of adjustment and then arms/offset bushings start to make sense. It is important to understand alignment doesn't have to be perfect and how you drive and the mode you're in all have an effect. If you consistently drive in sport + that lowers the suspension and added with the static drop pushes that envelope making it likely you'll need mods to control wear. If you track or are just a daily hot rod road king with your right foot always on the floor that will push the envelope too.
My experience was with A arms. There is a vendor here (from Australia) that sells offset bushings that may be an option. In the past they received complaints that the bushings would rotate (which is really bad for a offset bushing) but they now claim that has been addressed. IIRC, they claimed it wasn't a problem when it was happening. I haven't followed the threads here and elsewhere and without any personal experience I can't say if they work well or not. If you were to go that way I would strongly suggest you work with a good shop that has experience with them and can do a good alignment. Then occasionally get a alignment checkup to see if any settings are changing (indicative of bushing rotation).
The tire wear I got was pretty scary as the outside of the tire looked fine, but on the inside several layers of cord were worn through and a blowout at speed is not something that is life extending.

 

Yes, ive sleuthed the threads on here and came across the AMG RONIN poster where he hated quite strongly on the Australian vendor on here.

So yours are uninstalled?
If you want to sell them, let me know. PM me

I just looked and my fronts are fine. It's just the rear for now with the wear pattern.

I will most drive like 6k miles a year but still want to prolong life on the tires as much as possible.

 

Haven't seen Ronin on here for a while - but he is actively posting some really nice surfing related photos on IG.

I'd have to go back and reread (but I won't) but as I recall K Mac had replied and said they'd made updates to their product based on feedback received.

 

Yeah, there isn't much banter on here...
Its all RMS failure talk for any current events.

Thats the one thing I miss about the BMW platform. Bit more chatter in the afterwards phase.
But I get it. 2 different camps.

 

I told my SA to put on a set of PS5's if he can get them and do an alignment. My biggest beef with my PS4's is the noise. Please report back to us.

Thanks

 

Almost a year on my set, and man are they quieter. I drove San Jose to Long Beach today, and do not miss the PS4 drone at all.

 

I drove prob 60 or so miles today on them.

Def quieter.
Windows down+up no music, less audible hum.
Had PS4S before.

Noise really wasn't too big issue for me but its a nice plus to these.

My weirdest discovery is the car will TPMS error when we tried to do 36PSI on the rear..
Gas cap sticker says 36 is ok and wanted to try that but the error stayed on the dash until we filled to 42

Im running 47 cold up front and around 42 rear.
It took them a bit to get the rears on the wheel since its a pretty wide tire
Sidewall is nice and tall.
Videos of velvet sidewall are color graded and unfortunately nicer than reality. Its there... but I was expecting that nice cup2 very black sidewall effect.

I also got aligned and will post specs

 

WITH COST CUTTING AND EVER INCREASING SPEED OF OEM ASSEMBLY LINES - discovering that the often quoted reassuring “Full Front & Rear ‘4’ Wheel Alignment” - is now only basic TOE “directional adjustment !

We have therefore taken on the role of manufacturing “BOLT-ON” front Camber and Caster along with Rear Camber adjuster kits.

And yes we’re not sitting on our hands - its all about constant / ongoing development (same as the new car industry) - anything and everything can be improved.

Looking back over the last few years - kits to suit Mercedes Benz - now virtually every model Front and Rear 1968 to 2025.

Improvements have been across the range - Bushings, Strut and A arm adjuster kits including fail safe lock systems for bushings where it is impossible for mounts to inadvertently loosen. Plus now all installations - without the need for “special tools” or “time consuming’ control arm removal !

While Heavy V8 competition racing is where we fast track prove re strength and reliability.

Welded / Fabricated front upper A arms we do not manufacture not only because of security / warranty issues - but also are difficult to access to adjust and if wanting to resolve costly premature inner edge tire wear - Reduces important clearance top of tire to outer fender !

While our lower arm bushes - not only replace the 4 Front and Rear highest wearing bushes but also provide “easily accessible - single wrench” precise adjustment. Ultimate - direct on alignment rack UNDER LOAD. Plus added bonus of significantly improving brake and steering response.

AMG owners track days wanting to significantly reduce understeer can easily dial in “extra” negative Camber in the pursuit of hitting these corner apexes every time and allowing to go deeper into the corners with increased traction and braking response in the pursuit of front row of the grid lap times.

See Spoiler re W204 Models - A TOTAL SYSTEM. Similar range of kits manufacture (Front and Rear) for other models Front kits (both sides) starting from $345 (less then the cost of one quality tire).




AUDI to VOLVO - K-MAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings (and Costs) Since 1964 !

 

If you change the pressure, like to 36 rear, you have to reset the TPMS to make the new settings the new normal.

 

So I'm honestly curious. A stock wagon looks great. You can drive pretty much any car way faster on the road than one should, assuming you are in possession of good driving skills (aka, professional lessons, track time). A higher performance car with top-tier tires? You can definitely drive faster than even a stretched prudence would suggest. Just to calibrate... you know those suggested cornering speed signs? Double that for a reasonable limit.

A stock E63s will lower 0.6" in Comfort mode (above 80 mph) and always (I think) in the Sport modes. So what is the point of further lowering the car? It's like boosting the engine because 600 hp+ isn't enough and then complaining when the head gasket or piston goes off. For a look that hardly anyone will notice, why increase the chance of suspension or tire problems?

A track machine? Absolutely. Go to town since tenths matter, but I'm missing the purpose for a road machine.

Am I too "get off my lawn"?

 

My PS5S tires are noticeably quieter than the PS4S tires.

Dealer always sends the car back with all tires set to 41 psi and I have to lower the rears back down to 33 psi. Haven't gotten around to that yet but not TPMS errors thrown.

 

One could also ask why anyone would need 600+hp? It isn't needed and for a street driven car can rarely be fully used. The answer is "because".

 

Stock - Comfort
Only a little toe can be altered with stock components as discussed on here.
I don't know complete history of previous owners tire buying decisions but I had 4 PS4S but 2 were from 2021 while the others 2022.
Only passengers rear was showing cord. Other three had somewhat normal wear.

We will see how these new PS5 hold up now.

 

Just had these tires installed on my 2020 E63. So far I really like them. Definitely quieter than the PS 4 Michelin

 

 

HI All,
I recently had the Michelin Pilot Sport S5's M01 installed on my E63S. I went with stock sizes 265-35/20 front and 295-30/20 in the rear. I noticed the rear side profile of the tire is much more square than the front. The Pilot 4S did not look like that. I'm curious if this is normal? I attached a pic, the rear tire is the first photo. Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks,
J.