sincos

I have a 2002 E430 4Matic that came with Pirelli P7000 235/45ZR17 tires. I knew from previous experience that Pirelli's would be noisy, but I didn't expect tire failures. 15 months, and about 25,000 miles after delivery, I hit a pothole and lost the right front tire (and rim). 3 weeks later, left front tire blows out through sidewall at 75 MPH (car handled well, but changing tire at night on interstate in middle of nowhere with trucks passing by 3 feet away is not my idea of fun)! A month or so later, I noticed a slow leak in the left rear tire (about 10 PSI per week). I put up with that for a couple months until yesterday I found a bubble in the sidewall on the (6 month old) left front tire. By this time (33,000 miles), the tires were singing louder than the stereo, and so I threw in the towel, and threw out the Pirelli's. I've now put on a set of Toyo FZ4's (same size) that seem much quieter (but I've only had them one day). Anyone have similar experiences? When I asked the dealer about the tire failures, he said that MB should never put this low profile tire on cars sold in the northeast US. So I asked him for another tire/wheel combo, and he said there weren't any! So, the options seem to be to be prepared to buy a lot of tires, or sell my car!

Mercedes Tuner

I know many people who have been experiencing the same problems.

I don't know if its a Tire Construction issue, if its an Alignment issue, or possibly even an uninformed Customer issue

Recently there seems to have been an increse in problems with the 430's running 235/45 17's. Most of the tire issues have been with either the Pirelli P7000 and the Goodyear Eagle F1.

Either the tires wear unevenly, become very loud after time, or get road damage.

I have also seen an increase in many damaged and bent wheels from these cars also.

mmgrad

Well, any new tire will of course be quieter.... 2 things to keep note of.... Pirelli tires have a tendancy to get very loud as the tread wears out... and, its quite common that when you hit a pothole fairly hard... say goodbye to the tire. theres a very good change that hit will cause a bubble...

bamberger_1

Hi,
I would never run tires over 33.000 miles on a high performance car like E430 4matic.
My optinon is, that tires are the life insurance for you, in a anyhow dangerous driving environment. Considering the cost of a set of new tires after a reasonable milage (say 20-25kmls) is well worth it, compared with the loss of health or life for you, your familiy and maybe others drawn into an accident, because of a tire failure.

Luke@tirerack

the Pirelli P7000 and the Goodyear F1 are noisy tires ...... it has nothing to do with the car, size, alignment, geographic location or the driver .... they are flat out noisy .... as far as MB should never put low profile tires on a car in the Northeast and no other options are available = BS I can even get you a 16" wheel and tire combo for you car ...... and Entry level Toyos will soon be as noisy as the P7000's you took off the car

sincos

Thanks for all of the comments! A couple of observations. The Pirelli's were noisy from day one. I remember driving it home from the dealer, hearing the noise and observing the tire, and thinking, "Oh s..t, not Pirelli's again!" I didn't replace them earlier because the tread was not worn out (I tend to drive conservatively, and always under 100 MPH, except when visiting Deutchland). Experience with the Toyo's to date (1000 miles including some heavy rain) is excellent. Very smooth, lots of traction. I can hear my stereo again. In fact, it's even a pleasure to drive the car with no music!

sincos

Luke: The dealer muttered something about large brake calipers when saying they didn't offer any other wheel/tire combo. Are there any combinations that would support a higher-profile tire, and not throw off the speedometer or traction controls? Since I drive the car year-round, good snow performance would also be a plus.

E430_4MATIC

I too have a 2000 E430 4matic and am unhappy with the tire/wheel combination. I think it was a big mistake by MB to put the lower profile tires on the basic E430. It should have been left for the Sport Package.

Sincos, the 1998 and 1999 E430's had 215/55R16 tires, with 235/45R17's for the Sport Package. You might want to check with your dealer and see if they'll work. I drove a 1999 and found it FAR preferable.

Paul
Boston, MA