Rear tires wearing out FAST! AAAAAAAAAH! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

aTOMic · #1 05-24-2002, 09:07 AM

So my lovely new Dunlops are down to the wear bars after only 16,000 miles. The wear is nice and even across the width. I did a search and I guess I need a better alignment. The dealer did it the last time, though. Sheesh! Of course I will reason with them to buy me new tires but I can't expect much. At least they can't accuse me of doing burnouts since the traction control prevents it.

The fronts are wearing nice and even and are down to about 6/32". (new is 8/32").

I don't rotate tires, hold your flames - unless you are an automotive engineer I do not want to hear it. If I have a car that wears fronts rounder (the corners of the tires) then I rotate, but tires should wear evenly nowadays (unless your car has a really bad weight distribution or you are prone to spinning the rears), so there.

-Tom

Lou Nielsen · #2 05-24-2002, 09:23 AM

Make sure that the rear toe is within spec. This will cause even but rapid wear.

#3 05-24-2002, 09:53 AM

aTOMic,

Exactly which Dunlop's do you have?

Have a great day,

jsmith · #4 05-24-2002, 10:43 AM

the newer, softer compound dunlops do wear faster. the sp 5000's, for example, will barely get you 30k from what i hear, but that's if you rotate them. tires on the driven wheels will always wear out a lot faster so i guess your tire wear is just about normal if you insist on not rotating them.

aTOMic · #5 05-24-2002, 11:16 AM

Larry,
D60A2 P225/50-16 $96 Each from NTB on a price match - Sears had them on sale. (Sears and NTB are business partners anyway but I prefer to take the car to NTB).

I have the same size SP 5000 Dunlops on my Passat and I like them better; I forgot how much they were. The SP 5000s suck in snow, though, that's why I tried the D60A2 they are touted as all season. Haven't tried them in snow yet, though. Wait, yes we did, but not enough to give an informed opinion. Not much use on ice, I can say that (I know I need SNOW tires for snow/ice).

Jsmith - I have at least 25,000 on my SP5000s and they have 5/32" all around (w/no rotation). I am RELIEVED after just measuring the tread that they will last about 25k more miles. And the Passat WILL spin the tires and "get second", too ( Got the 1.8 turbo with a chip

.

Thanks Lou I will have them check it. Can I measure this accurately myself I wonder?

-Tom

#6 05-24-2002, 11:47 AM

just to let you know my experience - I put Pirelli P3000 on my car, its been 21K miles, not even half worn. I rotate every 7-8K. They have very good snow traction too, for all seasons. And quite inexpensive - 81 bucks installed, with warranties etc. Car is 190E 2.3

aTOMic · #7 05-24-2002, 12:56 PM

Agupta,
I checked Tire Rack and I can't find P3000 in my size (or even any size). Are you sure this is the right tire number? What size are yours?

-Tom

P.S. Sorry, I guess I should've posted this in the WHEEL/TIRE forum - DOH!

#8 05-24-2002, 01:03 PM

Tirerack doesn't have it (for some strange reason). Mine were stock 185/65/R15. They are called P3000 Cinturato (do a search on the web and you'll find this tire). Got them at Meullers. Theyh are relatively newer in the Pirelli line-up - I got them 18 months ago. very good wet traction, 620 treadwear rating, 85K mile warranty - I doubt if they'll go till 85K! but I hope to get at least 50K out of it, with some tread remaining - I don't let my tires go totally bald - change them when they have 5-6K remaining. CHeap insurance against skidding. One of my friends bought is for his Honda - is happy after about 8K on it. And no, I don't work for Pirelli - am just letting you know my experience, if it helps!!!!

#9 05-24-2002, 01:04 PM

BTW, my previous tires - Michelin MX4 - went nearly bald in 30K.

jsmith · #10 05-24-2002, 03:13 PM

SP5000's are about double the price of D60 A2's and according to Luke at Tirerack, it's their top rated all season performance tire. It is actually rated M+S and supposedly has good traction in snow. I've had the D60 A2's and they are ok in the wet & snow but not in the same class as the SP5000's. If you are going to get more than 30k on your SP5's, that's the first set I've heard of so far to do so. BTW I had a Passat too (V6) and never rotated my tires after 10k and got to 35k no problem. For some reason that car isn't hard on the driven wheel's tires.

I always ran into quality issues with Pirelli's. The sidewalls crack after some time and I don't know if they ever fixed that problem. They used to be the premier performance tires but other manufacturers have caught up.

royaiii · #11 05-24-2002, 03:15 PM

I have a 97 e320 w/ same Michelin MXV4 tires. I have about 38k and I still have considerable tread left. Probably, you are accelerating to aggressivlely. Like me you probably have ETS and it disengages after 25 MPH thus you could still be squeling your tires, unnecesarily. Keep your foot of the gas and you will be enjoy longer tread life.

#12 05-24-2002, 11:19 PM

Don't ever cross rotate. I personally have had the worst experience with that. My tires turned into footballs. The dealer said it was because I cross rotated them and the belts got warped out of wack.

chowpit · #13 05-24-2002, 11:34 PM

Since you refuse to rotate your tires I would suggest that you stay off the hammer. Even wear across both rear tires indicates that your alignment is correct. If the alignment was off you would have an unusual wear pattern, e.g. less tread on the inside tread than outside. You just burnt the rubber off. Even with traction control the rear tires will still "scrub" on the road surface under hard accleration causing shortened tread life. That's why people who do a lot of in city driving tend to wear the outside edges of thier front tires more.

FWIW I cross rotate every other service. Never had a problem.

JDUB · #14 05-25-2002, 12:10 AM

Bought Goodyears at Sams Club, $280 complete, mounting, balancing etc. Have 30K on the and the are in excellent shape and perform great( Thr tread still looks new). Had BF goodrich and want bald at 34K.