uneven tire wear in rear

[markcigal]

Greetings members. I am hoping someone will be able to help me out with this annoying problem. I have a 2013 C300 4matic. Two years ago I installed new tires on the rear (General all season) after only 6,000 miles, they became cupped and were making lots of noise. I replaced them with Michelin tires (original equipment) and after only 8,000 miles the same thing is happening. I have a four wheel alignment done every year by the dealer, monitor the pressures regularly and keep them balanced. I love this car, but this is driving me crazy ! The constant noise really takes away the enjoyment of driving this car. I just turned up 100,000 miles and it has NOT always been like this. Help please

[Sugar Bear]

Talk to the person that does the alignment before they work on it. Consider installing aftermarket adjustable arms so the camber can be dialed in.

I've recently gone away from staggered wheels/tires and to non-directional rubber on my W211 and am much happier. There is very little visual difference, it handles well and no longer eats tires as they can be fully rotated.

Good luck!!!

[nelbur]

Cupping sounds like a worn out shock problem. I had a inside wear problem on my E 300 D and solved it by replacing the rear shocks. I believe the Mercedes have rear suspensions that are sensitive to shocks.

[markcigal]

Sugar bear. I like your solution and have considered it. The dealer discouraged me from going all the same size tires. He claimed the sport suspension was designed to have staggered sizes. I wanted to buy two wheels the same size as the front and put one size tire on all four corners. Is that how you did it ?

[Sugar Bear]

Yes replaced the rear wheels with front wheels. There may be some downside but I'm content with the outcome.

Good luck!!!

[RobertFini]

I agree with nelbur - cupping is not generally an alignment problem, and a bad camber setting would show up as excessive wear evenly spread around the inside (or outside) edge of the tread. Since the car hasn't always been this way, I suggest you look for worn or broken suspension or steering parts, although one would expect the dealer's alignment tech to do this as a matter of course.

It's my understanding that there is no adjustment for camber in the stock suspension on these more modern cars. When I fitted 40mm lowering springs (Vogtland Sport kit) on my '06 E320CDI (W211), the wheels were visibly tilted in at the top and quickly wore the inner edges of the tread down to the cords on all four corners, but it was an even wear across the face of the tread with no cupping and no excessive noise.

I solved my problem by fitting a trick set of lower control arm bushings from K-MAC in Australia that allowed for plenty of camber adjustment; with the improved stance, lower center of gravity and stiffer shocks (Bilstein B8), she corners like she's on rails and the tires have worn evenly across the tread with amazing tire longevity.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Best Regards,
Rob

[Sugar Bear]

Markcigal, Could you post a picture of the tire wear? X2 all components must be checked for wear before the alignment. Adjustable aftermarket arms are available to allow camber adjustments if needed.

In addition to regular rotation, mine were dismounted half way through the life of the tire and re-mounted so the wear was toward the outside. So far so good.

Good luck!!!

[markcigal]

I tried taking a picture of the wear, but it doesn't really show up well in the picture. I have an appointment with the dealership and will give them a chance to diagnose the problem. I'll keep y'all informed as to the outcome. Stay tuned...........