My E350 has staggered sized (wider rear) wheels, why ?

[kid-jensen]

I thought the reason for wider tyres is to control lift-off oversteer...

If a manufacturer makes a car that understeers, 99% of drivers won't notice. If they make a car that has the back-end come round on every slipery roundabout (like MGF, early MR2, early 3-Series, 911 etc) the drivers are likely to be dead before they come into the showroom to buy another one...

 

[inHen]

I have a pre-bluetec S212 sport with the Brabus D6S chip and the torque has shredded the 265/35/18 Pirelli Pzeros I had fitted back in November in less than 18k miles!

I also had a puncture not long ago and had to fit the space saver to get me to a tyre shop and I couldn't notice any difference driving conservatively in a straight line below the speed limit. Didn't want to push my luck for obvious reasons despite the overbearing traction control system.


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[Rotorhead500]

18k from a set of rears on anything reasonably pokey is pretty good I reckon.

Won't be seeing that from mine!

 

[Naraic]

I have a pre-bluetec S212 sport with the Brabus D6S chip and the torque has shredded the 265/35/18 Pirelli Pzeros I had fitted back in November in less than 18k miles!

I also had a puncture not long ago and had to fit the space saver to get me to a tyre shop and I couldn't notice any difference driving conservatively in a straight line below the speed limit. Didn't want to push my luck for obvious reasons despite the overbearing traction control system.


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Why would you notice a difference in a straight line at moderate speeds? That's a truism surely?

 

[John Laidlaw]

18k from a set of rears on anything reasonably pokey is pretty good I reckon.

Won't be seeing that from mine!

I'd be absolutely thrilled with 18k!

 

[John Laidlaw]

Why would you notice a difference in a straight line at moderate speeds? That's a truism surely?

Exactly!
Don't see the point in the comparison

 

[Frosty149]

I'm running Pirelli's on my E350 and they won't see 18k.
For me that = approx 2 years mixed driving some fun, but mostly just commutes.
Are you saying that's bad?

 

[inHen]

@Frosty149 I'm not suggesting it's bad, although I got 21k out of a set of Pzero on my Fairlady running way more power without traction control or ABS. Although since you've questioned it and you're a 350 owner I'm thinking 18k isn't bad especially since you're a W212 owner.

@John Laidlaw The original post suggested worries about running a spacesaver and I was just adding my real world anecdote ie the spare is tailored to the car and you wouldn't push your luck running a spare anyway.


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[A.J.]

Can I ask a question about a different class. I have just noticed, or at least my Grandaughter's boyfriend did, that the front wheels on my C class are 225 x 40 and the rears are 255 x 35. Why the different profile from front to rear ?. I understand about the tyre width but not why there is a different profile ?

 

[Naraic]

Can I ask a question about a different class. I have just noticed, or at least my Grandaughter's boyfriend did, that the front wheels on my C class are 225 x 40 and the rears are 255 x 35. Why the different profile from front to rear ?. I understand about the tyre width but not why there is a different profile ?

Profiles are not an absolute. They express a ratio of side wall to tyre width. Therefore, as your tyres get wider you have a lower profile ratio to maintain the same diameter front and rear. Do the maths 40% of 225mm and 35% of 255mm. The tyre walls are virtually identical at 90mm and 89.25mm respectively.

 

[A.J.]

Profiles are not an absolute. They express a ratio of side wall to tyre width. Therefore, as your tyres get wider you have a lower profile ratio to maintain the same diameter front and rear. Do the maths 40% of 225mm and 35% of 255mm. The tyre walls are virtually identical at 90mm and 89.25mm respectively.

Thanks for the explanation, they certainly look the same tyre wall depth.

 

[JBell]

18k from a set of rears on anything reasonably pokey is pretty good I reckon.

Won't be seeing that from mine!

Got 10k from my last set

 

[Rotorhead500]

Got 10k from my last set

Probably a wee bit more than I'll see from the Goodies on mine...

 

[JBell]

Probably a wee bit more than I'll see from the Goodies on mine...

I was pleasantly surprised and bearing in mind they are fairly cheap I am not bothered