How many miles between tyre changes?

[CaptMike]

Hello folks,

this is my first posting.

I have just bought a 2004 C220 diesel estate with 40000 miles on the clock. It has just had it's tyres replaced. The tyres are Pirelli pzero rosso. Can anyone give me an indication of when I can expect to have to change the tyres in mileage terms? I think the rears may wear faster than the fronts. Also, are there any makes of tyres that are correct for the car and which are better on mileage?

Cheers
CaptMike

 

[Rory]

Welcome.

I would guess that your car may well be on its 3rd set of tyres.

I have a late 2004 C270CDi estate which is really only used for motorway cruising. It has the Avantgarde staggered set up with wider tyres on the back so I can't rotate them to even out the wear.

The car came with Bridgestone tyres and the backs were changed at about 18K miles. The fronts are still original at 32K, but they need changing really.

Most people seem to think Michelin Primacy HP's are about as long lasting as you can get, and I put those on the rear of my car. They look like they should be good for around 30K or so.

 

[CaptMike]

Tyre mileage

Hello Rory,

many thanks for your helpful reply. My C220 is an avantgarde like yours so I can't rotate the tyres either. I shall look out for the michelins when the time comes.

CaptMike

 

[whitenemesis]

Looks like I'm getting towards 25k between changes. Mine are also staggered set-up so no rotation. That said wear seems very equal fron to rear. I had to change all for last time.
I run Pilot Primacys (MO) with no complaints and will get them again

 

[carabind]

Michelins anecdotally offer the slowest wearing tyres. I have 33K on the clock and am on orginal set of HPs , though will change these somewhere betwee 36-40k, having beeen able to rotate them. They do cost more, but offer best value as they will last longer. They also give a quiet ride a good grip .Try www.blackcircles.com , they seem to have very keen prices

 

[FIBAMAN]

Your tyre wear will be affected by your driving style, loading and also whether you are driving mainly in town or moterways.
My C180 was always loaded up and did mainly long runs with a couple of days aweek town work, running on Pirelli P6000s, I got around 32,000 miles a year but were never on the limits when I changed.

 

[television]

Yes as above by FIBAMAN it does depend on where you live and how you drive

 

[CaptMike]

Tyre mileage

Hello folks,

thanks very much for all your replies to my question. It's very useful to know when to start to take a real interest in the state of my tyres I always think.

Thanks to all

CaptMike

 

[philharve]

Hi All

I switched to Toyo Proxes early on in my Mercedes ownership at the suggestion of my friendly, neighbourhood tyre & battery shop. All 4 tyres were replaced at the same time about 2.5 years ago. The rears are now due for replacement at 22kmiles. The fronts might struggle on to 25 -30kmiles.

I am not an agressive driver but neither am I particularly slow. Consequently, I feel I have had good wear out of my current set of Proxes and at around GBP75.00 per corner to replace they are not that expensive.

My previous car, a Toyota Celica, would have had two new sets of tyres on the front for each set on the rear. The fronts were good for 12 - 16kmiles; front wheel drive. By comparison the front and rears of the Mercedes are wearing almost the same with a slight heavier bias on the rears, but that is to be expected in a powerful rear wheel drive vehicle.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[moosehead]

Rears - I managed 15K from the original Sport Contact 2s and 12.5K from the replacement Kumho KU19s. I'm now trying KU31s which apparently are a harder wearing tyre.

Fronts - 26K from Sport Contact 2s. Replaced with KU31s

Most of my driving is on the motorway and 'C' mode. My indy (ex MB) informs me that the 7G gearboxes seem to be heavier on rear tyres for some reason.

 

[CaptMike]

Thank you all once again for the info.
CaptMike

 

[Blobcat]

Rears - I managed 15K from the original Sport Contact 2s and 12.5K from the replacement Kumho KU19s. I'm now trying KU31s which apparently are a harder wearing tyre.

Fronts - 26K from Sport Contact 2s. Replaced with KU31s

Most of my driving is on the motorway and 'C' mode. My indy (ex MB) informs me that the 7G gearboxes seem to be heavier on rear tyres for some reason.

Not sure on that, I'm on ~26K miles and the tyres are close to replacement. On my previous E320CDI 20-24K miles for tyres. I could have made these last quite a bit longer however I have been having too much fun.

 

[ColinAG]

Tyre Wear

Blimey, how come you are all getting so many miles out of tyres? I reckon on 15k at best. Fronts wear quickest but that is because I have a 3 point turn to park my car.Its an 03, 220 CdI avantgarde SE with 60k on the clock now and I am not a 'boy racer' etc. Had michelins, put Toyos on and then Michelins now new Continentals all around last week. How come you all get cheap tyres £572 for the set...and still havent sourced a cheap set of wheels I can get snow chains on....
Colin

 

[Blobcat]

Blimey, how come you are all getting so many miles out of tyres? I reckon on 15k at best. Fronts wear quickest but that is because I have a 3 point turn to park my car.Its an 03, 220 CdI avantgarde SE with 60k on the clock now and I am not a 'boy racer' etc. Had michelins, put Toyos on and then Michelins now new Continentals all around last week. How come you all get cheap tyres £572 for the set...and still havent sourced a cheap set of wheels I can get snow chains on....
Colin

I hope the car is moving whilst you turn the wheels for your 3 pointer, if not the strain on the tyres and steering is huge. Try turning the wheel with the engine off if you want to test the force needed.

 

[grpar]

On Conti Sport Contact 2's I was getting 16k at the front and 13k at the rear. I was sick of the harsh ride though as the roads in west London where I live are a succession of potholes loosely connected by some occasional tarmac. (Thank you Hounslow Borough Council for your executive management of the Highyways and Byways).

Have switched onto Michelin Pilot Exalto 2's recently, which are certainly bouncier and more forgiving, with a trade-off that if you give it some hoof round a sharp bend then there is a noticeable (and I mean noticeable) understeer. I may just have to go back to the Conti's in what will hopefully be more than 16k miles this time. Harsh they were, but they at least cornered on rails.

 

[ribby]

E320 CDI ('01)
Typically get 30-35,000 on the front, and 35-40,000 on the back.

Goodyear NCT's (as per orig fitment)

Mostly Motorway miles.

 

[philharve]

I replaced all 4 of my tyres last week and switched from Toyo Proxes T1-R to CF-1 upon the advice of my local Tyre & Battery retailer. I paid less than GBP280.00 for the set, balanced and fitted.

The CF-1 has a lower speed rating than the TR-1 but still above the theoretical top speed of my C230K. The one big difference is the tread pattern, the TR-1 is symmetric whereas the CF-1 is asymmetric.

The difference in 'feel' of the new tyre is quite dramatic and the handling is very sharp, possibly sharper than the TR-1. Wet weather performance is excellent and, like their higher-rated cousin, is near silent on most road surfaces.

I eventually managed 26K (rears) with the TR-1 but the fronts could have soldiered onto 30k+ miles.

The rears looked like racing slicks when they were renewed but they gave excellent service right up until their replacement. I renewed all 4 tyres because of the difference in tread patterns, I wanted all 4 tyres the same. I have no experience of mixing symmetric with asymmetric and I wasn't keen to find out given the change in British weather.

I am constantly amazed at how much other members are willing to spend on tyres only to realise they are worn out in little more than a year-and-half, assuming 10k miles per annun. I would probably baulk at the prospect of paying much over GBP300.00 for a set of tyres on a family saloon, yet many members seem to be prepared to spend considerably more. Are the price ranges of tyres across the UK that great or are the tyre retailers cashing in on the higher wealth of residents living in and around the capitol and other large conerbations?

Tyre maintenance is a hot topic with me and I will do all reasonably possible to maximise their life. If I can achieve over 20k miles per set, about 2 years, I'm happy.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[television]

Well my SL is now up to 25k miles now and I have just replaced them with the same Pirelli Roso's from http://www.tyrexpress.com/index.aspx

They are huge things on mine 285 x 35 x 18" W rated and at £163 that was a good price.

Interesting that these things do need to be run in, trying to overtake a bus on a hill just after fitting them the rear wheels just spun.

 

[philharve]

Well my SL is now up to 25k miles now and I have just replaced them with the same Pirelli Roso's from http://www.tyrexpress.com/index.aspx

They are huge things on mine 285 x 35 x 18" W rated and at £163 that was a good price.

Interesting that these things do need to be run in, trying to overtake a bus on a hill just after fitting them the rear wheels just spun.

Hi Malcolm

I downloaded a tyre maintenance guide from The Tire Rack last week and it mentions that new tyres have to be 'run in'. It states that the mould into which the rubber is injected to form the tread layer of the tyre is first coated with an oil to aid in the release of the tyre from the mould. It's exactly the same principle as buttering a dish to help the release of a cake. Apparently the oil is absorbed into the outer surface of the tyre and this is what makes it slippery. It takes around 500 miles of wear to remove the outer surface of the tyre that contains the trapped oil. The tyre is then considered 'run in'.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[philharve]

The Tire Rack Technical Compendium

Hi All

I have noticed an increase in the number of threads concerning tyres: makes, types, selection, characteristics, pricing, etc.

I thought members might be interested in this huge compendium of tyre information. The source is The 'Tire Rack'.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp

REGARDS

Phil