I have a 2004 C320 Sport, I bought the car new and it came with service included, at my first 12 month service i noticed that even though I had my tires rotated at 6,000 miles they were now really wore down with only 10,000 on them. I asked at the dealer why the tread had gone so quickly and they said I should expect to replace them every 7,000 miles on this car. The tires were Michelins and as I had the same ones on my previous car a BMW 330 I asked why they lasted 28,000 miles, i was told that this car was built for better performance and Mercedes is a little heavier but a better ride. While I do not want to get into a debate between the 2 models, I love both cars for different reasons, I still find it hard to believe that Mercedes expects only 7,000 miles out of the tires. Is this true???

 

I think the dealer is underestimate the life of the tire, IMHO 20K, is a reasonable amount of mileage, 20K is not acceptable. The C280 suspension geometry is different then the standard C280, step for sports handling, the camber, and caster settings are diiferent, but in your case I think a 4wheel alignment is in order, even with the tigher & lower suspension, bigger wheels, lower profile tires you should do better then 10K. Unless you are hard driver and take every sweeping exit off the highway at 100KPH and drive it as if it were a sport car, which it is not it a sport model, not a sport car. But insist on a four wheel alignment and don't take the dealers word on the 7K business.

I have a 99 C280, and I changed tires tires at 40K. But the standard model has 15inch wheels and a driving car suspension. The only really difference I found between the two, is the springs are about a inch lower on your car. Couldn't find anything on the alignment thou?

 

I have a 2006 C230 Sport Model and was told I couldn't rotate the tires on the car because the front and rear tires are different sizes. The sales person told me that the tires would have to be replaced at around 20,000 miles. I don't understand why your dealer rotated the sport tires on your car.

 

Amy you must have staggered tires on your car, either that or directionals which can only go back to front on same side meaning that you would then have larger front tires and smaller rear ones, That is my thought on why you couldnt change.
And yea unless you are driving it like you stole it they should last at least 30,000km,
Although i drive my car like its stolen and managed to wear a set of tires in 10,000km 225/18"
yea i know, im bad.... haha jks

 

I agree with C280, I got 40K on Conti Contacts, and I'm the a real aggressive drive, but 20K? Check your owners manual also and see what the recommend tire sizes are also look athe the tires, If anything, there might be a wider tire on the rear? I have directtional. Also, I'm not big on tire rotation, I read pro's and con's about each method. So my personal choice is not to rotate. Also, when it comes to buying tires I always replace all four.

One other thing when I replaced the conti with new conti, 11K plus miles have passed and none of the tires show any wear.

 

High perfomance tires wear out relatively quick. The higher the rated performance, the quicker they will wear. Your Sport model has high performance tires. Manufacturers won't even make mileage claims on Z-rated and other high performance tires. I got 9K miles out of a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. They are extreme high performance dry road summer tires and you'd have to haul your car on a trailer to go 20K miles with them.

Tire life also depends on where you drive. City driving is generally harder on tires than highway driving. Carving around curvy mountain roads is surely harder on tires than highway or city driving. Although spirited driving will certainly wear out tires quicker, so will "normal" driving if you brake unusually hard. I now a couple of people who almost always charge up to stop signs and red lights then have to stand on the brake pedal, or they keep their car rocking furiously to and fro during rush hour by goosing the gas pedal then ramming the brake pedal over and over. Tires have to hate that.

Still, I'd get the alignment checked. You need all things in your favor to get the most mileage out of a tire. Check the air pressure often. Check wheel balance when you rotate. Check alignment if you get unusual wear.

 

Thanks. I think driving it like you stole it is the only way. I think they drive better at faster speeds. I finally got my new car up to 110mph the other night. I loved it and had so much fun. I went from a BMW to the MB it has taken some getting used to. The more I drive it the more I love it.

 

I drive my H rated Conti contacts on I90 at 100 mph everyday, so what's the big deal, and they now have no visible wear after turning 12K miles on this set. The previous H conti lasted 40K at the same driving habits.

 

my question is which radar detector you guys use while driving 100 mph? Does it really protect you from the cops?

 

V1, and yea it makes me INVINCIBLE
id hate to see you have to stop tho with those **** tires there wizard