Tyres on front wearing on edge and scrubbing on full lock

[Rodders]

Hi I have a MP camper that is just coming out of warranty and done 25k miles. The front tyres wear badly on the outside and the wheels scrub when on full lock on tight manoeuvres. I took it took main dealers and was told that the vehicles scrubs on full lock due to the placement of steering being moved to the right side and not original European side. They will not check the tracking under warranty and will charge £90 to do this. Can anyone help if this is correct and if not what have you done to get this resolved

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Hi I have a MP camper that is just coming out of warranty and done 25k miles. The front tyres wear badly on the outside and the wheels scrub when on full lock on tight manoeuvres. I took it took main dealers and was told that the vehicles scrubs on full lock due to the placement of steering being moved to the right side and not original European side. They will not check the tracking under warranty and will charge £90 to do this. Can anyone help if this is correct and if not what have you done to get this resolved

Hi Rodders, that's a tough one.
Not what you want to hear but I doubt wheel tracking is covered as a warranty issue given that a driver can "knock" the tracking out of alignment by bumping up kerbs or hitting pot holes at speed etc. I cannot be 100% sure of this, only MB can confirm what is or is not covered by their vehicle warranty.
As for tyre wear can I ask what sort of mileage you have achieved from your set of fronts? Are these the original fitment tyres or have you had a replacement set since new? If these are the originals then maybe 25k miles is a reasonable amount of mileage and just coming to end of life.
Not sure what you mean about scrubbing at full lock or what the dealer is talking about regarding L/H R/H drive set up.
The MP is rear wheel drive and as such the steering lock is very tight for such a big vehicle (which is a massive bonus for me). I agree that on full lock the wheels tend to push rather than rotate, but I has assumed that this is normal on such a tight turning angle.

 

[Andy B]

Hi - I have a 2017 MP. I got approx 19,000 miles out of my front tyres. The wheel scrubbing on full lock is a common issue. I spoke to an ex MB tyre mechanic at my local tyre service company and he confirmed it. His suggestion was to try and avoid low speed manoeuvres on full lock !


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[Grand Tourismo]

His suggestion was to try and avoid low speed manoeuvres on full lock !


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Indeed!! much better doing high speed manoeuvres on full lock, London cabby style!

 

[Andy B]

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[Samebutdifferent]

A few years ago my wife had a C class estate, she traveled many miles for work. The front tyres wore unevenly becoming illegal on one side whilst still having plenty on the other. Every 4 months she had to have a new pair, even after a having the geometry set by a guy experienced in race car set ups.

The cure was quite accidental in that the original Continental tyres she had fitted were slightly more expensive than a pair of Michelins, so she had those fitted and no more uneven wear. Go figure

 

[Epigram]

Hi I have a MP camper that is just coming out of warranty and done 25k miles. The front tyres wear badly on the outside and the wheels scrub when on full lock on tight manoeuvres. I took it took main dealers and was told that the vehicles scrubs on full lock due to the placement of steering being moved to the right side and not original European side. They will not check the tracking under warranty and will charge £90 to do this. Can anyone help if this is correct and if not what have you done to get this resolved

Surely the steering geometry (castor, camber, toe in angles etc.) would be the same whether left or right hand drive? That sounds a bit like MB service department BS to me.

 

[Steve B]

Just changed my rears at 18k miles but a lot of the mileage was local due to various restrictions on travel. The fronts have good tread across 75% still but, as per this thread, the outers look badly worn (near side slightly worse that the off side). I could have got to 20k as the tyres were still legal but just about at the wear markers, but legal and good performance are two different things.

They were the factory fit Continentals, have put Avons on as they get decent reviews and are a good price, I'll see how they do. I don't intend driving in snow and we don't get much so went for good rain/dry performance with price.

 

[SteveR]

Just changed my rears at 18k miles but a lot of the mileage was local due to various restrictions on travel. The fronts have good tread across 75% still but, as per this thread, the outers look badly worn (near side slightly worse that the off side). I could have got to 20k as the tyres were still legal but just about at the wear markers, but legal and good performance are two different things.

They were the factory fit Continentals, have put Avons on as they get decent reviews and are a good price, I'll see how they do. I don't intend driving in snow and we don't get much so went for good rain/dry performance with price.

Keep us posted how they drive @Steve B
Do you mind if I ask which Avons and what price? where from etc?

Cheers
Steve

 

[TMC]

Not experienced that with our MP but was def an issue on our GLC.
At low speed and full lock the front tyres skipped sideways. The tyre concerned was a Pirelli 255/45 R20 101W and it was worse in cold weather. We solved the issue by fitting Goodyear all weather 255/45R20 105V all round. They are run flats and sorted it. Others cracked it by fitting Vredestein tyres. Not sure how that translates into MP land but it put me off Pirellis. I notice that our new MP will be delivered with unbranded summer tyres. Hope they're not made by Pirelli!

 

[Method7]

Our 18 AMG MP was scrubbing of both edges while running tyre pressures in the medium range, we had a puncture on the rear and I asked the fitters to fit a pair of new tyres on the front, the same continentals as OEM. I upped the pressure to the max load setting on the fronts and it seems to be wearing slightly better. But it still bucks and pitches on full lock.. trying to avoid using full lock is almost impossible.. I think the car in general suffers this issue due to the rear wheel drive. It’s a heavy motor on flash wheels and low profile tyres.. I would presume the sport has much the same problem and fitting run flats could well alleviate the issue due to the stiffer sidewalls preventing the tyre rolling over on full lock. I have almost accepted this as a de-facto V Class niggle that needs to be monitored.. I’m going to stick for the time being with upping the pressures - even above what MB recommend.

 

[Steve B]

Keep us posted how they drive @Steve B
Do you mind if I ask which Avons and what price? where from etc?

Cheers
Steve

They are ZX7 at £136 each fitted and national tyres. They look fine and I can’t feel any difference compared to the continentals. I’ll try the tyre pressure rise to see if that helps

 

[Coolsailingdude]

Hi I have a MP camper that is just coming out of warranty and done 25k miles. The front tyres wear badly on the outside and the wheels scrub when on full lock on tight manoeuvres. I took it took main dealers and was told that the vehicles scrubs on full lock due to the placement of steering being moved to the right side and not original European side. They will not check the tracking under warranty and will charge £90 to do this. Can anyone help if this is correct and if not what have you done to get this resolved

I had a similar issue, took it to main Mercedes dealerships and independents alike, Mercedes in particular were clueless, made the issue many times worse.…then discovered the guys at the tyre centre in Fort William, (McConechy’s Tyres ask for Stevie) they sorted it perfectly and now the tyres (original continental sport contacts) last and last and last..no scrubbing. They said the trick was weighting the car correctly and ignoring the crazy values provided by Mercedes or indeed the online values. Incredibly helpful guys, so patient with this particular MP owner

 

[Carol]

I recently had my MOT carried out at a council MOT station , The tester passed my vehicle but did highlight scuffing on outer edges of my front tyres , He told me it is a common problem on the V class and some other vehicles due to the tight lock they have , so now when l manoeuvre l am a bit more gentle

 

[Carol]

I had a similar issue, took it to main Mercedes dealerships and independents alike, Mercedes in particular were clueless, made the issue many times worse.…then discovered the guys at the tyre centre in Fort William, (McConechy’s Tyres ask for Stevie) they sorted it perfectly and now the tyres (original continental sport contacts) last and last and last..no scrubbing. They said the trick was weighting the car correctly and ignoring the crazy values provided by Mercedes or indeed the online values. Incredibly helpful guys, so patient with this particular MP owner

so for the weighting do you put heavier things in the rear , and have you upped the tyre pressures

 

[oska02]

My german is not so good, but as much as I understand he is talking about the same issue

and it is quite common for MP

 

[Carol]

so for the weighting do you put heavier things in the rear , and have you upped the tyre pressures

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[enano]

Hi I have a MP camper that is just coming out of warranty and done 25k miles. The front tyres wear badly on the outside and the wheels scrub when on full lock on tight manoeuvres. I took it took main dealers and was told that the vehicles scrubs on full lock due to the placement of steering being moved to the right side and not original European side. They will not check the tracking under warranty and will charge £90 to do this. Can anyone help if this is correct and if not what have you done to get this resolved

I have an Marco Polo with 17 inch wheels and the optional sport suspension, my neighbour has a non-MP V-Class with 18" wheels, both with steering wheel on the left side, and both suffer from the same issue. LHD vs RHD should not make any difference. My first set of rear tyres worn quite evenly, but the front tyres were badly worn next to the edges.
Most owners report their tyres wear much better if they carefully keep pressure on spec, or even a little bit higher.

FWIW, I have a BMW 3-series and it is pretty much the same: pay attention to front pressures, or assume uneven tyre wear and early replacement. I mean, *very* uneven tyre wear.

 

[Carol]

I had my MOT at the council depot , the tester told me that all the V class have this problem it’s due to the tight lock ,

 

[Carol]

Our 18 AMG MP was scrubbing of both edges while running tyre pressures in the medium range, we had a puncture on the rear and I asked the fitters to fit a pair of new tyres on the front, the same continentals as OEM. I upped the pressure to the max load setting on the fronts and it seems to be wearing slightly better. But it still bucks and pitches on full lock.. trying to avoid using full lock is almost impossible.. I think the car in general suffers this issue due to the rear wheel drive. It’s a heavy motor on flash wheels and low profile tyres.. I would presume the sport has much the same problem and fitting run flats could well alleviate the issue due to the stiffer sidewalls preventing the tyre rolling over on full lock. I have almost accepted this as a de-facto V Class niggle that needs to be monitored.. I’m going to stick for the time being with upping the pressures - even above what MB recommend.

How are the tyres wearing now , what pressure did you put in them , would certainly help as having new Continental tyres fitted on Monday