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Old 10-05-2011, 04:44 AM   #1
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Excessive Tire Wear???

Have just returned from a long trip up through the Canadian Rockies in Extended Sprinter 2500 towing a Subaru Forester. 7,600 hard miles on this trip. Have 17,000 miles on the vehicle and did an early oil change.

Tire wear on the front wheels seems excessive. I admit to not rotating the tires. The outside edges of both sides of both front wheels are heavily worn. These are Continental Tires.

I was surprised because I had a first edition Sprinter based Itasca Navion. I replaced the Michelin tires because of age. They had 46, 000 miles on them.

Winnebago recommended a front end alignment on the new vehicle, which I had done at the local Freightliner because the Dodge boys did not have a lift for the vehicle.

Is the wear from the Continental Tires, towing the Subaru 4 down, alignment, or something else?

I plan on getting new tires before I take the vehicle north for ski season.

BTW, had no problem pulling the toad up and down mountains. Some were posted as 12% grade.

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Old 10-05-2011, 07:50 AM   #2
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

We encountered the same problem with Continental tires. Our 2009 RB was doing great on our 3-month road trip to Alaska until we took it in for its 15,000-mile oil change at Anchorage Dodge. Their routine inspection showed that both front tires were bald and the rear ones nearly so. They were able to refer us to a local dealer, Johnson's Tire Center, where we put on four new tires. An unexpected expense for sure!

When we called Continental they said that Sears was their dealer in Alaska but the local Sears store was completely unhelpful. They told us it would take 13 weeks to get the tires we needed and even then they could not install them because they can't work on "motor homes." Johnson's, by contrast, had tires of the right size in stock, was able to install them, treated us very well, and had us back on the road with only a one day delay. They checked the alignment and it was fine. We did not have anything in tow.

A careful reading of the tire warranty showed that the tires are warrantied for a year, not for any specific mileage. Since we technically purchased the van in May 2010 our year was up even though we did not take delivery of it as a completed Sportsmobile until December. They left themselves plenty of weasel room. After the tires were off we took a close look and found the tread was flaking off in big sheets, sort of like large fish scales. Being so far from home our options were limited, and of course bringing the tires along as evidence for later wouldn't work either. Looks like we're going to have to suck it up.

Bottom line Continental Tires seem to be junk.
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2009 Sprinter RB custom floorplan began conversion at SMB West in August 2010, delivered December 20, 2010. Diesel furnace/water heater (Espar D5), gaucho, porta potti, exterior shower, sink, fridge, micro, vent fan, cargo storage in rear.
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Old 10-05-2011, 10:55 PM   #3
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

The stock Continental tires on the Sprinter are known to be poor quality. Lots of people like Nokian tires. There are a number of threads about Nokian's on this forum. Also, check out Sprinter-Source.com as you'll find lots of discussion on good Sprinter tires over there. One of the first things I'll do when I get a Sprinter is to put decent tires on it. The stock Conti's will be converted over to spare tires!

RL
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Old 10-06-2011, 10:52 AM   #4
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

I just placed a deposit on a Sprinter RB. In the process of gathering information on the Sprinter I went to the Mercedes web site and learned that one of the options offered in the 'build your own' section was to replace the standard tires with mud and snow tires. The cost for doing this was $120. (I don't know why Sportsmobile does not make us aware of this option.) Given that the standard tires are held in such low regard, what do you think of this option? Would it have a negitive inpact on the ride?
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Old 10-08-2011, 09:18 PM   #5
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

Thanks. I will bite the bullet and go buy a set of Michelins.

Don't know about mud/snow tires, but if you know of a set of tire chains that are easy install, let me know. I called Spike-Spyder as I was passing through Albuquerque to see if they could do the initial install/adjustment which I read can be trickey, but they do not keep the model I need in stock. Any experience with installing/adjusting the Spike-Spyder. It's time to get ready for winter travel.
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Old 10-09-2011, 07:26 AM   #6
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

Quote:
Originally Posted by flagstaff
I just placed a deposit on a Sprinter RB. In the process of gathering information on the Sprinter I went to the Mercedes web site and learned that one of the options offered in the 'build your own' section was to replace the standard tires with mud and snow tires. The cost for doing this was $120. (I don't know why Sportsmobile does not make us aware of this option.) Given that the standard tires are held in such low regard, what do you think of this option? Would it have a negitive inpact on the ride?
I have the M+S option, and the tires suck http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17633 These are the tires http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showth ... post148999
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Old 10-19-2011, 08:57 PM   #7
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Re: Excessive Tire Wear???

My stock Contis lasted 27k which was disappointing. I rotated every 5/6k so they did wear pretty evenly. They did ride nice and did well in the snow for ski trips. The Discount Tire guys said they were just too soft for long life...

I since replaced with Michelin LXs and it feels like a much better tire tho is a little noisier on the road. I feel more confident with them off pavement and they are great in the snow (especially with all that new tread ).

I also bought chains and other then testing them out once, I have not needed them (and I have done a lot of driving in the winter in CO UT WY). At some point, I will end up somewhere too icy and steep and will be glad I have em.
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