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Continental tires

I have a 2003 E500 which was delivered from the factory with Continental tires. This is the first MB that I have bought new that did not come with Michelin tires. I have noticed that I have to add 5 to 10 pounds of air about every 2 or 3 weeks. All the tires seems to have the same loss of air. I have seen that BMW's are equipped with Continental tires so I assume they are of acceptable quality. My Michelins rarely ever need attention and I can't remember even getting a nail in them much less lose air for no apparent reason.

My first question is has anyone else noticed this phenomenon with their Contentinental tires?

The second question is why did MB change from Michelins?

The third question is where are Continentals made and who is the parent company?

Thanks Rob

Reply to
Vetluver
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Congrats on your wonderful car!

Conti is the major German tyre manufacturer

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I don't think there is a specific answer to your question about a switch from Michelin (except: don't worry about it); Merc uses various brands.

My old 190E originally came with Contis, and my 2001 CLK Cab came with Pirellis.

UK Merc dealers tended to prefer Michelins but could not do anything about it.

Somebody at Merc told me that the Pirellis (and tyre makes in general) were matched to the car.

Make of that what you will. Some people may take the view that Merc buys tyres in job lots and takes the cheapest batch at the time...

DAS

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Reply to
Dori Schmetterling

I was in the dealer a while ago to get my tires replaced. When they put the new ones on I noticed they put rubber cement on the outside, inner edge of the tire about an inch thick where it contacts the wheel. When I asked why they said that in some dry/hot climates the tires wont make a good contact with the wheel and they will slowly leak. This gives them a soft seal point to make a good contact with the tire/wheel and prevents leaking. They said they also use Vaseline sometimes since it does not break down as easily as the rubber cement.

-Adam

Reply to
mc

Admittedly I live in a land of high humdity, but I have not heard of this before. Did the dealer say they do this because of a problem with the tires or with the wheels?

Scott D

Reply to
Scott D

They said that some brands/types of tires were not soft enough in dry/hot weather to give a good seal with the wheel. Usually the wheels are perfect.

-Adam

Reply to
mc

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