UK - GLC 250d Wheel Judder

I do feel your pain, guys. This is a prestige brand whose tagline is "The Best or Nothing". Unfortunately too many manufacturers will deny the existence of a problem for risk of opening the floodgates which will inevitably force implementation of their horrifically expensive recall procedure. The bean counters will have set the tipping point for the loss of brand confidence/loss of profit trade-off. As I have suggested in previous threads, the problem likely stems from a wheel alignment issue. It seems to be confined to right-hand drive cars fitted with rims greater than 18" in diameter. The phenomenon appears to be akin to locking the front differential (like you can in a "proper 4WD vehicle) causing the front tyres to skip/judder/drag themselves over the ground rather than rotate at the required different speeds when the steering wheel is turned. Thankfully, and for the record, my RHD 220d Sport doesn't exhibit this trait. It is fitted with the 18" rims from the off-road package. The popular dealer fob off appears to be the requirement of fitting winter tyres in colder temperatures but I suspect they have just discovered a swop in the rubber compound of the tyre successfully masks the noise generated somewhat.

There is a useful thread running over on MB World discussing this exact problem but on a more global level so I would advise people affected to keep an eye on developments there too. One UK member ("dejongj") has now gone as far as initiating the official MB process for rejecting his GLC43 on the grounds it is not fit for purpose. I would encourage others here afflicted with the problem to register and add their support to that thread. Just one successful rejection will establish a precedent which others can use as leverage in their own negotiations. The thread can be found by clicking on the link below:

The "Tyre Scrubbing on Full Lock" Thread on MB World

Wheel judder and Rapid tyre wear

I took a closer look at the tyres on my GLC today and was shocked to see that after just 8,000 miles the tread on the outer edge / 2" strip is virtually worn away, the rears are still like new - yikes.

In my opinion the juddering & bouncing along with such rapid tyre wear is being caused by faulty steering geometry.

I appreciate St13phil's comments, but if MB told customers they would need to fit winter tyres, even when winter hasn't actually arrived, and the standard tyres would only last 12,000 miles, my guess is that 90% of their GLC customers would have gone with an X3 or Audi. I most certainly would have.

This is not acceptable for a family SUV - it's 2017 and we should expect every new car to drive smoothly around corners, especially from a MB!!!

The tyres might be the issue / problem, but MB have to supply an almost £50k car on appropriate wheels and tyres that are fit for purpose.


The MB dealers are shocked by this behaviour, but afraid to say or do anything that might cause a problems with HQ - shocking way to treat high-value customers

Thanks for that input Tony, yours is the first post I've read that has highlighted ridiculously excessive tyre wear. It certainly sounds like the "toe out" setting for the steering geometry is the cause. Tyre scrubbing at the extreme range of the steering rack is not confined to Mercedes and can be the bane of other manufacturers too, especially with their high performance models. The common trait is low profile tyres on large diameter rims. The effect becomes more noticeable if the underlying road surface is slippery. Low profile tyres don't have as tall a sidewall and consequently the rubber is less flexible at this point so can't absorb sheering forces as well as more conventional aspect ratios. Run-flat tyres also have a stiffer sidewall so you can continue to drive on them. And finally, when the temperature drops the rubber in normal tyres gets stiffer. Inevitably, as the weather gets colder you end up with a perfect storm creating very stiff rubber. The problem can be masked by fitting winter tyres, the ultimate solution would be to obtains a set of 17" standard rims shod with the corresponding high wall tyres to maintain the same overall diameter. Mercedes are suggesting this extra "give" will sort the phenomenon although the problem of incorrect steering geometry will remain. The theory of steering is laid down by a set of geometric principles attributed to Rudolph Ackermann back in the days of the horse and carriage but, with adaptation, still holds true today. It is the responsibility of Mercedes to address the underlying problem and not paper over it. Pressure can only be brought to bear by registering your disapproval with them. At the very least they should add a disclaimer regarding tyre lifespan and noise in their sales literature. It is good to see UK independent car review website Honest John publishes real-life owners observations along side its reviews and although initially giving the GLC a 5-star rating, it now highlights the tyre scrubbing problem:

Honest John - GLC steering problem

The new car sales manager at my dealer called me to say that after receiving dozens of complaints from GLC customers, he decided to test the GLC C43 for himself. He said it the worst low speed juddering and bouncing he'd experienced in a MB, it felt like the car was doing an 'Irish Jig' - I thought this was quite an appropriate way of putting it

He has been receiving the same - fit winter tyres - response from MB HQ, but doesn't believe this is really the answer. He also admitted that none of the sales people have told prospective GLC customers they will need to fit winter tyres, and nobody in a relatively warm UK should need to read the user manual before buying a £50,000 MB car - fitting a new set of tyres at <7'C temps in the UK is nonsense.

We also talked about the rapid tyre wear on our 250d AMG Line GLC - after 8,500 miles the fronts show excessive edge wear that will probably result in a total life of around 11 - 12,000 miles maximum - This is my Wife's car, it's being driven quite cautiously, averaging approx 43 mpg. She's not racing to and from the shops! As the GLC is relatively new model, the sales manager couldn't give me an answer on whether this was an acceptable level of wear, but did agree it was on the low side for a mid-sized car. He did not accept that the wheel juddering and tyre wear are related, but I believe they are.

He doesn't have any answers but is hoping, like all of us, that MB find a fix soon!