Front end alignment & tires

mike1wag

New member
I have had problems with wear on front tires since we bought our Prism three years ago. I can find no one that can align the front end with the modern alignment equipment. I even took it to Freightliner after I exhausted trying to get it aligned by Mercedes. The reason I am being told is that they cannot get a shot (beam) from the rear tires to the front because the Prism box blocks the beam for alignment. Has anyone else had this problem and can anyone offer advice. It is no fun driving the RV when you know it is not correctly aligned on the front end. That is about the only problem I have had but it is a real nuisance. Also can you tell me what tires you would recommend buying. It came with four season Continental tires that i have been told are not too good and cause a bit of a rough ride. Thank you - Mike Wagoner (832) 274-6542
 

Aggie

2010 Roadtrek SS Ideal
Camber adjustment was a problem causing wear on my RV. Sprinters come without adjustment bolts, they had to be purchased but were less than $20 each for two required. Mine is not a Prism, Metcedes was able to do the alignment.
 

mike1wag

New member
Thank you Aggie. Wish Mercedes could help me but the living quarters box hanging over the side of the tires prevents the electronic alignment. I have taken it to many places.
 

Humam1953

New member
Mike, I had the same problem with my Prism. I found an RV dealer who can align it, but told me it that the alignment is fine, however I should rotate the tires every 5000 miles to avoid running down the sides. I am now diligently rotating the tires as advised.
 

capav8r

Member
Bumping this post as I am in the exact same boat with our 2016 Prism 2150LE. Also looking at new tires. 30k on the OEM Vanco 4 Seasons Continentals. I was not very diligent on rotations......The outsides of the front tires are absolutely gone.
 

Rickford

New member
I was told by Mercedes that when the build out these vans that the additional weight and it's distribution throws the alignment off thus outer edge tire wear. My local Merc dealer did a great job and rotated the tires to even the wear and installed the camber bolts. So according to my Merc service rep, EVERY Mercedes Sprinter should be aligned as soon as you take delivery to avoid this uneven wear. Said he's seen a lot of them with the same trouble. The RV builders could care less about what it does to the alignment. Glad I caught mine early.
 

edfrompa

2008 ROADTREK on F/L 2500
My professional truck wheel/frame alignment shop advised me to set my alignment for max weight NOT nominal. result is I'm at 40K on my Michelins and appear to have 10k to go. IMHO, if these "boxes" are preventing alignment, remove them and get on with it.
Just my humble $0.02//Ed
 

LucasCali

New member
I was told by Mercedes that when the build out these vans that the additional weight and it's distribution throws the alignment off thus outer edge tire wear. My local Merc dealer did a great job and rotated the tires to even the wear and installed the camber bolts. So according to my Merc service rep, EVERY Mercedes Sprinter should be aligned as soon as you take delivery to avoid this uneven wear. Said he's seen a lot of them with the same trouble. The RV builders could care less about what it does to the alignment. Glad I caught mine early.
Wow the original post is quite old, but I’ll chime in.

Rockford is correct, I caught mine with just over 9,500 miles (bought lightly used 2018 Prism 2200 from FL) on it during the trip to CA. It just looked funny sitting there when I stopped long enough during the trip to check it out from afar. By the I could see wear on the outside of the front tires.

Got it home, and began the process. Took it to MBZ local dealer I deal with too take care of Air Bag Recall I saw on Car-Fax, and to rotate & align. My unit is too large for them.

America’s Tire (Discount Tire Outside of CA) for rotation.

Local (small alignment shop) as recommended by MBZ. They didn’t have too elaborate alignment equipment that prohibited the younger generation from completing the job because of the earlier posted Big Box issues, but good enough digital equipment to corrected 1-1/2 degree & 2 degree on the other side camber issues. This corrected all of the (very slight) steering wheel looseness I felt driving it down the road.

Hope this helps others,
Lucas
 

Solera2012

Well-known member
Took mine in last fall after getting outside tire wear on first set of tires. Asked around and was recommended to a small shop that worked on big rigs. Came back to pick it up, and they (the lady) said all within spec. And since no work was done, no charge. Asked to talk to the alignment guy to pick his brain on the whys, and she said nope. Still monitoring the new set of tires to see who's right. Sure sounded fishy.
 

Solera2012

Well-known member
Only other one in the area is the stealer, and I'm not going to open my piggy Bank to those thiefs. I'll monitor it as this set wears, and determine my next move accordingly. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 

Mike DZ

2016 View 24V (2015 3500)
Only other one in the area is the stealer, and I'm not going to open my piggy Bank to those thiefs. I'll monitor it as this set wears, and determine my next move accordingly. Thanks for the suggestion though.
My guess is your camber is off. You can check it yourself using one of those magnetic electronic levels. Pull the hub cap off and see if ou can find a flat spot on the wheel. My guess is that the truck shop just checked the toe in.
 

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