Streamliner

I happen to think that marketing a large car like the W222, without a spare wheel & tire, no jack & tools and not even a SPACE to house them, should an owner decide to provide them on their own, is one of "THE," all time, most ridiculous things MB has ever done. What do YOU think?

Please participate in this poll. Results will be sent to MBUSA after 60 days.

DaveVY

I understand this is a big issue for you. I initially had a difficult time accepting the lack of a spare BUT I learned to accept that years ago with a corvette. With the advent of cell phones and better tire technology it is no longer a big deal to me to not have a small spare any more.

Streamliner

Well, we all have our opinions and that's why I started the poll. Let's find out. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's just a few and maybe it's most everyone who would feel so much better, knowing that there is a spare in the trunk. We will see!

It's all about situations OTHER than simple punctures. It's about hitting a road hazard and shredding the tire or destroying the wheel. Spare in the trunk--you are on your way in a few minutes. No spare--you do a ride along in the cab of a tow truck to who-knows-where, for who-knows-how-long. If you happen to be away from a large metro area, it can get VERY uncomfortable, VERY time consuming and downright dangerous. And, the point being: the W222 is so big, WHY NOT put a spare in the trunk??? Just saying.

emilner

Welcome to the future. BMW went that way, MB now and eventually all others will follow suit...

Bluehinder

Yea, not that big a deal to me. I voted to take a compact spare, but I don't think it's an issue.

Besides, I don't see the typical S550 owner changing his own tire.

fkim011

Maybe you guys don't drive that much but it is a big deal.

Especially if you are taking long drives and going onto desolate highways etc...

There is a story about the creator of Entourage Doug Ellin getting puncture on his new S63 and being stranded for hours on a desolate highway with no being able to reach him for a while... Imagine if you had simple tools and a donut..

hyperion667

some good points made: a spare would be nice to have, I'd certainly change my own.....I'm not typical

emilner

That's why the car comes with runflats....

Long3494Qut

Here's my rant.
Runflats are not as useful as they seem. I ran into a road pothole at night, punctured from the inside due to the runflat's design and damaged my rim and this was on an E class with a spare in hand. Thankfully no issues and I was 20 miles away from home so the spare did it's use.
This issue is VERY important to me as I now drive an S class with no spare to and from Houston to Dallas (250 miles) at least twice monthly (Mbrace). I do not feel as safe and satisfied as I would be when having a spare. I'm a f***ing guy who changes my own tire and would rather not have to rely on random people I do not know (i.e. when Hype got that police "warning" and was cautious, I would have done the same). I would much prefer to have a spare in hand within the design, rather than strap a full tire in the trunk. Give me the option for a spare compact and we're good. If you have enough space to put random crap underneath then widen that space and throw that spare back in...I already paid for all this with the premium for this spaceship.

Maybe I should trade it in for a plane.

hyperion667

I had 19's and rf's did not come with it..........so no, not al of them come with rf's(I wasn't ticketed Q )

Long3494Qut

Updated

1bad540

Personally I find it insulting to not include one, bmw lost business on it and so will Benz, put a f,in small spar.e and a ****ty jack for piece of mind.if i take a long trip I want it there

Streamliner

I bought an unused W221 spare, which fits the 222 and a brand new 222 jack & tool set. Got both on ebay. They just sit in the trunk. I'll probably never need them, but I like the feeling knowing they are there. Shame on MB for not giving their customers even the frigging option to have these items included with their $100K+ luxury car.

vcae

Who needs spare tires instead of run flat plus extra storage ? Also 24/7 road assistance in case of flat tire...!

Streamliner

Obviously, you have never encountered a road hazard that has shredded your tire or severely bent your rim. If that ever happens to you, all Roadside Assistance can do is get your car towed to a dealership and depending on where you are or what time of day or night it is, you may or may not drive away in a loan car. At the very least, we are probably talking several hours before you are on your way again. With a spare in the trunk, change it yourself if you so desire or call Roadside Assistance and have them change it and you are on your way in no time. If something like this happens outside of a large metro area, several hours can turn into a few days very quickly.

All that said, the bottom line is that the W222 is a very large car. Surely the brilliant engineers at MB could have found a place to put a compact spare. At the very least, they should have provided that space for those of us who would then choose to obtain a spare and carry it. Slice this however you like, but the absence of a spare in a car like the W222 is ridiculous and most everyone seems to agree on that point. Cheers!

elmalo

The only reason I stayed away from BMW was RFTs. Now MB is copying BMW. I have no choice. My 2015 S-550 has RFTs which I don't like at all. The car is not suitable for driving outside of city limits or outside of cell phone coverage.

MB should have provided space for a spare + tools and offered regular tires + spare as an option.

Nickthegreek

I blew a tire put on my w221 a few days ago and when I saw a measly spare I was shocked. My Ford Crown Victoria had a full size spare. And now that they dont even provide a tire or a jack that is just pure corporate greed to see where they can cut corners. The car is big enough to hold a full size spare but theyre trying to make more money and say that tire technology and tow service is better. let me tell you nothing is better than a full size spare and being off on your merry way as opposed to getting towed to a service station that is going to tell you to bend over and pay up to have your wheel repaired. Pure bukaki shenanigans. And run flats are resistant to punctures not blowouts. Youll have no rim in no time.

elmalo

Fully agree. Nothing but corporate greed and irresponsibility. Besides, the ride quality with RFTs is poor. The only way to get MB to wake up is by avoiding their products.

Streamliner

The other day, I sent a letter--a real one, on paper, in an envelope, to MBUSA telling them how disappointed I was my new $115K+ S550 did not have a spare or even the frigging PLACE to put one, should I choose to provide my own.

I strongly suggest that anyone interested in this topic do the same. I know, it's probably futile, but it can't hurt to deluge them with complaints. Maybe they'll see the light and decide that providing a spare would put them one up on BMW--something they are always interested in.

elmalo

I have argued with MB dealers about RFTs, but you know what they say. I traded in my 2010 S for a 2015 S-550 in December. Do you have Steering Assist and ECO/Start/Stop on your car? If so, do they work? The Steering Assist on my car is perfectly useless and a dangerous distraction and the Start/Stop does not work most of the time, and gas mileage is way below EPA City figure of 17 MPG. MBUSA is no help. They say it is normal.

rusty104

My feeling about a spare is as follows. I haven't had a flat in many years so when I bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 with run flats 3 years ago the first thing I did was take out the "compact" spare which weighs a ton and now have a great hidden storage space. On the other hand I also have a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited which I take off roads occasionally it has a full sized spare which I have never used but wouldn't go off road without. I think an interesting poll would be how long since they have had a flat.

elmalo

What do you do if you get a flat with an RFT in the middle of Nevada, around midnight, couple of hundred miles from civilization and outside of cellphone coverage? To be able to drive only 50 miles with a flat RFT is not reassuring.

Barry Hanna

If a spare isn't provided I don't buy the car. These days, with more and more cars running tires with a low aspect ratio and large diameter alloy wheels the tire and wheel damage has skyrocketed. That's probably why the car manufactures are selling lots of tire/wheel damage insurance.

As for charging $1,250 for a replacement wheel, that's price gouging of the worst kind when those wheels cost less than $200. Parts pricing should be price neutral, not a penalty for customer loyalty.

Streamliner

You make a great point. Years ago, you almost never heard of a cracked or severely bent wheel, because there was significant sidewall depth to cushion the blows from pot holes, etc. However today, the sidewalls are insanely shallow, resulting in wheels getting damaged in great quantities. If ever there was a time when a spare was needed, it's now more than ever.

rusty104

I would be as happy with a flat in that situation as I would be with a mechanical failure. In your example I think the issue is do you want to take the chance of being stranded at midnight in the middle of Nevada.
I have no use for the donut as a backup, if you want a full sized spare then at least you have something decent. The donut has virtually no tread or protection from road hazards and is good for maybe 20 miles more than the RFT.
I live in the Northeast if I had a flat with the single digit weather we've been having I would rather drive with the RFT then attempt to pull off the road in the snow and change the tire.