ravneetg

HI All,

2015 C300 owner here. 12K miles. I own it.

Got hit with a screw yesterday (heard some noise in driving) and today found a screw in the tyre (front right), at the dealer.

If I want to go conventional tyres, do I need to change the wheels also? I recognize not having a spare would be a problem in the conventional setup.

Any other option I should look for. Dealer mentioned $300+ for the single tire...

Thanks,
R

topsider

I changed to non runflats for the fact that the runflats were causing my rims to bend even over the slightest bumps, and i wanted better ride comfort. I am very happy with my decision and i will throw the runflats back on right before i turn in my car when the lease is up.

Bueller178

Non RFT is the way to go. Much better ride and they are less expensive to boot.


I'm going to run the tires my car came with until they are around 65% wear and then switch to non RFT and then simply put the stockers back on before she goes back at the end of the lease.

ravneetg

Did you have to change the wheels also to get non run flats?

Bueller178

You don't have to change wheels to get run flat tires.

Mike5215

The run flats, aside from saving MB the cost and weight of a jack and a spare, have zero advantage over conventional tires. They're more expensive, are noisier, ride less comfortably and wear out quicker.

A nice set of MPSS or comparable tire plus a Seal & Fill kit will greatly increase your enjoyment of the car.

mo11

i have non rft on mine, i chnaged my stock wheels to 20's. Since the car doesn't come with a spare, i figured if i do get a flat and i'm within range of a tire shop i can have it towed to the shop.
For emergency purposes i do carry a portable air compressor, tire plug kit, cross wrench and a scissor jack. It all fits under the compartment in the trunk.

ravneetg

Gotta research on this. Thanks guys! I agree with above. It's a stiff ride too I feel on runflats.

Where should I look for tires? Tirerack?

Mike5215

If you're able to run a summer tire, the Michelin Pilot Supersport is a great choice. Very smooth and quiet. For all season the Michelin Pilot AS3 is a good bet.

I usually order from TireRack and use the option to have them shipped direct to a local installer, or to the house and I'll run them over to MB for install. The 18" front that fits Sport package cars were discontinued in the MPSS but TireRack still has them in inventory.

ravneetg

Did you mean Non run flat tires?

Mike5215

No need to change wheels, TPMS or anything other than the rubber.

Bueller178

Sorry yes, wheels stay the same regardless of RFT or NonRFT.

NYbenzzz

how do you guys bring the stock tires back to your house after you swap them at a shop?

my trunk can't even fit more than 1 tire.

StanNH

With the rear seats down, I can easily fit four 18" tires in the car.

NYbenzzz

oh snap!

you can fold the rear seats down?

how you do that?

<-----------never ever reads any instruction manuals. LOL

Mike5215

Yeah, fold the back seats flat and stack them two tall. Don't even need the trunk.

Mikey53

In that case, strap them to the roof.

mo11

Yes, You fold the seats by putting one of the tires on your lap. Once the sensor reads your fingerprint when you start the car, the trunk sensors will then know you have a tire on your lap and automatically fold the rear seats. Now you can put the rest of the tires on the front passenger seat. But, the first tire has to remain on your lap. If you take it out of your lap the a/c won't work... hahaha! Jk...

jdag

I will lend my $0.02 to this. I had my front/passenger run-flat on my 2016 C300 blow ~6 weeks ago with ~14,500 miles on it.

After considering the options, I decided to go with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. And I am thrilled with my decision. The car runs quieter and is considerably smoother. I thought at 1st it was my mind playing tricks on my since I just spent ~$1,000 unexpectedly. But my wife agrees on both counts. I will also say that the car is faster (yeah, that's in my head, but I am sticking to my story!).

In my opinion, the run-flat concept is great in theory, lousy in practice. Sure, you may be able to drive a short distance on the flat tire. However, good luck finding a replacement in stock (and I live in a mid-sized city, not out in the country). Therefore, 1 of the purposes of having the run-flats is overshadowed by the likelihood that the car will be out-of-service for a number of days waiting for a replacement. Of course, your experience might vary if you happen to find the tires in stock somewhere, only need 1, don't get a flat on a Saturday afternoon when everyone is closed, etc. (I decided it made most sense to replace all 4, and keep the other 3 for lease turn in).

Anyhow, long-story short, I recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires as an alternate to the run-flats. In fact, the same week we had the tire problem we also picked up our GLC300, which added insult-to-injury about spending that $1,000 that particular week on tires. I plan to use the stock run-flats for a while, and then buy traditional tires, holding the run-flats in the basement until the lease expires.

On a side note, when I get the tires replaced, the 3 good ones easily fit in my trunk and back seat. Had I had a 4th, it would have fit with no problem as well.

ravneetg

Thanks for the scenario. Helpful. If I can find the Michelin PSS A/S this weekend I'd get all 4 done. Else will get one run flat for this time. I need to get the car back on road.

jdag

That was EXACTLY my scenario and decision point...could I get 1 tire fast, or have to wait and just get the 4. As it turned out, I could not get the 1 fast, so I then had to decide to get the run-flats or go with the Micheline PS A/S.

It was about 2pm on a Sat afternoon when I had the blowout. The front tire bulged as I was driving, retuned home, and made a few calls. I found the run-flats in stock at the MB dealership I bought the car from, which is ~60 miles away. I figured what the heck, I will drive there slowly, take side roads and not the highway. They are run-flats after all.

I left the house to head there, and about 2 miles from home BOOM! The tire exploded, sounded like a shotgun, and scared the he!! out of me. Even though I knew what it was, it still was a shock when it happened. I can't imagine if that had happened and I was unaware of the bulge to begin with.

I turned around and went home, made a bunch more calls, but by that point it was about 3pm and many places were closed, so I was stuck for the w/e. My MB dealership knew the situation and had me go rent a car and they reimbursed me $150. SIDE NOTE: MB of Buffalo is GREAT!

On Monday, I called MB roadside and they took my car to the local dealership. They too were excellent, and were able to get the Michelins by Tuesday (I could have also had 4 of the originals, but by this point I "saw the light"). The MB Rochester dealership was fantastic too, got the tires on by about noon on Tuesday, and picked me up in a 2017 E300.

Now, the only problem...I want an E300.

ravneetg

All,

Thanks for the replies. I ended up getting one run flat replaced (same Pirelli as other 3 stock tires). I chose so because the tires were pretty new plus I wasn't getting the MPS A/S ordered in time from anywhere.

So decided to get one replaced for now and run these until I get to change all 4.

I got the run flat at dealership, and they unmentioned this comes with road hazard warranty and would cover any cuts/screws etc. I doubt that statement (nothing in written) from the service manager, so I asked him again something like a nail or screw in the tire that can't be repaired and he said "yes, covered".

Anyone experienced with bridgestone driveguard run flats? Was highly recommended during this search at various tire shops.

Thanks.

topsider

so a year ago i switched from runflats to non-runflats, and i noticed recently that the outsides of the tires (even the rears) are wearing WAY faster than the middle..(and no my tires are not underinflated). Is this because the suspension is tuned for runflats and expects a harsher impact on the side of the tires because of runflat's stiff sidewalls? I mean, after one year and probably 11-12k miles the sides of the tires are almost to the wear bars..wtf..500+ treadwear rating on these things too.

My plan was to throw the runflats back on a couple months before the end of the lease which is may 2018 but i doubt ill even be able to stretch these tires until the end of the summer. Sad!

Mike5215

Was the car aligned after the accident? If anything the non RFs should wear better than the RFs. Are you on the Michelin Pilot SS?

Bueller178

Something does wound weird here because the general consensus is the non-rft wears considerably better than rft's.


What is the specific tire you're running?