benzw205

C-class W205 Tyres Bridgestone Potenza, what a terrible choice ?


Hello,

Does your C-class came with Bridgestone run flat potenza tyres ?

What a ridiculous choice when reading the online reviews...

Will you change for standard better tyres as soon as possible ?

Thank you.

Merlin1

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Br...A-Run-Flat.htm

mihaelb

First thing I would do with any car equipped with run-flats: buy a set of 'normal' tires to replace them, along with the aerosol flat repair can, and try to sell the run-flats.

NYC-Style

I definitely wouldn't change based on an article...I would see for myself...and then if you really don't like them switch them out.

Sportstick

http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/docs-a...-will-tell-you

benzw205

It seems that there is no reason to like run flats...

c4004matic

I agree completely. Run flats in general have no saving grace compared to standard tires. I will swap mine as soon as they wear out with regular tires. BTW both fix-a-flat and slime now sell identical, one step sealer/inflators essentially identical to the OEM ones




http://www.fixaflat.com/products/tir...re-repair-kit/


http://slime.com/223/products/safety-spair-70005/


As you can see they are exactly the same mechanicals with a different brand sealer bottle. Probably the same company makes them all for OEM and the aftermarket. They all claim to be TPMS safe. Good as long as the hole is <0.25 in (6.4mm), and in the tread area.


About 35 bucks each. I bought one for each car I own

Eilers

I too agree completely and have even writted this same advice on this site.

I was promised to get normal tires with my order.

Took delivery on wednesday, and guess what.. it came with Goodyear 225/50/17 Performance Efficient Grip MO (run flats)

At the time we took delivery, I was cursing the salesman on the inside, but didn't want to spoil the otherwise good atmosphere, so I kept schtum.

It is a premium tire, scores high on tests, so it is not like MB is skimping on quality. It is just not what i wanted, and what I was promised.

Stil after driving about 300 km, it is not as bad as the Run Flats i have experience with from the past.

Maybe they have improved on the comfort side, but i still think there is much comfort to be gained by getting a set of normal tires.

Forcing them remove these tires to fit new, I just know they are going to mess it up somehow. Maybe scuff the wheels, do bad balancing or something.

So i am going to let it be for now, and look to buy a new set of wheels and tires come summertime.

By then i will have had so much experience with these run flats, that I should be able to tell if the normal tires is an improvement or not.

c4004matic

As far as I know Mercedes is equipping all their cars with decent runflats, thus I don't see any need for anyone to run out and swap them. A much better idea is to let them run their course and replace them with regular tires then. If someone one wants to throw 1000 bucks plus on brand new tire down the toilet that is always their prerogative.

Glyn M Ruck

Yes ~ unless you take your new car straight to the tyre shop. Get a credit for the RF's & let them fit a decent tyre of your choice. For people that don't do high mileage the misery of RF's could be an extended period ~ that would not suit me. There is no excuse for wheel damage with modern equipment. Make them use the plastic rim protectors & stick on weights & off you go.

Another issue. A member of the family is an estate agent/realtor. She is a BMW fan. On three occasions now she has been stranded with RF's that disintegrated before getting her to safety & I've had to go & rescue her. She observed all of BMW's RF precautions. In each case it was a standard puncture from a nail, screw or similar.

She now carries a full spare & a can of Puncturefix in the boot/trunk.

gfmohn

MB has inspired several major tire manafacturers to create a whole new category of RF tires called "Mercedes-Benz Original Extended Tires (MOExtended or MOE)." http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=234

"They [MB] collaborated with several tire manufacturers to develop lighter-duty temporary extended mobility tires [that enhance] vehicle fuel economy and everyday ride comfort. ... Traditional ISO run-flat tires are rated to provide temporary mobility for up to 50 miles (80 km) at up to 50 mph (80 km/h) for all permitted loads. .... MOExtended tires are designed to provide temporary extended mobility on a fully loaded vehicle for up to 20 miles (30 km) and on a lightly loaded vehicle of up to 50 miles (80 km). ... Tire manufacturers that produce MOExtended tires for Mercedes-Benz vehicles include Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Pirelli."

Eilers, I checked the Tire Rack lists of "OE" tires for all trims of the C300 and C400. I did not see the tires you mention. (Perhaps the "MO" part of the name refers to "(M)ercedes-Benz (O)riginal.") Perhaps the Tire Rack list has not been updated with the new "MOE" tires, or I missed a trim level.
I searched the Internet for all the reviews of tire inflation/sealant kits that I could find. The only kit that did not get mostly negative reviews was the ContiComfortKit by Continental. Everything else was "junk," "broke on first use," etc. http://www.continental-tires.com/www...omfortkit.html

"In issue no. 24 – 2005, the German car magazine Autobild put different brands and types of emergency tire repair kits to the test (incl. sprays, tubes and compressors). The test's best scorer was the ContiComfortKit from Continental as the only one getting the award 'Exemplary'."

Eilers

This is the EU declaration Tag for the tire.

gfmohn

Another part of the Tire Rack article said, "Since they don’t meet all of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) run-flat tire operating limits under all permitted vehicle loads, they ["MOExtended" tires] cannot be branded as run-flat tires." Your tires are specifically labeled Run(On)Flat (run-flat), so they are not in this new category. Perhaps "MOExtended" tires will be used in the U.S., and official (ISO) run-flat tires have to be used elsewhere. I don't know in what country you live or if the "EU declaration Tag" that you post (which is in English) means you are in the EU. Perhaps the new "MOExtended" tires are not actually in use yet.

Eilers

Those EU tags apply EU wide. It is not country specific.

I realise Goodyear is a US company, but I am sure Mercedes, on a regional basis, will use tires suppliers as they see fit.

I know the Asian built C-Class comes with tires from an (in europe) little known brand.

Since these tires are not Run Flats in the traditional sense, it might explain why they do not feel as hard and unforgiving as I would otherwise expect from Run Flats. Maybe even acceptable in terms of comfort. So I will wait until temperatures get up around 15 degrees celcius, before making final judgement.

Glyn M Ruck

Benz supports all the major tyre companies with products that meet their spec & have been tested by them. Much as they do for service products. If a tyre company has a local plant close to the build plant they sometimes get minor preference like Continental in SA. However SA built cars, as an example, come with Conti, Goodyear, Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone from plants all over the world.

More & more the tyre companies are building certain tyre size ranges & compounds in specific plants to reduce complexity. Very common sizes are of course built everywhere.

Meeska2

I have a 550 SL with similar crappy Bridgestone tires. Not even 20K miles of simple commuting and I've had 2 flats; tread pretty much worn out on all 4; 1 irreparable sidewall collapse on the left front (because if are out in the middle of nowhere and get a flat, the run-flat tire will fail at way less than 50 miles and a "catastrophic tire failure" message); similar damage on the right rear occurred recently. To compound the frustration of having to replace all 4 tires, no one has the tire in stock locally. And I live in the L.A./Orange Co. market! Had to get 1 tire ordered from Pennsylvania! With less than 1 year left on my lease, I will be burning rubber everyday down to the minimum acceptable tread before turning the SL in and switching to a manufacturer that offers an alternative to run-flats, because MB is in bed with Bridgestone.