NYbenzzz

it really depends on where you drive.

most people DO NOT UNDERSTAND what it is to drive in ny city, as in city not manhattan.

you have no idea how bad the roads are here in the 5 boroughs of NY.

i see from your avatar you are in salt lake city, i'd drive with bare rims in there. been there a couple of times for the sky slopes, the roads are AMAZINGLY smooth in there.

Same thing for those living in florida, smooth roads.

heck, even in New Jersey i'd go with non-runflats.

unfortunatelly for me, my company's headquarters is located right in the middle of the ghetto. even goign 30 mph you can get a flat or bent rim, that's how bad it is in here.

larrypmyers

Me.

Last time I needed a rollback after numerous calls starting at 7:30 AM a truck showed up at 5:00 PM.

Extended mobility tires...best invention since canned beer.

sean1.8t

You's right sir. I ain't never been out of my lil town in Youtah ever in my whole life. Certainly never been to the biiiiiiig city. That's a scary sir!

Dude, one of my good friends lives in Bushwick and when I lived out in PA a couple years back I spent 2 weeks there with my car. I've driven all around that city. I remember potholes in Queens that would swallow my Honda Element whole if I didn't navigate them correctly.

I don't even know why you would have a nice car there. You have to have bumper guards if you're ever going to park on the street and every 30 feet there is a wheel eating pothole. I mean seriously, guy, it's only a C300. New Honda/Mazdas are certainly just as nice; and not only cheaper to maintain out there but more durable as well.

gfmohn

It's never clear in these discussions whether commenters are complaining about regular runflats or the MOE runflats that are original equipment. ("MOE" stands for "Mercedes-Benz Original Extended" (tires), NOT "Mercedes-Benz Original Equipment".) I have written before that the 17" MOEs on my C300W4 Luxury ride almost as well as the Michelin non-runflats I had on my previous 2007 C280W4. Now that the MOEs have 10,000 miles on them, I believe that they ride the same. The grooves are still deep. (I ran 40 PSI until cold weather dropped it to 38 PSI.) They have taken some hard hits from the sharp edges of pavement where pavement has been scraped away for re-paving. It may be that the more flexible sidewalls of MOEs (compared to regular runflats) makes them more resistant to sidewall damage.

OldMadBrit

I'm appalled by the poor performance of the OEM "run flats" on my 2017 C43 AMG. To date I have replaced 5 tires and 4 wheels. Each failure has been catastrophic (either a split sidewall, a cracked rim or both), resulting in a tow, delays, cancelled trips and frustration. Today a minor pot-hole that has zero impact on any of my other vehicles or our neighbors - blew out the driver's side rear. i didn't even make it to the end of my street!!!

Local tire shops refuse to sell and fit conventional tires to it, claiming liability issues.

At this point, we don't trust the vehicle for anything other than local trips anymore. So this otherwise beautiful and entertaining vehicle is hardly ever used. MB have been worse than useless.

So sadly, its up for sale and we are moving on.

benzw205

hello, any idea if we could use regular tire (not low profile) on the w205 c-class ? thank you.

gfmohn

If you have low-profile tires now, you're stuck with them (unless you buy new 17" wheels). I have 17" low-profile tires, and I have had no problems (other than poor mileage on the years) in over 4 years. The W205 is NOT a "sport sedan." It is a family sedan that handles well, and this is how it is regarded in Germany. It was designed for 17" low-profile tires. Hotrodding it gives up reliability. If you want hotness, buy an SL. Buting a BMW no longer works. Over on Bimmerworld, BMW owners complain that the 3-series is no longer a sport sedan.

dwpc

I.m curious of the outcome with the OP. What did you get for the nearly new run-flats?

benzw205

Hello, thank you, I now have 225/45R18 in front and 245/40R18 on rear.

Where I live roads are the worst that you could find, and I wanted to check if by changing tyres I would have less problems (I almost change tyres every year).

So I have no hope to use anything different but 225/45R18 in front and 245/40R18 on rear ?

Thanks again.

gfmohn

Again, you're stuck with the profile, unless you replace your wheels with 17" wheels. I can't tell you whether you can change the widths of your tires. Tirerack.com has a tire and wheel size wizard that can tell you what works on your car. Their lowest-price 17" wheels start at less than $120, with free shipping to your installer. However, you will have to add balancing, installation, tire pressure monitors, taxes, etc.

You will have to decide what to do with your old wheels and tires. I kept them, paying a storage fee to my independent Mercedes shop. With AAA Plus, AAA will tow me back to the shop within a 100 miles. For this purpose or for taking a wheel with you on a long trip, you would have to keep only one.

Or, you can keep your present wheels and tires and just drive slower It is certainly an irony that when you have "performance" tires, you have to drive your family sedan SLOWER! (My wife is German, and her brother calls Mercedes "Berlin taxis." That's because most taxis in Germany are Mercedes. This is what the image of the lesser Mercedes models is in Germany.)

fbsdmd

I bought my first Mercedes diesel in 1974 as result of using a Mercedes taxi. That Mercedes was pretty much the cheapest model in the line.

gfmohn

My first ride in a Mercedes was also in a Mercedes diesel taxi, in 1970. It was at night, and the driver took off over the wet cobblestones of Munich. He crossed wet trolley tracks at an acute angle, and the car never so much as swayed. Any American car of the time would have skidded badly. The ride was great, and the car was solid, with no chassis flex or rattling panels, inside or out. I had to wait until Feb. 2006 to order my first Mercedes, for delivery in Sindelfingen. (See my Signature in my first comment.) That taxi ride 45 years ago was certainly in my mind.

fbsdmd

Sorry-probably not the right thread for a trip down memory lane; hopefully you will humor me-my first Mercedes taxi ride was in November, 1969, Bad Kreuznach, Germany, home of the 8th Inf Div. Later that month I went to Sindelfingen to pick up a 1970 4 cyl 220. The beginning of a bad habit.

W205_Merc

I recently switched out of run-flats, you noticed an extreme difference on any potholes or bumps in the road. The car just drives better without run-flat tires!

fbsdmd

What did you switch from and what to? I switched from runflats on my two previous cars, a 3 series BMW and most recently a GLA250. I put Michelins on both, the Pilot A/S 3+. There was not much difference on the BMW, but there was an astounding difference on the GLA250. Quieter, smoother ride, better handling. The OEM tires on the GLA250 were MOE Bridgestone Duellers, and all 4 were shot at 18,000 miles. I traded the GLA250 for the C300, so I don't have a good handle on how the Michelins were wearing. My C300 has the original Continentals and I have no complaints about ride, noise, handling. When the Continentals go, I will move to the Michelins again.

Ed Moriarity

I have a 2016 C450 AMG with the 19 inch rims. I had 2 rims replaced, 2 repaired, 2 tires replaced. For a while it seemed I was going to the dealer every few weeks with an issue. Very disappointing. I have the wheel and tire warranty which thankfully has covered this work. I questioned the quality of the build of these rims, but MB has not addressed it to my satisfaction. I also feel less than safe given the experiences to date.