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Run-flats are for the benefit of the car manufacturer, not us. Since the cars are not fitted with spare tires and associated tools, they offer lower overall vehicle weight (although higher unsprung weight) hence help the CAFE required fuel mileage.
They are unrepairable and cost much more than a conventional tire to replace. If I had them on a new car, I would have them replaced and either carry a compact spare or a can of tire sealer.
2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
Originally Posted by rocky raccoon
Run-flats are for the benefit of the car manufacturer, not us. Since the cars are not fitted with spare tires and associated tools, they offer lower overall vehicle weight (although higher unsprung weight) hence help the CAFE required fuel mileage.
They are unrepairable and cost much more than a conventional tire to replace. If I had them on a new car, I would have them replaced and either carry a compact spare or a can of tire sealer.
Through not a fan of rf tires (absolutely hated them on my 2013 ATS) and had all of them replaced with conventional, I must admit the newer generation of tires coupled with the Mercedes smoothness of ride haven't been as bad as I though it would be on my 2019.
Most likely, when they wear out , I will replace with conventional tires. In the meantime, I'm not going to panic and just replace them, throwing that money out the window, unless I have to.
Through not a fan of rf tires (absolutely hated them on my 2013 ATS) and had all of them replaced with conventional, I must admit the newer generation of tires coupled with the Mercedes smoothness of ride haven't been as bad as I though it would be on my 2019.
Most likely, when they wear out , I will replace with conventional tires. In the meantime, I'm not going to panic and just replace them, throwing that money out the window, unless I have to.
Do you have a coupe or sedan? Also do you or anyone know if the cracked rims will be replaced under warranty if the problem ends up being the run flats?
2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
Originally Posted by 3.Pointed.Czar
Do you have a coupe or sedan? Also do you or anyone know if the cracked rims will be replaced under warranty if the problem ends up being the run flats?
I have an E450 CAB convertible, and unless you have the separate Wheel Warranty, your standard warranty won't cover it.
I have the optional 19" rims and they came mounted with the Conti run flats. Worse ride than a SRT Grand Cherokee I had with them and they were huge tires. And in cold weather even worse.
I replaced them with Cont Sport Plus after reading different suggestions on this forum. Then purchased a MB inflator for the trunk. It is a one time use cylinder that has compressed air and fix a flat mixed. MY MB dealer matched the best price I could find on the tires. Then I was more confident in everything from properly lifting the car to mounting, balancing, etc. with not a nick or they would repair right on the premises (they have added a rim repair at the dealer). The inflator I got on line from a MB parts site much cheaper than the dealer parts dept.
Car rides 100% more compliant. Nice to have the sidewall working with the suspension to smooth the ride on terrible roads here in Cincinnati. Although there is something inherently hinky with the suspension in the MB sedans - coupes no matter what setting is on. Not exactly confidence inspiring on curves and turns at pace.
I Although there is something inherently hinky with the suspension in the MB sedans - coupes no matter what setting is on. Not exactly confidence inspiring on curves and turns at pace.
You're not enjoying your car when the road sign says: "Curves ahead" with non-runflats? I would have guessed the car would be glued down and ready to rock!
runflat or nothing !
I replaced the stock 18" runflat at 35,000 miles with the same OEM run flat. Imagine what happen if you on dark road and have a run flat at 2am and you dont have run flat.
When it's time to replace tires again, I going to give Pirelli runflat a try, they advertised their tires with Pirelli Noise Cancellation System.
NO! Runflats suck, IMO. Get regulars and if worried about being stranded, go AAA or add towing to your car insurance policy. I'd probably also carry a can of fix a flat and tire plugs.
runflat or nothing !
I replaced the stock 18" runflat at 35,000 miles with the same OEM run flat. Imagine what happen if you on dark road and have a run flat at 2am and you dont have run flat.
When it's time to replace tires again, I going to give Pirelli runflat a try, they advertised their tires with Pirelli Noise Cancellation System.
Originally Posted by Chrisk03
NO! Runflats suck, IMO. Get regulars and if worried about being stranded, go AAA or add towing to your car insurance policy. I'd probably also carry a can of fix a flat and tire plugs.
Runflats, on this particular car, make the ride intolerable as a daily driver. 38k on my car, and I pray for winter to come so I could get my 18" winter's on. Ahh, much better. As bad as runflats are, it is the tuning in conjunction with the runflats that are key. They have unnecessarily tuned this vehicle to be as jiggly and "sporty" to ensure it lives up to its badge. But it is very un-Mercedes. Hoping the '19 is as improved as they say, as I do want to get another one if the ride is significantly improved.
My Z06 has Michelins and with the Magnaride it runs like a Caddy in Touring mode. The Contis are garbage and most likely the first thing to do is insist in the Pilots at the time of making your deal.
Imagine what happen if you on dark road and have a run flat at 2am and you dont have run flat.
Dont have to imagine. Had a sidewall blowout within the first 9 months of owning the car and waited 3 hours for a 3 hour tow back to a MB dealer. Replaced that tire and the other three with non-run flats and haven't had an issue since.
I wont use run flats until they become more like conventional tires although I doubt that can happen. They are too stiff (any rattles went away when I switched tires) and the tread wore terribly. The noise wasn't an issue to,start but quickly became an issue with the bad tread wear.
I hit a huge pothole on a dark stretch of interatate two
weeks after buying a new to me preowned 2016 C450. Luckily the runflat got me to the next exit at midnight. I drove 7 miles approx on a blown sidewall. No damage ro the wheel or vehicle. I NOW have anxiety not going w runflats. And honestly... while I have the 18s... this ride isnt as bad as what I hear others say. Its not an suv obviously or even as compliant as my old E350 but its very livable IMHO.
I hit a huge pothole on a dark stretch of interatate two
weeks after buying a new to me preowned 2016 C450. Luckily the runflat got me to the next exit at midnight. I drove 7 miles approx on a blown sidewall. No damage ro the wheel or vehicle. I NOW have anxiety not going w runflats. And honestly... while I have the 18s... this ride isnt as bad as what I hear others say. Its not an suv obviously or even as compliant as my old E350 but its very livable IMHO.
Your wheel looks like it sustained minor scratches? Was it driveable? For how long? time? Kms?
I hit a huge pothole on a dark stretch of interatate two
weeks after buying a new to me preowned 2016 C450. Luckily the runflat got me to the next exit at midnight. I drove 7 miles approx on a blown sidewall. No damage ro the wheel or vehicle. I NOW have anxiety not going w runflats. And honestly... while I have the 18s... this ride isnt as bad as what I hear others say. Its not an suv obviously or even as compliant as my old E350
but its very livable IMHO.
I can’t help but wonder... Had you had non run flat tires, could this still have happened? I have had my fair share of huge potholes ever since I started driving. Some big enough that it bent my suspension. However, I suspect these run flat tires just have very stiff side walls to support the car’s weight but not the flexibility to withstand hard hits. Sometimes, the potholes don’t even have to be deep and it already cracks. The forum is riddled with owners’ experiences of run flat tires blowing out, sidewall cracks and bulges, that under the same conditions a low profile non run flat tire would be fine.
I have no doubt the run flats were able to let you drive to the next exit. I just wonder had you been on non run flats if you needed to exit at all.
Do you have a coupe or sedan? Also do you or anyone know if the cracked rims will be replaced under warranty if the problem ends up being the run flats?
I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, my 2017 came with 19" run flats - as do all C43's in this part of the world.
So far I have had 5 tire failures 4 of which also resulted in a failed rim. Two rims failed immediately when the sidewall failed, two rims failed months later when minor damage from a tire failure, resulted in fatigue failure of the rim, which cracked and leaked. Every failure has resulted in a tow, and days of frustration. My experience with MB on this has been incredibly disappointing and they refuse to acknowledge they even have a problem.
I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, my 2017 came with 19" run flats - as do all C43's in this part of the world.
So far I have had 5 tire failures 4 of which also resulted in a failed rim. Two rims failed immediately when the sidewall failed, two rims failed months later when minor damage from a tire failure, resulted in fatigue failure of the rim, which cracked and leaked. Every failure has resulted in a tow, and days of frustration. My experience with MB on this has been incredibly disappointing and they refuse to acknowledge they even have a problem.
I had a ton of issues like this. MB ended up covering everything after much dismay. There has been an on and off lawsuit in regards to their wheels and tires since 2006, IIRC.
I ended up sitting the wheels and tires in the corner until lease turn in and went with aftermarket set of conventional tires and flow forged wheels.
Runflat tires are a bad invention - in no circumstance will you be in a better situation on a runflat than otherwise - blow outs simply do not occur if tires are maintained properly unless you fall into a sinkhole. runflats add weight in terms of rotating mass, decreasing overall performance, make the ride stiffer and more harsh and are more expensive than conventional tires. If you get a nail in your tire, you usually have a decent amount of time to either stop at a shop, fill with air to hold you over or carry a patch kit.
Run-flats have saved me 2x. First time my run-flats went was on the highway doing about 90km in traffic. It was smooth sailing until something flew under my car. All of a sudden the tire pressures dropped from 38, 30,25,20,15,10,5,0. It was scary as I was on the highway but I was able to drive off the highways, go 3 blocks to a gas stations. I tried to see were the hole was but could not see anything. It would not old any air. It was during traffic time so I knew it was going to take me more time to get to a friend's house. I drove another 6 blocks and could hear the tire falling apart. I pulled right into his driveways which at the time, the tire was destroyed but the rim was perfectly fine. I put my winter tires on which are 18's which makes the ride a little bit softer as I can tell when I drive on the same streets which both Summer and Winter tires. So you know, it was my right front tire.
The next time I had a flat it was because of a failed construction sign that fell and I ran over a grate. I heard a loud thump and some kind of hard hit. It surprised me, but it happened again, 38, 30, 25, 20 --------- 10, 5, 0. The reason for the space was because I was about 7 blocks away from home and the tire stayed at 20 for some time but by the time I reached my driveway it was 0 tire pressure. The tire however looks normal, just a little low but looks like a normal tire. I found a spare tire on Kijiji from a guy who burst his front tires and had the tire warranty. He sold me his tires, 19's, and I had a mobile tire shop come and install the tire. It was a great experience.
The biggest problem with the 18-19 each tires is that Tire Shops never stock them. They always have to order. I have been lucky to find replacement tires for a fraction of the cost of new tires as the Conti run-flats cost $250-300 per tires on the front. Again, my luck is that Mercedes has sold many 19" option to those that want performance tire and as such I have been able to find my replacement tire for cheap onine because of this issue.
I think cities with lots of money should take better road repairs since we pay lots of taxes here in Canada.
All great points for discussion. My wheel isnt scratched that just tire dressing and dirt from driving. Good question however. Idk if i would have had a blow out on non runflats. It is what it is really. Non run flats do ride much better. When i replace i prob wont go run flat. My Hellcat has non runflats and came with a pump. Ill prob buy a dodge factory pump for this thing and go non run flats to be honest.
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