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For the record, here are the Mercedes fuel flap pressure recommendations:
18" - 42/33 F/R
19" - 36/33 F/R
These pressures are for runflat tires, lightly loaded and measured cold. Cold means 20C or 68F.
After driving a very few miles the tires will warm up regardless of the weather and the pressures will increase. Mercedes certainly knows this and sets their cold recommendations accordingly.
Aren’t those the values for *summer* performance tires?
The OEM 18 Conti RFTs are marked M + S. They’re the same tires equipped on C300 Sport models.
My C43 gas cap instructs 36 F, 35 R for M + S marked tires.
Coincidentally, those are the same recommended values for the C300 fitted with the same tires.
I was thinking about selling the 2018 Coupe and was already test driving a new Porsche. I switched to Michelin AS and that transformed the car. I can't believe how much of an improvement this made. The old wheels would not stand up on their own. Mercedes wheels and Conti run flats are really bad.
I am in the market for non RFT's also, and have heard good things about Yokohama Advan A/S tires. I know the manager really well at a local Discount Tire and he said for the price they are incredibly hard to beat. Decisions...
I got these for my c63s and I love them. Great for all weather conditions. Even drives pretty good in the snow. We didn't see a lot of snow in NYC this past winter but I was just fine in the little snow we had. You can't go wrong with the A/S 3+
I'd expect new tires to perform better than old tires, but are new Michelins better than the new runflats? Put differently, can we justify dumping runflats when they're nearly new? It would be very costly, I know, but maybe worth it if the Michelins would last 25K miles.
I'd expect new tires to perform better than old tires, but are new Michelins better than the new runflats? Put differently, can we justify dumping runflats when they're nearly new? It would be very costly, I know, but maybe worth it if the Michelins would last 25K miles.
I had the same question about the continental runflats on my C450. I finally changed them for continental WS06's after 12000 miles.I should have changed them as soon as my car was delivered.The ride and the overall feel with the WS06's is much better than the runflats.I also believe I would not have cracked a wheel if I had changed sooner.
I got these for my c63s and I love them. Great for all weather conditions. Even drives pretty good in the snow. We didn't see a lot of snow in NYC this past winter but I was just fine in the little snow we had. You can't go wrong with the A/S 3+
I'm in northern NJ and go to the city all the time. Have you had any issues with potholes? How are they wearing? When I bought this car, I didn't expect to have to replace the tires almost yearly!
My tire guy is really hesitant about going non-runflats around here without a spare. He just sees so many blowouts. He'll do it, but he doesn't think it's a good idea. FWIW though, when I told him about my brothers 911 not having runflats or a spare and just a compressor kit and slime, he was like "yeah, that's true", and then pointed at the 911 up on his ramp.
I think I'm going to take the risk and go with the A/S 3+, but I am really nervous about it. Hearing that you're in the area and having good experience with it really helps, so thanks!
I swapped fronts only at first. I'm at about 16,xxx miles on my AS3+s and have loads of meat left. My Conti's were toast after 14k. Only 2500 or so miles with the rear in the mix. Worth the expense whether you own or are leasing.
edit: missed the word "rears." Rears were finally shot at 30k
Last edited by RichardCranium3; Jun 26, 2019 at 08:54 AM.
I swapped fronts only at first. I'm at about 16,xxx miles on my AS3+s and have loads of meat left. My Conti's were toast after 14k. Only 2500 or so miles with the in the mix. Worth the expense whether you own or are leasing.
I'm in northern NJ and go to the city all the time. Have you had any issues with potholes? How are they wearing? When I bought this car, I didn't expect to have to replace the tires almost yearly!
My tire guy is really hesitant about going non-runflats around here without a spare. He just sees so many blowouts. He'll do it, but he doesn't think it's a good idea. FWIW though, when I told him about my brothers 911 not having runflats or a spare and just a compressor kit and slime, he was like "yeah, that's true", and then pointed at the 911 up on his ramp.
I think I'm going to take the risk and go with the A/S 3+, but I am really nervous about it. Hearing that you're in the area and having good experience with it really helps, so thanks!
I'm in Northern NJ also... I travel to the city often... With my runflats I had multiple blowouts. One time it was so bad it bent the rim and destroyed the steering column. I couldn't even drive the 50 miles and had to have MB assist come get the car. The stiff sidewalls are more of a detriment than a help. The A/S 3+ are night and day better!!
I made the move today to the Yokohama Advan A/S tire...all I can say is wow. Much quieter than the Conti RFT, takes significant edge of the constant crashing over bumps, and all my interior rattles have magically disappeared. Not bad for $650 installed and balanced!!!!
So I'm sold on the sealant and compressor for emergency tire repair. I previously thought that the sealant would ruin the tire and the sensor - but that's not the case.
So where do we obtain these "slime sealant and compressor" kits? Are they a dealer option? Generic local parts store? E-Bay?
I'm considering replacing the RFs on my coupe but want to have some emergency backup before I do.
Based on experience, I'd recommend testing the pump (and 12v connections) before storing it away in your trunk - to make sure it can actually inflate a tire.
And you certainly don't have to by the Slime-branded kit. Any automotive rated 12v air pump should work. I bought mine at Costco and it came with extra tips for inflating *****, tubes, etc. I filled up our tube at the lake last summer after our plug-in one died abruptly.
The Slime bottles or patch kits can be sourced at Walmart or any auto parts store (autozone, advance, o'reilly, etc)
The ride is much better than stock Contis. I agree with previous poster that it does not transform the car—the fundamentally stiff nature of the car remains, but is quite a bit better.
Fuel economy is better with the AS3+ than the Contis.
On inflation, here is gas cap:
My dealer always filled the Contis using the upper numbers for 18s, XL load.
This time for the first 600 miles I ran M+S light load pressures as set by dealers. Truly excellent but felt like maybe a bit of pressure would do some good. So went to M+S max load. Ride quality did not change much, can feels a bit more agile but some loss of on center feel, car is a little less planted.
Last edited by Snarfalus; Jul 9, 2019 at 06:56 AM.
I just replaced my Pirelli Cinturato P7 all Season run crap tires with some Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. I really don’t get why car companies keep using run flats. They are horrible, noisy, hard etc. the Indy 500 are really nice, grip like hell, quiet and better steering feel.
The ride is much better than stock Contis. I agree with previous poster that it does not transform the car—the fundamentally stiff nature of the car remains, but is quite a bit better.
Fuel economy is better with the AS3+ than the Contis.
On inflation, here is gas cap:
My dealer always filled the Contis using the upper numbers for 18s, XL load.
This time for the first 600 miles I ran M+S light load pressures as set by dealers. Truly excellent but felt like maybe a bit of pressure would do some good. So went to M+S max load. Ride quality did not change much, can feels a bit more agile but some loss of on center feel, car is a little less planted.
I think the proper pressure is somewhere between light and max M&S load and is a matter of feel and preference.
I do think if you have runflats, get them off. The car likes these tire.
The M+S pressures are ONLY for Mud and Snow tires with the "Three Peak Mountain Snow Symbol" imprinted on the tires, not for all season tires like the PS A/S 3+'s (even though they're marked "M+S").
According to the manual, we should use the fully laden tire pressures designated by rim size if we're traveling with a full load of passengers and cargo OR running at high speeds...
The M+S pressures are ONLY for Mud and Snow tires with the "Three Peak Mountain Snow Symbol" imprinted on the tires, not for all season tires like the PS A/S 3+'s (even though they're marked "M+S").
According to the manual, we should use the fully laden tire pressures designated by rim size if we're traveling with a full load of passengers and cargo OR running at high speeds...
The ride is too stiff with max load pressures anyway. Dealer had all four set around 36 and that was better in all respects. That doesn’t correspond to anything in the gas cap. Fronts should be above 40 per the gas cap.
2018 C43 Sedan. After 20,000 miles on the stock Contintential Pro Contact (SSR) 18 inch runflats there is plenty of tread left for lease turn in, but I have had enough of the stiff ride and simply mediocre grip. These tires held up well but were no where near as good as the Pirelli Cinturado P7s that I had on my old C300 in terms of performance.
This weekend I am having Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ non runflat all seasons put on. I really do not want to go to dedicated summer and winter tires. 2 year road hazard warranty from TireRack does not hurt either.
I will report back.
So, I also have a 2018 C43 sedan which I purchased back in November of 2017. The car came with the 19 inch wheels and pirelli p zero summer performance tires. Long story short I live in Chicago and I drive with this set up year round. Is it smart driving during the winter time with summer tires? Probably not, but I will tell you that they’ll place you in funky situations where if you know how to drive you’ll become a better driver from it. Most AMG owners in Chicago that I know personally also drive year round on summer tires. Thank God for these 43’s 4matic, it’s saved my **** a bunch of times.
Now the down side: the 10K mile tread life is nothing to be giddy about (I’ve already put 25k miles on my car). However, I haven’t had to deal with this downside too much thanks to Chicago’s potholes causing my tires to explode (happened 3 times since owning the car).
Buying the tire and wheel warranty is a Godsend. I’d recommend eventually switching to summer tires just so you can fully experience the car’s handling.
Originally Posted by Bigwaves
I was thinking about selling the 2018 Coupe and was already test driving a new Porsche. I switched to Michelin AS and that transformed the car. I can't believe how much of an improvement this made. The old wheels would not stand up on their own. Mercedes wheels and Conti run flats are really bad.
Which Porsche are you considering? I’m debating moving up to a C63 when my lease ends or switching to Porsche (most likely a beefed up 718).
The ride is too stiff with max load pressures anyway. Dealer had all four set around 36 and that was better in all respects. That doesn’t correspond to anything in the gas cap. Fronts should be above 40 per the gas cap.
Frankly now I am not sure how to set it up.
Me either!
I never drive with the car loaded up (hell it's a Cabriolet, good luck getting anyone in the back seats!), but I do drive pretty fast.
For light loads my gas cap recommends 41F and 33R. 33 seems way too low to me, but maybe it won't eat the tires up at that pressure?
Right now I have it set at 41F and 40R, but the Michelin website recommends 38 all around!
I'll probably do what Michelin recommends, but I'm so confused! Michelin even says check the vehicle placard.
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