Hey everyone, could use some help here,

So i currently have the Continental Contisportcontact 5 SSR's run-flats on my c43, and these tires have been absolute ****. Ive had the car for a year and a half and I've already cracked 3 tires and bent 2 mags due to potholes. These tires have also only lasted around 13000 km's (8000 miles). Im trying to compare both run-flats and non-run flats to see which ones would be better. I know a lot of people have sworn never to get runflats again, but I've also read mixed reviews with people saying that because there's no spare tire, you shouldn't take a chance and should just get run-flats. The only upside to run-flats is that you can drive on for a while if you get a puncture, but its pretty well known that many mechanics don't like patching run-flats so what's the point. At the same time, with regular tires, i could be stuck with a flat in the middle of nowhere where I don't have cell signal to call a tow truck. My question is, would it be better to get a new set of run-flats, like pirelli p zero's, or should i look at non runflats like the Michelin PS4S or something. Has anyone also had problems with potholes with their runflats that got fixed by switching? My last car had regular tires with low profiles and i never had an issue with potholes and neither do friends that have regular tires aswell. This is my first car with runflats and all of a sudden im bending and cracking all these mags and tires.

thanks in advance

The real question is how often are you "in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal?" If that's every day for a 50 mile stretch, that may impact your decision. If it's once a year, then get non-run-flats and a can of fix-a-flat.

After you hit a pothole and destroy your rim and steering module (due to the stiffer sidewalls) you won't be able to make it the 50 miles on the runflats anyway... I know from personal experience. The runflats cause more issues than they fix. THEY SUCK!!! So IMO yes!!! ASAP!!

FWIW, the C63S doesn't have a spare or runflats and neither had my previous Audi RS5. I've been driving cars w/o a spare for the past 7 years. Most performance cars don't have spare tires, but also don't use runflats. My C63S came with PSS from the factory and I replaced them with a set of PS4S. There's a tire repair kit in the trunk with an air compressor and some goo to seal the tire if you are caught in the middle of nowhere w/o cell signal. I also keep a mushroom plug kit in the trunk as I'm not a big fan of the tire sealant goo. I've never been caught in the middle of nowhere with a flat and I do a lot of 200+ mile remote canyon drives. Most of the time I had a screw or nail in the tire that kept enough air in it to make it home. I only used a spare tire about twice in my 20+ years of driving. I used my mushroom plug kit for the first time the other day on the wife's car. She picked up a fat nail on the way to the grocery store and I didn't want to take it to the shop at the moment. She actually needs new tires, so I'll get them replaced once some form of normal life returns. The plug is not a 100% airtight, so I have to put some air in every time she needs the car, but she doesn't drive much, especially now. If you go with non-runflats, just order the C63S tire repair kit. The OEM repair kit is easy to use as you don't have to take the wheel off the car to plug it.

Switched from the runflats to PS4S last weekend and its an unreal difference. Highly recommend ditching the runflats in favor if something else

Or ditch the run flats and get a spare tire.

I have a set of Michelin PS4S on order. They should be in today or tomorrow.

Do you happen to have a part number for this kit?

Sorry, no I don't.

This repair kit also comes in C43s now.

My 4 months old 2019 sedan has the kit and compressor in the trunk and tires are ContiContactSport 5P (not marked with SSR - Self Supporting Runflat = non Runflat tires)
My friends 2 week old 2019 coupe came with same kit and tires.

We live in Thailand and are very pleased to see non runflat tires on our cars.

I hope MB is beginning to put non runflat tires on all their cars..

Yes, the C43 can actually be ordered with non-RF summer performance tires, even here in the USA. I'm not sure how so many end up with the all-season RF tires. I'm guessing they are buying off the lot, and dealers stock them with the RF tires. If it's ordered with the non-RF summer performance tires, then I would expect it to come with the repair kit as well.

Both my c43's came with Pirelli P Zero summer runflats... they must have changed up in 2019

I custom ordered my 2019 C43 with summer tires, and it came with Perelli summer runflats

My 2017 C43 came with Continental RF
My 2020 C43 came with Pirelli RF.
There is no option in Canada to have non-runflats come from factory.
The 2020 C43 had Michelin PS4S swapped in yesterday. Car has 370 mi logged.
Pirelli will go into storage for lease turn-in 44 months from now.

My bad, I didn't notice that all wheel/tire options for the C43 in the USA are MOE Extended (RF, R66). For some reason I thought the R01 performance tire option would come with non-RF tires. Looks like it's still the same for 2020. Only the C63 comes with non-RF and the Tire Mobility Kit (B51) in the USA.

This looks interesting. What exactly is the Tirefit Mobility Kit B51? Is there a single part number that can be ordered? Do different M-B models use different kits? Would our kit fit nicely in the compartment under the trunk floor?

It's a compressor and a can of tire sealant. In the C63 it sits in the trunk. It attaches to trunk liner using velcro. There isn't enough room under the trunk floor, at least not in the C63. I suppose there is a part number for the whole kit, but I don't have it.

http://www.mersuv.com/mbread-414.html

I found it on eBay just now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-Mer...0AAOSwYTpdTtRw

I can't say from any experience but linked below is an inflator/repair system I was looking at getting for a Tesla. Got a flat in a model s and found out it had no spare, compressor, or anything to remotely help you while stranded on the road. It's my Mom's car and I was glad it happened to me instead of her. This looked like a better option than the compressor/jump box from CAT that I have in most of the other cars that I got from Costco. The replacement fixing solution is also $25 if you should ever need it. Again, I have no experience with this product, it's just something that is a little less than 1/2 the cost of the MB one from ebay. Also, if you wanted to order directly from a dealership, the ebay auction has the part numbers listed.
Compressor: A0005832202
Sealant: A0005832512
Griots Garage Unit

One other thing I noticed is that the sealant from Griot's is a larger bottle. 450ml vs the 350ML from Dunlop that MB uses. I'm debating ordering either 1 or 2. Going to get 1 for the Tesla for sure, debating the second for my GLE which does have a spare tire. I'm leaning towards taking the CAT I got for the Tesla, moving to the GLE and getting one. The main thing I've seen is that a lot of fix-a-flat stuff I've seen doesn't indicate that it is safe for the TPMS system and I wouldn't want to damage that while trying to get off the road. This one explicitly says that it is safe for TPMS which is why I liked it I would imagine MB has figured that out as well...