I have an 03, s-430 with the sport pkg , with bridgestone potenza tires and 18 inch staggered offset wheels.
I have experienced 6 blowout(punctures) of tires (front and back), dealer cant figure out why. Says there is nothing wrong with my rims.
I have an E-class which I switch driving to every other day and I have never had any blowouts on that.

Please help , considering writing to MBZ

 

Do you have a girlfriend?

 

Last year, going to the coast to go fishing early one Thursday morning, I had 2 blowouts within 5 minutes of each other at 4AM in the middle of nowhereland TX. Both on the right side, first the front, then the back. We put on the spare in front, and then bang, 5 minutes later the back one went. I just had the car towed back to Austin at that point (over $400 yikes!!), and we continued to the coast in my friend's truck who was also following us down there. We did nail some huge reds and trout, so that was a nice consolation.

 

sucks, 6 blowouts

 

^
angry girlfriend

 

Correct offset?
Over inflating? (factory spec, not Max PSI indicate on side wall)

 

Problem could be Bridgestone Tires and/or incorrect inflation or a combination of the two. In addition low profile tires are certainly not as strong as conventional tires nor are they as durable. Its a sacrifice some people make for appearance sake. I, for one would not have a Bridgestone tire on any vehicle I own.

 

+1, Bridgestone make the crappiest tires and charge a lot for them, I never got why?

 

MICHELIN'S

 

not to be a total dick, but shouldn't this be in the S-Class forum since your E-Class isn't having blowouts?

 

I would bet it's the tires.

A friend bought a new VW GTI a few years back that came with OEM Pirellis, and had about as many blowouts in the 1st year as you. They would generally occur under colder conditions at the most inopportune times.

Despite being under warranty, the hassles of getting tires replaced every other month finally got him to replace the tires on his nickel, with Michelins I think, and he never had another blowout over the next few years he owned that car.

I would suggest going with the OEM replacement Michelins, Contis, or Goodyears for your S430. Good luck.

 

They're not really Blowouts if the tires are being punctured. a Blowout is a tire failure with explosive deflation for no apparent reason other than tire failure.

A puncture is not a tire failure at all, and shouldn't result in an explosive deflation (however rapid your deflation may be). Once the tire has been punctured by road debris the tire will not hold air.

Either the roads are very littered where you live or you drive very close to the shoulders of the road where most road debris is flung. When you drive thru the junk, you're puncturing your tire.

That being said, Michelin tires have a harder rubber compound than some other manufacturers and may resist punctures better for you. (Rubber hardness is a trade off between road adhesion and tire longevity chosen by the tire manufacturer.)

 

Michelin is good...