jahquan3

I'm still not sure exactly what it was. This happened right after work on Thursday night. Had to wait for Tirerack to send out two replacements. Luckily the tires are under warranty (only 2 months old) so I'll be reimbursed eventually. The suck part is having to wait that extra day caused me to hit the weekend and Tirerack screwed up and put together wrong package at 1st so that took an additional day. Just got my car back this morning and couldn't be happier

It was a significant thud so I knew it wasn't a good look but I was surprised it cut thru the tires in the way they did. The tech said the rim cut through it but when I got new tires on they didn't say rim had any damage.

Just a heads up if you have low profiles to keep your head on a swivel. I usually do but now even more so.

ph350

What brand tire do you have ?

jahquan3

I got Yokohama - Advan Sports - All Season

jahquan3

I got the old tires back and took a close look at them last night. It appears the rim pinched the outside area of the tires and caused about a 2-3 inch gash. The gashes are almost identical on both tires.

KEY08

Bummer. Been there. I have always thought that the Airmatic for some reason helped to precipitate these blowouts, but obviously have no proof. I have had many bent rims and blowouts over the years with my Airmatic equipped Benz'. But, I am in Chicago and there is no pothole relief here. Make sure the tires are properly inflated and do not let them run low ever. Many of my wheels have been bent on the inside of the wheel where you cannot see the damage. Be careful out there!

jahquan3

I was thinking same thing that I might have had them under inflated. I believe the gas tank door says 33 Fronts and 36 Rear. So I had them at 29-31 at start up cold and they usually would go to about 33-34 Fr 36-37 Rear after they warm up.

After getting car back tire place has it 34 FR and 44 Rear starting cold. So I'm debating on leaving them like that for the extra inflation. I think this is still under max load so it should be fine. I just think the PSI difference is so high when comparing front to back against gas door label. Does anyone knows if it makes a huge difference.

jahquan3

I feel ya. It's pretty bad in North Jersey pothole wise as well. I know what towns that I have to snake drive in to avoid potholes. I swear I'm going to get a ticket for swerving all over the place one of these days. This time it caught me off guard since I was on a highway and wasn't expecting any major potholes.

KEY08

Yeah, they creep up and show no mercy. My continentals are at 39f and 40r, for what it's worth.

jahquan3

Off of the top do you know the max load for each? I saw it somewhere but I can't remember if the gas door had it on there. Also do you think to much of a PSI difference between the two (F - R) will make a huge difference wear wise? Since we have same car almost we probably have same staggered set etc.

KEY08

I have a 4Matic, so no staggered setup for me right now. My Contis have a 95 load rating and are also XL rated, so you can put more pressure into them. I have always preferred more pressure for better road feel and turn in. I had Yokos on my 911, but have never put those on any MB I have owned. Looks like your tire has a 97 load rating and is XL as well. I believe the maximum cold pressure is 44. That should be stamped on the tire.

thefisch

Pothole issues like these make me count my blessings. While I'd prefer the look of my car in 18 or 19 inch wheels, rolling on 17 inch tires (luxury trim) does have its advantages when it comes to potholes.

KEY08

Yeah, that is absolutely correct. Smaller wheel, less drama.

jahquan3

Thx, I'll make note of that.

thefisch

Funny, I remember my first car had 14 inch wheels with hubcaps. I thought I have arrived when I got 15 inch alloy wheels.

jahquan3

I agree. I like the look of the 18's I have but it's now got me p-noid every lil bump I go over. I'm also concerned if the low profile is not as functional in the snow/slush. It's gonna be an exciting winter I tell ya with this RWD. Every other vehicle I've used as a DD has always been Front Wheel drive. My wife on the other hand has had 4 wheel or AWD on every DD she had in past 10 years.

Oddly she's had two spin outs (no injuries/ minor damage) in the past 10 years during snowy conditions as well and I've had none.

hdm337

I blew the same two tires as you in February this year, the tires were 1 month old conti DWS and got them replaced by pepboys as I had road hazard coverage. These tires on my e550 are really not designed to handle potholes....maybe I should get a suv...sigh...

jahquan3

Do you have a 4matic?

Yeah they definitely are not equipped to handle potholes. I try my best to avoid them but there is no way to avoid some of them. Especially in semi congested traffic conditions where the view of the road directly in front of you is blocked. An SUV can just bowl over something and if I follow mistakenly......it's tow truck time

aaacsdai

KEY08 your point about the inside of the wheel is where the most damage occurs contrary to popular belief-no one checks until they replace tires or perform maintenance on the trans, exhaust, or suspension-most everyone looks for external-aesthetic damage only. Great mechanics rack the vehicle to check the under carriage for any damage or something the operator missed that may lead to a issue down the road, this should be required because of the amount of debris on US roadways, have you ever seen a pothole on a racetrack, and you will never see one on the Autobahn due to high speeds being normal and loss of control can be fatal. Low profiles were designed for the track not US roadways. Ever wonder why MB, BM, Audi, Porsche have refined suspensions, lower and wider wheel base-little to No potential road hazard issues except for Italy and Spain-there roads lack like the US.

jahquan3

I agree

Streamliner

With two blown tires, there's not much you can do and I think we would all agree that more than one blowout at a time is a rare thing. BUT, let's suppose you were on vacation, with you wife & kids, let's say in a National Park, and your brand new S550, with factory installed run flat tires hits a road hazard that SHREDS the tire. Gee, there's no spare, no jack and when your car is towed into Earl's Fillin' Station, Earl takes one look at your tire and says something like "I ain't never seen a tar like thatin! I'll need to call Omaha and see if they can send me one." In the mean time, you and your family are going to have to spend the night at the "No Tell Motel," in town while you hope and pray for a miracle from Omaha.
Run Flat Tires are the kiss of death! They cannot be repaired, they are much heavier, they are much more expensive, they don't handle or ride as well as conventional tires and when out of town, can be damn near impossible to replace. Worst of all, when MB equips their cars with run flats, in most cases, they ELIMINATE the jack & spare. The next time you talk to a anyone at MB, bring this topic up and tell them that you INSIST on having a spare wheel & tire, along with a jack & tool kit, in your trunk at all times. Sooner or later, they'll get the message. Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack this thread, but this is a topic I am passionate about.

rediesel

Preacher tells the truth and it hurts!!

jahquan3

I have a neighbor who swears by run flats, but I've yet to own a vehicle with them. I'm not sure of any major difference or if they're any good when compared to standard tires. I will admit I was wondering if they would've made any difference when I got the two blow outs but stayed with the standard tire due to familiarity and warranty.

rediesel

Runflats weigh more, give a harsher ride, poorer fuel economy, handle worse, have a shorter lifespan, and cost more than their traditional counterparts. I tried a few on my wife's 335i vert before I went with non-RFT. Everything improved.

Streamliner leads the anti-RFT campaign here at MBWorld, and he is 100% correct IMO.

reckrab

I had them on a 2008 Lexus GS 350 AWD and I have them on my 2014 E350 4matic now. I hated them then and I still hate them. Noisy, poor handling, rough riding, and crummy in slippery conditions. Other than that they're awesome!

I can't wait until I can find an excuse to dump them but I'm too cheap to throw away tires that technically have nothing wrong with them except they suck. I went back and forth with the dealer for two days trying to get them to swap them out when I bought the car but they wouldn't budge.

jahquan3

Have you ever actually needed them? I think my neighbor mentioned one time it saved him from being stranded somewhere. I was thinking that he works for BMW and I'm sure he has road side assistance so I don't really see any pros.