SEC1939

My E250 sport came with run flats (no spare due the add-blue tank) between the sport suspension and the RF I do not like the ride as compared to my 2005 CDI. Has anyone with same set up gone to non-run-flats? if so what is the ride like now? Do you carry a spare or a mobility kit of any type?

GRock

I have the same car and would like to hear the results as well.

kajtek1

My E250 come with standard tires on 17" rims and I don't like the ride comfort at all.
The 16" on older model work much better.
In all those years I did not hear good thing about runflats. The reports say about drastic comfort drop, while seem the runflat option has very limited use and a Maybach owner reported 5-digits damages to his car when he tried to use the feature on 2 miles drive/

mfab

My E250 has 38K miles now. Great car so far. I've been very satisfied with the car, and the ownership experience.

I am about to go buy tires, and I'm absolutely going with non-run-flats. The run flats have been the only real issue with the car so far.

/

Trancebolt

I took off the good year eagle ls2 runonflats at 35k miles, put on some cheap All Season grand touring tires for 70 bucks each and it was way smoother and softer. Then found some real cash and at around 56k switched them to BF GOodrich G-Force comp 2 a/s and the car is completely better this way. Turn in, cornering confidence, grip off the line, and braking all are better without runflats. You do lose the 'spare' functionality, so youll take a weight penalty to throw a spare in your trunk.... since our adblue container ( i believe yours too ) is in the trunk, so no spare compartment.

Basically switch them as soon as possible THe guys are right here too, the 16 inch wheels on the older e classes made a big difference. The 55h or so tire height does wonders for ride comfort. I cant say i miss the runflats at all...

E250_92101

I absolutely hated the run-flats that came with my first E250 on the stock 17" wheels. When I upgraded to 18" AMG wheels, I also wanted the most comfort I could get. I searched for a regular touring tire (not a sport tire) that would still have the "sport look" to match the AMG wheels. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Kumho Solus TA71's. http://www.kumhotireusa.com/tire/cat...4-955263FD3F43 Although I went from 17 to 18" on the rim size, the ride got significantly more comfortable and quieter with the TA71's. I have now driven probably 10,000 miles on these tires (on two different E250s) and would definitely buy them again. My first E250 had the sport suspension and the second has the comfort suspension -- love the tires on both. Of course, no tire is perfect but this is probably as close as I can get and would be scared to try anything else at this point. I'll add one more thing: when I bought the new take-off AMG wheels, they were staggered so I decided to go with the narrowest front tire I could (225/45/18) to further reduce road noise. The rear is 245/40/18. I think the wheels came from a coupe where MB puts 235 / 255 set-up on them.

I also ordered this flat repair system from Amazon: . Can't give you review since I haven't needed it (knock on wood!!).

VegasE

Here are some additional reasons not to use run-flats. Run flats are typically quoted for about 50 miles of service at reduced speed after loss of air. If you are on a freeway, pray that you are not hit from behind since you should reduce speed. If you are on a trip, that means you have to find a tire store that is open within 50 miles and then pray they have your size in stock because many run-flats can not be repaired. Chances are that you will wind up buying a cheap regular tire to get on the road as quickly as possible and deal with the run-flat when you get home, Also run flats are worthless if the flat is due to a tire slice or a bent rim. My Audi TT does not have a spare and I keep a spare in the trunk. Some folks only carry the spare when they go out of town. You could also look into a compact spare. Of the three flats I have had in the past 10 years, one was a tire slice and one was a pot hole bent rim

E250Man

I just did this swap with my 2014 E250 last week. I purchased a used set of staggered AMG wheels (8" front and 8 1/2" rear) that came from a C Class and installed Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 all season tires. the difference in ride quality is remarkable!! The car is significantly quieter and so much smoother on the road compared to the run flats. I have AAA roadside assistance and carry a flat repair kit in the trunk just in case.

SEC1939

Thanks for the input, I think I am convinced to make the switch to non-run flats. Probably will be in 2018 when the RF I have are worn & ready

mikemargolis

I will be the contrarian and say I love the run-flats. Peace of mind, and ride/noise is great. I have 17", and run Bridgestone DriveGuard RFT 245/45R17 in the summer. I have a second set of MB rims and run 225/45R-17 BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK LM-25 RFT in the winter. Super happy with both.

SEC1939

Hi Mike M, Do you have comfort or sport suspension? I'm looking to tame my sport suspension, I have a toy car for this type of driving

mikemargolis

Mine is the "ultimate highway cruiser." P2, Leather, Luxury, E350 Diesel. 800 miles out of a tank, put it on the highway and leave it there all day.

I purposely wanted P2 and Luxury when I bought it. Didn't want the 18" or 19" wheels here in New England for pothole season. I'd take 16's if I could, but I don't think the brakes will fit.

M

mellonc

I replaced them with regular tires. didn't like run flats at all. I now have the Mercedes Tirefit Kit in the trunk in case I get a flat.

gcssat

I went from run flats to non-run flats, run-flats lasted about 20k, extremely disappointed with comfort, noise, and ride. Debated whether to get another set of run flats. Did my research and got a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4's on my 2012 E-350 Bluetec. Unequivocally, the best thing ever, I'm glad I switched. My car drove like a Mercedes, serene and soft, and not the run of the mill car. Like others have mentioned, you run the risk of a flat, but nothing a temporary spare or fix a flat for long trips. I drive my car around town most of the time, so a tow for me would be a simple fix. I would recommend the switch.

Greg

mikemargolis

I bought my car CPO in 2012 with 25,000 miles on it and it had brand new RFT that were replaced by the dealer at CPO.

I had to replace those RFT's at 100,000 miles. Even with switching to snow tires for about 5 months out of the year, I got about 37,500 to 40,000 out of the Turanza's that were on the car.

Obviously, YMMV.

kajtek1

One more tip - you can always do what some trackers do. Carry spare tire only.
Any wheel shop can replace flat tire, but finding low-profile, high performance tire in some locations might be different story.
I had that situation in Las Vegas years ago, while driving ML. The truck had tire size commonly used on trucks, but Mercedes required H-speed rating (for the SUV with 115mph governor).
No tire shop in whole Las Vegas had that speed-rated tire and I had to drive on donut spare for 3 days before correct tire arrived. Than again, ML had donut spare. It did look really funny on the truck.

Transportoic

Yep. Ditch the Goodyear run flats and get the MB Tirefit kit. Maybe the Bridgestones are a good run flat tire what with modern tire tech and they seem to have good ratings at Tire Rack. I got a set of 18" wheels from a sport model that still had the Continental OE tires. They are craptastic too but less so than the Goodyears. I put Michelin Ice X tires on the 17's and they make great winter wheels and fully competent in bad weather.

tresean1

Different application, but I had runflats on my BMW 535i (comparable class of car); the ride was harsh and unpredictable. I changed them out for Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and the ride quality is a lot softer and handling is more precise--now the car goes where I point it.
Dare I say the ride quality on my BMW with 19's (runflats and non-runflats) is surprisingly better than the ride quality on the E-class with only 18's non-runflats.

Jckissin

Trancebolt

The suspension is mutually exclusive of the tires offered on all model years. Run flats were not widely in use until recently for weight savings, convenience and an upsell on expensive tires at the cost of ride quality and overall feel.

Plus you mean glk350 or a gl350 diesel cause that tire guy mentioning handling well is a non issue in that suv....might as well be on snow tires while you're at it.

Fwiw, My pops sold MBz for 30 years and the first place he went when he left the dealer with any car with runflats was to the tire spot. Gave them up for whatever **** worth they are and got some proper shoes. Suspension my ***....you just have no spare =]

Transportoic

I have switched from Good Year OEM 17" run flats to Michelin X-ice for winters, they're great! Also, I purchased 18" OEM Benz wheels for summer tires and currenlty am running on Michelin Pilot Sport. In fact, the Reno Mercedes recommended the Pilot Sports when I was in ther to buy tires. If there is a suspension setting, I don't feel it in my ***. The car handles fine.

gcssat

It's certainly plausible and I think that would matter only if the car had different spring rates or if you're changing the tire profile completely (the thickness). In our case, we have the sport and luxury trims, harder versus softer suspension. Makes since since I had the sport trim with the hard runflats, I felt and heard everything. The sport suspension hasn't changed except now I have the regular tires and haven't noticed any driving difference besides a smoother and quieter ride. The last thing I would consider is your driving style. I drive slow and smooth, and I don't load the tires. If you like turn at the last second and take the exits as fast as you can, you may see the difference. The taller the profile, the more flex and body roll, smaller and harder the profile, less flex.

pschiller

I swapped mine out about a year ago. No issues and much better ride! Luckily even though my 2013 e350 with run flats, it came equipped with a spare tire!

bkdc

In Europe, when the cars do NOT come with run-flats, do the cars come with a spare tire, either full size or compact?? I'm curious because I'd love to find an easy way to neatly package a spare into a w222 trunk.

kajtek1

From what I know DEF tanks in Europe just come on the market and the cars are still on warranty. Meaning you won't see the owners coming to forum for advice for some time..
Than bare in mind in Europe you don't have 1000 km distances with no tire shop having the size, like we do in USA.
Frankly I inspected my DEF tank very closely and it doesn't take much reengineering to make space for compact spare on top of it.
MB made big DEF tank that doesn't need filling for 20,000 km between oil changes. I fill up DEF in my Ford every 3000 miles and don't see a problem with it.
So my final conclusion is that MB engineers got lost a bit designing stuff for USA smog requirements, while they don't even drive those cars in Europe.