I understand the w213 is sold with run flat tires and no spare. I have not experienced run flat tires and hear they aré expensive to replace and hard to fix. Any advice?

 

Most places will not repair a run flat tire.

 

I do not have experience with run-flats either, but I've heard the same as you have, plus that they tend to give a harsher ride.

The last Dealer Ordering Guide I've seen (July 27, 2016) did not offer any factory alternatives to run-flats, but I would check with the dealer to see if possibly such an option may have since been added. When I purchased my coupe there was an un-advertised option in the DOG to have different tires from the standard ones mounted at the factory, with no additional charge.

Failing that, you could ask the dealer to mount tires of your choice upon delivery and give you an allowance for the virtually unused OEM tires shipped with the car. Some dealers will, some won't. Few will give you anywhere near what the OEM's may seem to you to be worth, of course. They are, after all, "used tires" at that point. Or keep them for "spares" or go through the hassle of selling them yourself, perhaps online.

And naturally you can always swap them out at a reputable discount tire dealer, after taking delivery and seeing what you think of the run-flats.

Given the choice, I personally wouldn't want run-flats on my car, for all the reasons cited. But that's just me.

 

Get some nice rims and tires and store or sell the oem run flats and wheels.

 

Run flats are ~20-30% more. If they fail, they usually need replaced. A small nail in the center portion of the tread causing a slow leak could be plugged, just as with a standard tire, but generally, once flat and driven on, they do need replaced.

Run Flats are being adopted for several reasons. Energy cost and recycle cost (25% more up front for 5 tires instead of 4). Then, weight (40-50 pounds for that extra wheel/tire) and perhaps also space considerations. Hybrids are going to need room for batteries. And, all MB will be hybrid in ten years time. I'm not just saying this, Mercedes has said it.

But, more important is safety. A surprising number of accidents occur involving cars pulled over in dangerous places because of a flat. Then, we have the driver changing a tire in a dangerous place. They get hit more often than one would imagine. Especially in Europe where the roads can be quite narrow and not much place to pull off. Then, we have the autobahn/freeway, where speeds are quite high in some sectors.

Even more important, Run Flats prevent loss of control in otherwise catastrophic blowouts or dropping a critically low tire off the pavement and going into an immediate spin or worse. I think most people do not consider these issues until they are right in the middle of one or the other of them. Remember, even monkeys fall out of trees from time to time. Humans are no more careful or cautious at times, either.

There are high performance run flats with stiff sidewalls, a fairly harsh ride and a noisy tread pattern. There are all-season run flats that are more complaint, quiet and have good ride quality. But, the selection is not as great as conventional tires. There are also high performance tires with "more" performance (and much faster tread wear) or all-season tires that are a bit less expensive. But, I think this may be missing the point.

Run Flats are much more safe than conventional tires, and they are more safe just when you might need exactly that extra margin.

 

I have had many years of experience with RunFlat tires dating back to 2005 with a C6 Corvette and many BMWs thereafter, including a 2015 BMW 535.

Runflats have a stiff sidewall to enable you to drive on a flat tire. My BMW had a pothole blowout with a hole in the sidewall that was fairly large. I was not stranded on the road and was able to drive it 10 miles to my home.

Most of the auto manufacturers have improved the suspensions to accept the stiff sidewall so it is not too bad compared to earlier generations. If you want to have a more compliant (smoother) ride, then stay away from the 19 inch wheel option.

Attached is a photo of a blowout I had with my E212. Had to wait an hour to get the spare put on.

Runflats are about safety. I recommend them.

 

MJSBENZ is correct. Just stay away from 40 series sidewall of 19 inch wheels. Best is actually 17 inch 50 series if ride quality is a concern. The new E300 has this option, combined with the excellent air-ride suspension.

The only disadvantage to run flats is if traveling through remote or rural areas. While a flat tire is a fairly rare occurrence, it would be a frustration looking for a new tire and caught in the situation of discovering that the tire needs delivered the next day best case.

 

Seems to me even with run flats, an event catastrophic enough to turn your tire like yours pictured would have you pulled to the side of the road. And why wait an hour, if inconvenient, and not mount your spare since you have one?

 

The tire in the photo is after I drove on it for 3 minutes to get off a very busy highway in an area I would not dare to stop unless I had a carry permit (which I do not as of now). Remember I live in NJ/NY! If the flat occurred on a runflat tire, it would not have shredded.

I was dressed for a black tie wedding and chose to not ruin an expensive tux. Therefore, I waited for the MB Roadside Assistance which worked for me. The Mercedes dealer had a hell of time trying to get the remainder of the tire off the wheel. Difficulty breaking the bead.

 

I had run flats on my 2001 Corvette. My only experience with a flat was in my garage. I assume that I picked up a nail somewhere on the way home, but the tire must have had a slow leak because my tire pressure warning did not indicate low pressure, The car sat for a few days and when I went to start the car I got the low pressure warning.

I called the Chevrolet dealer and they did not have the capability to repair the tire, neither did Sears or Costco. Finally I found a local tire dealer that could repair it if the nail was in the tread. They told me not to drive on the tire, but to bring it to them. Since the car was in my garage, I had access to my floor jack and socket wrenches. I took the wheel/tire to the shop.

They removed the tire from the rim. The nail was in the tread and on made a small hole in the tire. They put a patch on the inside of the tire and reassembled it. I had no problems with the tire again. They said that if I had driven on it with zero pressure they might not have been able to repair it.

I would have preferred regular tires on my E3000, but it only came with run flats, so I will live with them.

My E350 Coupe has regular tires and the skinny Space Saver spare.