tombon

I am puzzled by this. I would have thought the opposite was true.

ua549

The only reason the 17" tire would have a lower sidewall is it was a smaller size. Sidewall height is determined by multiplying the section width by the ratio. In other words a 245/45r17 tire has a sidewall height of 110.25 mm the same as a 245/45r18 tire. The only difference is the overall diameter due to wheel size.

El Cid

You are correct, I typed it the reverse of what it really is.
The sidewalls on the tires on 17" wheels are higher. The 18" wheels have to have tires with smaller sidewalls.
If you look at two cars with the different wheels, you can easily see the larger sidewall on the tires on 17" wheels. This is one reason why the cars with 17" wheels also easily clear curbs and parking bumpers, whereas the Sport models with 18" wheels hit them.

ProtonCharlie

As a tire dealer, I find that very strange unless you were buying the tires at the Mercedes dealership which might only have a few options. 245/45R17 is a very popular and easily available size in the U.S.

ProtonCharlie

triple post

ProtonCharlie

Come to think of it, why are we talking about 245/45R17 anyway if he is looking for comfort? My luxury edition E300 has 225/55R17, which indeed has a larger sidewall than 245/45R18

ProtonCharlie

double post

ua549

At Tire Kingdom I was told that 245/45ZR17 Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires (on my BMW) were in short supply and had to be ordered whereas the 18" size was in stock. I go through a lot of tires due to city driving road hazards. I'm on my second set of Pirelli P7's on my E300 with less than 3,000 miles on the clock.

ProtonCharlie

Gotcha. Yeah those might be harder if you insist on a certain brand and pattern. I would argue that Summer tires are not appropriate for your "grocery getter" though ( or really almost any non supercar for most people). If you like the P7, try the P7 Plus. It's not the exact O.E., but it's basically the same tire plus you will get mileage warranty and other benefits that O.E. tires don't get.

ua549

The 17" tires were for my BMW road car, not the E300. Here it is summer year 'round. Temps were in the 90° F range in February.
Unfortunately here the only folks that carry Pirelli tires in stock are car dealerships.

jbrown@eurogermantown.com

I would 100% recommend going with the Active Body Control. That is the reason Mercedes developed ABC, to measure and reduce the 5 points of body movement direction (side to side, front to rear, and vertical)

ABC actively fights back with the bumps in roads as well as the vehicle sway from everyday driving conditions. Resulting in a very comfortable ride. Smaller rims also also additional comfort so that would also be recommended.

ProtonCharlie

Summer tires don't mean they're what you should use in the summer. They'e more referred to in that way because they are not at all appropriate for anything but summer conditions. Summer tires are for racing/super outrageous performance for sporty driving. They will last a short time compared to other tires and not be nearly as comfortable. In an e300, they are not appropriate unless you like a rougher ride while putting around and like to burn through lots of tires. I'm sorry some dealer is leading you astray compared to what tire fits your driving habits.

ua549

They are perfect on my BMW road car. I rarely get more than 2,000 miles on tires under the best circumstances so mileage doesn't matter. Road hazard tire replacement coverage is what counts in addition to the tires being made in the EU when I purchase tires. Unfortunately the Pirelli P7's that came on my E300 are not made in the EU and have no warranties.

ProtonCharlie

Unfortunately they do not have magic fairy dust that they use in the E.U. to make better tires, but I am glad you are happy, and I'm sure your dealer takes excellent care of you considering how profitable you are going through all those tires. Do you never think just maybe that the choice of tires might have to do with why you only get 2,000 miles? What do I know though, I'm just a V.P. at one of the largest tire distributors on North America with nothing to gain trying to help.

Edit to remove a statement that was just too general in hindsight. Do your research and make sure the tires you are choosing have the characteristics you need. If you do that, I have nothing to add aside from not limiting yourself based on the E.U.

Best of luck to you.

The_Judge

Was that a typo? Did you mean to type 20,000 miles?

ua549

In the 70's and 80's I purchased three full sets of tires each year that were made in Asia, North America or Europe. I found that tires made in the EU regardless of brand performed better and lasted longer. My last work vehicle before I switched to flying was a Mercedes 300d with well over 350,000 miles on the clock and never a flat in 5 years. City driving is hazardous. If you drive in the city you will probably get a flat tire every month or so which means a new tire every time because rft's can't be repaired. I don't wear out tires, they go flat! M+S tires (city) go flat more often than summer tires (highway).

You really think that M+S tires being pushed by dealers as "all season" (think Ford/Firestone) are actually safer than performance tires designed for speed in hot dry summer climates? That may be OK for those who don't have cars for specific purposes, but like most of my neighbors, I have vehicles designated for a specific purpose. My BMW for road trips (think Pensacola to Tucson in a day) has summer performance tires, my E300 has factory M+S tires for city driving only, ... I don't think the E300 has been in a gear higher than 5th since new.

IMO the worst summer tire made in the EU is superior to M+S tire brands such as Goodyear, Firestone, Westlake, AKS, Telluride and Compass that are made elsewhere.

ua549

Not a typo. My tires don't wear out, they succumb to road hazards. RFT's can't be repaired. They must be replaced.

The_Judge

Wow! Not happy with the 19" RFTs that came on my 2018 E400C due to the harsh ride and will replace all four at some point. So far, however, they've survived beyond your 2K barrier despite the increasingly bad roads here in SoCal. I'm partial to Michelins, will consider Pirellis, not fond of Continentals or Goodyears. Any recommendations?

ua549

Buy non-rft's and a spare tire & accessories.

herbkell

Back in the MB fold after a brief time with a BMW550i I was not happy with the skinny run flats on my BMW and changed from 20 inch rims to 19's to get the extra half inch sidewall Also changed from run flats to regular tires and it made a significant difference to ride comfort

I have just ordered 18 inch rims and Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3+ in 245 45 R18 and I'm hoping to see as much ride comfort improvement as I did on the BMW

I carry a slime/compressor kit and some plugs and hope I don't have a flat that I can't fix. If it's a big slice in the tire I will call the MB assistance line

dudley07726

ua549

This was posted a long time ago, but here it is again. You may find equivalents at your local junk yard.

MB Part Numbers (expensive)
Compact spare: 213-400-06-00
Jack: 164-580-02-18
Ratcheting jack handle: 414-581-00-49
Lug wrench: 221-581-00-01
Container TireFit: 000-583-31-100

W213Sal

This is absolute misinformation, I own both 2018 E200D Exclusive (luxury version) Mercedes and 2017 Nissan Xtrail (Rogue's big brother), the Xtrail is literally a piece of sh*t compared to the E class, the noise is horrible and the build quality is **** poor (everything is plastic), the ride is basically a jacked up lunchbox on 4 wheels, I think an 1800s stagecoach would be more comfortable. Not much in the way of price difference (about 10K euro). Will be replacing the Xtrail with the new GLE when it comes out. Buying the Xtrail was the biggest mistake of my life, but only bought it cause i needed something with a bit of ground clearance and goods carrying capacity with the option of also having a lot of seating.

Jan AMG