Has anyone replaced their run-flats to non run-flat tires?




That explains why the markup.




I also see Costco has tires as well.
Last edited by JTK44; Dec 8, 2021 at 08:31 PM.
Without a spare, I guess run flats are the best option, but still wondering about ride quality.
I'm asking the dealer if there are other options because I'm looking for the best, quietest Ride (luxury styling, acoustic comfort, air body).
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; Dec 22, 2021 at 09:30 AM.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG




Haven't we seen this "movie" enough times?
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; Dec 22, 2021 at 02:10 PM.




As to a small leak in the tread: when I had a slow leak in my RF, Pirelli P7, my tire shop, a high end shop, removed the tire, patched it (they do not plug), balanced the tire and off I went. That was over 10,000 miles ago with no adverse effects.
Hopes this helps!
But you see, i'll never know until I compare them. I would keep the RF's so there's no substantail loss if I put them back on later. The only expense would be the spare which I may already have. There will be a loss if I find the RF's were not to my liking, as I would need to sell them at some loss.
Then again I'm lazy, so who knows.
My present E has 17" wheels that I like. I really don't like (or get) these bigger wheels, but 18" is now considered more of an elderly person tire, so I guess I should find them really soft (I don't).
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; Dec 22, 2021 at 04:03 PM.




But you see, i'll never know until I compare them. I would keep the RF's so there's no substantail loss if I put them back on later. The only expense would be the spare which I may already have. There will be a loss if I find the RF's were not to my liking, as I would need to sell them at some loss.
Then again I'm lazy, so who knows.
Spare: check threads and there are many. The spare must be special ordered so that offsets match up otherwise your brake calipers may hit. Don't forget the jack and lug nut wrench!
Point of interest: If you have demo an E Class with the 18" wheels it had RF. Are you saying that when you demo the car the ride was so harsh and unsatisfactory, but notwithstanding the harsh, unsatisfactory ride you are nevertheless willing to go ahead and pay $70,000 for a car hoping that changing the tires to non RF will make it ride smoother?
But these are good questions. No I've demo'd everything. Various things. Thing is, you can't get 17" tires anymore on these types of cars. As a matter of fact, when building a new 2022 BMW 5 series with (the 6 cylinder model), you only can order with 19" wheels, No 18" option! (that's just the 6 cylinder, and I think the new S is only 19". Pretty sure)
So there's that, which is no-choice. Take it or leave it.
There's alway a Toyota! They make pretty good reliable cars actually. But I've resigned myself to the new ways. I just want to minimize the shock (literally).
Btw, after taxes its around $83k.
But the tire pressure I'm thinking is the trick up until a point, maybe. Not sure how that relates to RF, but I certainly will test them.
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; Dec 22, 2021 at 05:05 PM.
Limped home 4 miles at 15 mph.




I assume your car had RF and thus you were able to "limp home': Sounds better to me than if you had non RF, in the middle of a rain storm you would have had to either pull over and change your tire or wait until a tow truck came to change your tire on Christmas Eve!
I think the RF performed as designed: They got you home in a rain storm!




Now to find a suitable replacement…..[/
I switched to non run flat tires 3 years ago and could not be happier. I have a full size spare along with a hydraulic jack and tools in my trunk
In my humble opinion and again only my opinion, the cons of run flat tires far exceeds the pros. They are twice as expensive, can only be had at a MB dealer, can’t be changed by most auto/tire shops, ride like the flintstones, wears much quicker and I am pretty sure I have not listed all
Only pros I see are immediate convince in the event of a flat and being able to drive a 50 miles, Al little safer in the event of a blowout (which I have never personally experienced). They both were not worth me keeping run flat tires. Good luck on whatever you choose to do




Now to find a suitable replacement…..[/
I switched to non run flat tires 3 years ago and could not be happier. I have a full size spare along with a hydraulic jack and tools in my trunk
In my humble opinion and again only my opinion, the cons of run flat tires far exceeds the pros. They are twice as expensive, can only be had at a MB dealer, can’t be changed by most auto/tire shops, ride like the flintstones, wears much quicker and I am pretty sure I have not listed all
- Tread Life: I have the Pirelli Centurato P7 MOE, 18 inch on my 2019 E450. Brand new Pirelli's have 10/32 of tread. At 20,000 miles, the front tires had 8/32 while the rear 7/32. Assuming usable tread wear of 3/32, my tires will last for a minimum of 40,000 miles. I always keep my tires inflated to 35 psi. In the winter, as temperatures drop, I "top" off my tires. I have a good quality air compressor. In the spring, as temperatures rise, I let out air always maintaining 35 psi. The recommended PSI on the fuel filler cap for my 2019 E450, with 18 inch wheels is 33 psi.
- Price: At my local tire dealer, I had to replace both front tires because of bubbles. Each Pirelli P7 MOE tire cost $303 plus mounting balancing and sales tax. The same tire at Tire Rack is $300. The non run flat Pirelli equivalent is $253. 4 new Pirelli run flats MOE cost $1209. The equivalent 4 Pirelli non run flats cost $1012. That is not double the price; It is a difference of only $200, only 17% and less than the cost of spare wheel, tire and jack. see: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...an&autoModClar and https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...n&autoModClar=
- Availability: I went to my local tire dealer on Monday afternoon. The Pirelli run flat MOE was there the next day by noon and installed within an hour. I never went to the Mercedes dealer. When I discovered a bubble on the other front tire all I did was call my tire shop and the replacement tire was there the next day.
- Fixability: I have had a small leak in one of my Pirelli run flats. My local tire dealer was able to patch it. Total cost including rebalancing was $40 including tax. That was over 10,000 miles ago and I have had no problems with the tire.
- Ride: This horse has been beaten to death or left town. From the postings on this forum, it would seem that nearly all the the complaints about ride harshness are from those who opted for the larger 19 inch wheels. I have the standard 18 inch wheels and I think the ride is sublime.
[QUOTE=kingscorpian27;8480220]
- Being able to drive 50 miles instead of being left stranded on the side of the road.
- Safer in the event of a blowout
WOW! You are willing to give this up to save a few bucks, but not really if you include the price of the spare wheel, tire and jack, and also give up valuable trunk space all to get a "smoother ride".
The only advantage I can think of for having non run flats is a smoother ride. Only my opinion, It would seem to me that the size of your wheel not the run flats are your problem.
To me the ability not to stranded and safety in the event of a blow out is worth the extra cost.




This has been completely contrary to my experience with the RF Pirelli I have as MOE:
- Tread Life: I have the Pirelli Centurato P7 MOE, 18 inch on my 2019 E450. Brand new Pirelli's have 10/32 of tread. At 20,000 miles, the front tires had 8/32 while the rear 7/32. Assuming usable tread wear of 3/32, my tires will last for a minimum of 40,000 miles. I always keep my tires inflated to 35 psi. In the winter, as temperatures drop, I "top" off my tires. I have a good quality air compressor. In the spring, as temperatures rise, I let out air always maintaining 35 psi. The recommended PSI on the fuel filler cap for my 2019 E450, with 18 inch wheels is 33 psi.
- Price: At my local tire dealer, I had to replace both front tires because of bubbles. Each Pirelli P7 MOE tire cost $303 plus mounting balancing and sales tax. The same tire at Tire Rack is $300. The non run flat Pirelli equivalent is $253. 4 new Pirelli run flats MOE cost $1209. The equivalent 4 Pirelli non run flats cost $1012. That is not double the price; It is a difference of only $200, only 17% and less than the cost of spare wheel, tire and jack. see: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...an&autoModClar and https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...n&autoModClar=
- Availability: I went to my local tire dealer on Monday afternoon. The Pirelli run flat MOE was there the next day by noon and installed within an hour. I never went to the Mercedes dealer. When I discovered a bubble on the other front tire all I did was call my tire shop and the replacement tire was there the next day.
- Fixability: I have had a small leak in one of my Pirelli run flats. My local tire dealer was able to patch it. Total cost including rebalancing was $40 including tax. That was over 10,000 miles ago and I have had no problems with the tire.
- Ride: This horse has been beaten to death or left town. From the postings on this forum, it would seem that nearly all the the complaints about ride harshness are from those who opted for the larger 19 inch wheels. I have the standard 18 inch wheels and I think the ride is sublime.
So the only pros are:
- Being able to drive 50 miles instead of being left stranded on the side of the road.
- Safer in the event of a blowout
WOW! You are willing to give this up to save a few bucks, but not really if you include the price of the spare wheel, tire and jack, and also give up valuable trunk space all to get a "smoother ride".
The only advantage I can think of for having non run flats is a smoother ride. Only my opinion, It would seem to me that the size of your wheel not the run flats are your problem.
To me the ability not to stranded and safety in the event of a blow out is worth the extra cost.




This has been completely contrary to my experience with the RF Pirelli I have as MOE:
- Tread Life: I have the Pirelli Centurato P7 MOE, 18 inch on my 2019 E450. Brand new Pirelli's have 10/32 of tread. At 20,000 miles, the front tires had 8/32 while the rear 7/32. Assuming usable tread wear of 3/32, my tires will last for a minimum of 40,000 miles. I always keep my tires inflated to 35 psi. In the winter, as temperatures drop, I "top" off my tires. I have a good quality air compressor. In the spring, as temperatures rise, I let out air always maintaining 35 psi. The recommended PSI on the fuel filler cap for my 2019 E450, with 18 inch wheels is 33 psi.
- Price: At my local tire dealer, I had to replace both front tires because of bubbles. Each Pirelli P7 MOE tire cost $303 plus mounting balancing and sales tax. The same tire at Tire Rack is $300. The non run flat Pirelli equivalent is $253. 4 new Pirelli run flats MOE cost $1209. The equivalent 4 Pirelli non run flats cost $1012. That is not double the price; It is a difference of only $200, only 17% and less than the cost of spare wheel, tire and jack. see: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...an&autoModClar and https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...n&autoModClar=
- Availability: I went to my local tire dealer on Monday afternoon. The Pirelli run flat MOE was there the next day by noon and installed within an hour. I never went to the Mercedes dealer. When I discovered a bubble on the other front tire all I did was call my tire shop and the replacement tire was there the next day.
- Fixability: I have had a small leak in one of my Pirelli run flats. My local tire dealer was able to patch it. Total cost including rebalancing was $40 including tax. That was over 10,000 miles ago and I have had no problems with the tire.
- Ride: This horse has been beaten to death or left town. From the postings on this forum, it would seem that nearly all the the complaints about ride harshness are from those who opted for the larger 19 inch wheels. I have the standard 18 inch wheels and I think the ride is sublime.
I have the Luxury module E300 with 17” rims and as stated my personal opinion and preference from experience. On my previous C300 Luxury model I went through 3 tires in 2 years. The 1st one was a bubble and 2 other 2 where worn tires. After only 1 year and 10K miles I needed front tires on my current E300 and I drive pretty conservatively
I have read somewhere, but it may be only anecdotal, that RF are more prone to bubbles than non RF. On the other hand, the pot holes, and in the New York City area we have plenty, may have caused non RF to blowout and fail whereas the RF to have a bubble.
In any event for the safety in the event of a blowout and not being stranded on the side of the road is certainly worth the trade off, at least to me, of a "smoother ride".
Point of Information: Before you got your E Class with RF, did you test drive it? Did you find the ride "too harsh" and yet still bought the car? When I test drove mine, it had RF and I was completely satisfied with the ride - as car that cost $70,000 should be!




I believe the MOE tires have a rating of 500, so if they wore out in 10,000 miles you should have had a claim.
I have read somewhere, but it may be only anecdotal, that RF are more prone to bubbles than non RF. On the other hand, the pot holes, and in the New York City area we have plenty, may have caused non RF to blowout and fail whereas the RF to have a bubble.
In any event for the safety in the event of a blowout and not being stranded on the side of the road is certainly worth the trade off, at least to me, of a "smoother ride".
Point of Information: Before you got your E Class with RF, did you test drive it? Did you find the ride "too harsh" and yet still bought the car? When I test drove mine, it had RF and I was completely satisfied with the ride - as car that cost $70,000 should be!
I knew what I had experienced either with the previous car not to mention same quick tire wear with the E300. I don’t have a problem changing my own tire if I need to or calling MB roadside assistance. Just works a whole lot better for me in every way. To each his own, it boils down to personal preference depending on what one considers pros vs cons 👍🏼🙏🏽




