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2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by woodsmr99
Well, had my baby towed to the nearest Mercedes dealership, about 20 miles away. Turns out that the rear tire on the same side had a crack in the sidewall as well, though not as bad as the front tire. I'm going all in to purchase a set of four. But seems like the dealership is $300 - $450 more for the same OEM tires than places like Discount tires, or The Tire Rack. Not sure why this is...Anyway, tomorrow I'm pulling the trigger on something. I sure am thinking hard about getting rid of those ROF's though. Pneumatic tires and a small portable electric tire pump with the 'goop' stuff in it and roadside assistance might be a better backup. Thanks again for the info and advice.
Years ago when I had an Audi 8L, I was in the service department: They had between 12 and 18 tires. All clearly marked were from Tirerack.
Years ago when I had an Audi 8L, I was in the service department: They had between 12 and 18 tires. All clearly marked were from Tirerack.
That explains why the markup.
Man, I 100% believe this! I think I might have to pay this price too, as 'nobody' seems to have availability of these tires before the 18th of this month except the dealership. Damn pandemic!!
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by woodsmr99
Man, I 100% believe this! I think I might have to pay this price too, as 'nobody' seems to have availability of these tires before the 18th of this month except the dealership. Damn pandemic!!
Why not just buy the tires from Tirerack and use their designated installer?
Great thread--I'm about to purchase a new build E350 4Matic and looks like the OEM tires are Goodyear Eagle Sport Run Flat. Does anyone have experience with this specific tire? are there quieter run flats?
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).
the Goodyear eagle sports in my experience run out of tread quickly and awful ride. Noisy as heck. A class loaner had better ride and quieter than my fully loaded e class on 19" run flats. Also good luck with your E class. Last 2 I leased have been total POS.
the Goodyear eagle sports in my experience run out of tread quickly and awful ride. Noisy as heck. A class loaner had better ride and quieter than my fully loaded e class on 19" run flats. Also good luck with your E class. Last 2 I leased have been total POS.
Just read all of your posts. Very negative experience and comments with all of them. Sorry you had issues.
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; 12-22-2021 at 09:30 AM.
Just read all of your posts. Very negative experience and comments with all of them. Sorry you had issues. But if you are done with these cars why come here?
To warn people? Not cool.
My advice would be for people to try to identify build quality issues before they take delivery and have them addressed before they start paying. Not cool of MB to sell a car that has so many build quality issues and play dumb. And also helpful to think twice about the tires being spec'd. Stop trying to tell people if and when they can post lol.
My advice would be for people to try to identify build quality issues before they take delivery and have them addressed before they start paying. Not cool of MB to sell a car that has so many build quality issues and play dumb. And also helpful to think twice about the tires being spec'd. Stop trying to tell people if and when they can post lol.
As you can see I edited my post within a minute. Sorry about the confusion.
As you can see I edited my post within a minute. Sorry about the confusion.
also...in my experience the goodyear eagle sports even though mud and snow rated are poor in slushy/icy conditions especially turning at low speeds (ie parking or driving in traffic and bad weather in nyc). Snow tires make a world of difference.
I swithced my 20in RF Pirelli PZero for 19 in non RF winter tires. Now, I am not racing , so performance wise. no difference. Comfort is much better. I don't feel every pebble in the road . I bought a Griots tire inflator kit. Nice compact carry case, mini air compressor and high quality sealant that won't mess up the TPMS. That kit would get this tire and me someplace just as well as a RF but I have to get out of my car. Maybe in the rain or snow, but no jacking up. When my Pirellis wear out I will put Michelin PS4 non run flats on my 20 in wheels. I may buy a mini spare from Modernspare.com. Maybe. If you blow out a tire, runflat or not and don't have a spare, it's flatbed city. I had a 911 that had sealer and a built in compressor, so it should be fine. my good friend has a S560 and just replaced all his runflats with regular tires. Hated the RF's, loves the ride now.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by MB12477
the Goodyear eagle sports in my experience run out of tread quickly and awful ride. Noisy as heck. A class loaner had better ride and quieter than my fully loaded e class on 19" run flats. Also good luck with your E class. Last 2 I leased have been total POS.
Once again, another person who opted for the bigger 19" wheels has regrets.
I've ordered a car with 18" but will swap them out for regular after a couple weeks. I'll just keep the RF's for comparison. I can always swap them out later on down the road, so to speak. Frankly, I'm not liking the idea of them. They would be brilliant if they were fixable. Plugging tires is sort of a miracle in itself, so why give that up?
Last edited by Mac Jones 55; 12-22-2021 at 02:10 PM.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by Mac Jones 55
I've ordered a car with 18" but will swap them out for regular after a couple weeks. I'll just keep the RF's for comparison. I can always swap them out later on down the road, so to speak. Frankly, I'm not liking the idea of them. They would be brilliant if they were fixable. Plugging tires is sort of a miracle in itself, so why give that up?
Before spending upwards of $1200 on a set of RF, have you driven an E class with the standard 18" wheels, with the proper inflation (33 psi) and determined that the ride was unsatisfactory? I for one would do this before I took off perfectly good RF and had them replaced.
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.
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; 12-22-2021 at 04:03 PM.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by Mac Jones 55
Thanks!
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.
Are you planning on taking the RF off before you take delivery? That is the only way you will have "new" tires that have value.
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?
I don't need the RF to be new when I take them off.
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; 12-22-2021 at 05:05 PM.
Hit multiple holes last night. On a street I know well too. It was probably the result of all the rain we got here, but why there weren’t cones around this area I have no idea.
Limped home 4 miles at 15 mph.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by CaptainE
Hit multiple holes last night. On a street I know well too. It was probably the result of all the rain we got here, but why there weren’t cones around this area I have no idea.
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!
I agree. This was my first blowout, and they worked as advertised.
Now to find a suitable replacement…..
I do cringe every time I hit a hard bump due to the low profile but it’s a trade off.
[QUOTE=CaptainE;8480214]I agree. This was my first blowout, and they worked as advertised.
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
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
[QUOTE=kingscorpian27;8480220]
Originally Posted by CaptainE
I agree. This was my first blowout, and they worked as advertised.
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
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.
[QUOTE=kingscorpian27;8480220]
Originally Posted by CaptainE
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
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.
Originally Posted by kingscorpian27
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.
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
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 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 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 actually test drove a Sport model because there were no Luxury models available within reach to test drive. The ride wasn’t what I had hoped for. I drove over 100+ miles and test drove the car I purchased and still was not pleased with the RF tires. I planned on keeping the car for awhile and as soon as it was time for new front tires (again quick tire wear) I changed all 4 to non RF.
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 👍🏼🙏🏽
Hit multiple holes last night. On a street I know well too. It was probably the result of all the rain we got here, but why there weren’t cones around this area I have no idea.
Limped home 4 miles at 15 mph.
I wonder if those sidewall splits happen because the RF sidewall is so hard, and so it cracks rather than cushion. Perhaps, and again, I am just wondering, if a conventional tire would have handled those potholes better. Maybe flexed, but would not split. My friend has a S550 and got those splits all the time. He switched to conventional tires and have not heard him complain of a flat since he got them. Coincidence?