Lease and run flats
 

My wife has a leased 2020 E350 with Goodyear runflats. The tires have less than 26k miles and wear like crap and also ride like crap. I will have to replace the tires on this vehicle some time before the lease expires. I would prefer to put NON runflats on the vehicle as I did with a BMW that we owned a few years ago. The BMW rode like a new car with the non runflats. I'm wondering if I have to replace the tires with runflats again or can I use nons. If I do have to use runflats, would I be able to choose any brand? I would opt for the cheapest since we will be turning in the vehicle with very low miles on the replacement tires as my wife doesn't drive the car very much anymore. TIA

Does the car have a spare? Or a tire fit mobility kit? I replaced the crappy run flats on my GLE 550e with normal tires and a tire fit mobility kit (no place for a spare tire). It is not a lease though.

Lots of tire info here:

https://www.tirerack.com/content/tir.../homepage.html

I'm in France, so it migh be completely different here, but:
i can return the car with whatever (brand/type) tires i want
the only thing they look at is how worn they are, which might result in a fee to be paid

Car does not have a spare, but I haven't (nor will I) changed a tire in about 100 years. That's why God invented AAA and MB provides roadside assistance. I have an extra portable compressor and sealant left from my recently sold MDX which I could put in the trunk, but I'm more interested in learning what will MB say if it comes back with non runflats or Acme runflats which I could buy at Dollar General.

Might be different here and they usually look the other way on tires and minor wear and tear as long as you buy or least another vehicle.

Most lease terms require the car to be return with original equipment or replacement equipment of the same type. Most of the time, its up to the dealer if they will accept lease returns with a change of equipment, but whoever sells your car has to disclose the non-runflat, since its a safety issue, to the perspective buyer or change the tires back to oem tires before selling. The non-runflats will definitely not pass the Mercedes CPO inspection.

Makes sense, but they cannot possibly expect exact same brand of tires I would guess. I don't want to talk to the dealer about it yet.

They don't care what brand of tires it is. If you lease another Mercedes from them, they probably couldn't even care if they were runflat or not. 😀

Only run flats. I lease and as my car does not have a spare I must return the car with run flats. The brand is not important. I have Pirelli cinturato P 7 and with 24000 miles still have 7/32 of tread life left. I expect 40,000 miles. I have 18 inch wheels and ride is smooth like butter!

in Canada the car has to be returned with similar quality run flats as what came with the car. I do have a MB lease end protection policy which covers things such as worn tires scratches and dents up to a certain value without it costing me anything more at lease end.I have leased several MBs and always have had this protection policy and have never had an issue.

My runflats and wheels are sitting out behind the garage - took them off after buying the car - They only have 1500 miles on them.
I bought another set of wheels with non runflat Michelins and am running them.
When I sell the car the "brand new" wheels and runflat Goodyears will go back on.
My local dealer will replace the Goodyears with Conti's or Michelins if you need to change.

out of curiosity what possessed you to spend close to $2000 to change from RF to non RF, second what are going to do with a used set wheels and tires when you sell the car and third with non RF what happens when you have a flat?

I just purchased my 2018 E43 at the end of lease (ordered a Caddy CT4V Blackwing, dont know when it will be here), but I opted for the "inspection" for lease turn it before I arranged to purchase thinking I might turn it in. I switched to (20") Michelin Pilot Sport AS3's non run flats from run flats Pireillis a couple of years ago - the ride was cr@p and I had to do something - and it was a great choice.

Fast forward to last month and I scheduled the turn in inspection, the inspector showed up at my house as scheduled - they were (imho) much more focused on having both keys and all the the books then they were on the tires - he was here for about an hour. They measured the tread depth and made sure they were not some Dollar General type tires and when I got the report back there was no mention of run flat/non run flat. No dings whatsoever. They even gave me a "pass" on a small scratch on one of the doors.

Your experience may vary..... for me ... it was no issue.

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i believed the 2018 E43 come from the factory in both runflat and non-runflat.

I dont think so. They came with 19" standard and 20" optional - and both were run flats.

I changed out the 20 inch AMG wheels with ribbon tyres to 18 inch and tyres with a lot more sidewall on them.
I'll make sure that when it comes time to sell the car, the 18 inch tyres will just about need to be replaced. 18 inch Wheels will go back onto the great auction site from where I purchased them.

My local dealers spare parts department hold a good stock of replacement 20 inch AMG wheels for those owners who buckle or damage the odd wheel running over potholes etc. - Individual original wheels sell for near $1,200 each