Stockwell

Hi All, is GLB using RunFlat tire or come with a Spare ? How's the ride ?

TxT858

From all the youtube videos I've seen, I haven't seen one with a spare tire, so it's going to be RunFlats.

davv1215

Mercedes Extended Mobility tires (MOE). Slightly different than run flats.

GLB4US

No spare tire. It's got some type of run flat tires or some versions thereof.

The ride on long distance is definitely on the stiffer side. Way stiffer than our Lexus LX570 or RX450h. But not as stiff as our Lexus RCF. But this is comparing apples to oranges. Meaning the Lexus LX570 costs 2 to 3 times vs the GLB and is in a different category all together.

I think the GLB is targeted for younger folks vs older folks like me leaning towards more a plush ride for daily. That's why my kids drive the GLB and they love it.

bburbach

RunFlat and many dealers don't keep them on hand. Keep that in mind for long-distance driving.

Vladimir Livson

Run flats. I purchased portable air compressor and tire plug kit and keep it under trunk floor.
You can purchase a spare tire kit but it runs around $400.

bburbach

I'm probably going for the spare tire kit. I pumped air in but it wouldn't hold even overnight and the new tire took about a week to arrive so I ended up having to tow it in.

BenjaminKohl

If you get the 20 or 21 inch wheels you get régulait summer tires and a fix it flat kit, 18s and 19s get run flats.

Odd Piggy

That’s serious tire damage if it can’t be repaired with a good plug kit. I just repaired nail damage to one of mine. I have the 7 passenger version, so the spare tire kit is not an option.
For those planning on fixing a flat in the motel parking lot while traveling, in addition to the plug kit and portable compressor, you’ll need a Mercedes jack and a lug wrench. If your GLB was delivered like mine the jack and lug wrench were deleted for credit.

bburbach

Yes it was a very strange puncture and not a nail, from the picture the tech showed me it was about 1.5" long and 1/8" wide. They were thinking to try a repair but given it wouldn't hold air overnight without driving
it, they didn't think it was safe. Yes mine did not come with a jack or lug wrench either. But a plug kit might do in some instances so maybe I'll get that as well.

Kuhne

Hi, I have a GLB 250 2020 and as you know it comes with runflats which I like for city driving but I am always very nervous on road trips (I had a bad experience with my old X5 and runflats) So in my X5 I always had a full sized runflat spare in the back but that wasn't fun when you needed the space.

Anyway, now I have an even smaller truck so having a full sized runflat in the back is not a reality. I see they sell these kits from modernspare.com which have a nice, thin, inflated wheel and all the tools you need to change it.

My very dumb question is, would this pose a problem in an emergency? Changing only one wheel for a thinner, spare, air wheel when the other 3 wheels are runflats? Would this pose any problems at all?

Thanks.

Odd Piggy

The Modern Spare for GLB250 looks fine. They claim 80+ MPH capability for the spare, but I would limit it to 60-65 MPH because of possibly different handling characteristics of the narrow spare.

The one non driving problem I see comes if you have the 7 passenger version. If you need the spare and have 7 people, where do you put the full size wheel? There’s no room for it behind the rear seat. The middle seat passengers will have to ride with it.

Vladimir Livson

As long as the donut tire sized correctly, there should be no issues. I agree with Odd Piggy that you should limit your speed to 60 mph. Since spare tire is much narrower the car will not feel as stable, even if you replace a back tire. I am guessing front will feel even worse. Few years ago I had to put a donut in the back of my Toyota Highlander and it felt like the back was sliding side to side.

Kuhne

Thank you guys for the prompt reply, so what the two of you are saying is using the 3 run flat tires and one modern spare shouldn't be a problem as long as I keep it within reasonable speed and get a new tire as soon as I can?

Normally you wouldn't even need to change the tire as runflats do their job most of the time but I worry on road trips where the possibility of damaging the tire, even if it's a runflat, is too much and a tow would be necessary. Sometimes I am driving in places where towing isn't a possibility and you just want to get out of there as soon as possible.

But your point is very valid, if you do have 7 people on the GLB (I rarely do but it happens) where the heck do you put in the ruined wheel? Thankfully when we're on road trips and my wife's sisters come with us we're usually 6 and I have a cargo carrier on top , so with only one of the back seats up, the ruined wheel should fit right where the modern spare was, even if it will be a tighter fit. But it is an excellent point if you have 7 on board.

I think I am going to go and buy it then, it looks like really good quality and the included jack and tools seem to be pretty nice as well.

Vladimir Livson

I think run flats only make sense in theory. If you keep driving with punctured run flat chances are you would have to replace 2 tires. I think driving with punctured run flats destroys reinforced sidewalls, and once you have to replace one you would have to replace the second to have same thread wear. I personally keep tire plug kit and a portable compressor, and if I am unable to get the tire plugged due to access, I would just call road side assistance to tow me.

Serhan

My GLB 35 has MO1 non run flats and no spare tire... So I got the Modern Spare... I lowered the trunk and it is fine so far... Previous GLK had the smaller inflatable donut with 50mph speed limit... I had to use twice.. First time the tire was patched, but second needed replacement. It is a problem nowadays with the part & tire shortage esp with AMG 21" wheels. One coworker waited for 3 days for flat run tire replacement for a mini that had a blasted tire on a pothole. Another coworker first plugged the flat tire for his Tesla and then had a flat that needed a new tire, so he waited for a week... That is a big problem if you are traveling.

Vladimir Livson

I can't believe that they would sell a car with non run flats and no spare. Did the car come with anything? At least a can of fix a flat?

Odd Piggy

Later GLKs came 3 ways: with an inflatable spare and a portable air pump; with a fix a flat can and the pump; run flat tires and nothing, just like GLB. One would expect GLB without run flats to get the fix a flat and a pump. If not, adding it would be a good idea.

Serhan

It came with a can of sealer... I couldn't locate the air compressor which was supposed to be next to it. I didn't care much since I got the spare tire.... If I didn't have the Burmester amplifier on the spare tire location, I would have looked for the smaller donut that GLK has it...

Kuhne

Well, after much consideration, I ended up buying the modern spare kit for the GLB 250. I do like runflats for everything except for road trips. I was between the modern spare and simply buying a full sized run flat spare to have on the back when on the road… but the size of the wheel would be problematic.

Only problem now is if a run flat goes bad and I have to switch it for the modern spare I would have 3 run flats and one air donut… I hope that doesn’t give me some sort of structural damage or something like that.

It’s not a bad idea though, the tyre goes bad, you drive the 50 miles (it has 4 pirelli scorpion verde moe) then after the 50 miles you get to a safe place and change it for the modern spare, which apparently has way longer range than 50miles. Should be enough to get me where I need to go and make the calls I need to find a new run flat.

I won’t lie, i also fell victim to the neatness of the kit they sell, the bag with the tire, the jack, the tools… I really dig it.

gafitanu

I was very unhappy with the run flat tires option so I got a 98-05 ML 18x4 spare wheel, a T145/85R-18 spare tire, 06-11 ML jack, a compressor and fit everything under the trunk cover on the top position. I researched these to have the tire size, diameter, offset to match the car normal wheel geometry and width to fit under the trunk cover. I think I ended up just short of $200. I didn’t like the MB kit at $400, when you fork over $50k for the car they should give you the spare for free if you want it and it takes room in the trunk. After the run flat tires wear out it will be back on traditional tires. Another minus is that run flat tires are about 40% heavier than normal tires and that is adding a lot to the unsprung weight.
Btw, it is not a 7 passenger, it is a 5 passenger.

rcbenz1

Hi Everyone. New Canadian member to the forum . I bought a new 2021 GLB250 and love it. I just wanted to add that the MOE tires are not run flats. The Continental MOE tires that came with my vehicle have an inside layer of sealer for the entire interior circumference of the tire. The theory is that if a nail protrudes the tire, the sealer will seal the puncture and maintain the air pressure. The side walls of the MOE tires are not structured to maintain the weight of the vehicle, unlike run flats. I find the ride to be very comfortable without the stiffness of traditional run flats. However, I do keep a small air compressor and tire plugs in the vehicle just in-case the tires don't perform as advertised.

Odd Piggy

I wasn’t aware of the sealant layer in the MOE tires. But I did know that MB rates the tires as only capable of 20 miles at full load which does not meet the 50 mile full load requirement for ISO RF designation. The MOE tires do seem to be quite a bit less expensive than the RF rated tires from Bridgestone and Dunlop.

What I find interesting is that most of the major tire stores in the US still list them as run flats.

The sealant layer, however, hasn’t been particularly effective. A very small nail penetrated the right front tire in the center of the tread and it didn’t seal. A plug kit and compressor made a quick and reliable fix.

Mychasio

I just bought spare tire for my MB GLB 2022 and feel happy and safe.

skullbox15

They use this system for "tubeless" bicycle tires. The only problem is that the sealant evaporates over time and you have to continually add more. Seems like this system would have the same problem. I don't see how the sealant will just last forever in there.