no_mulligan

To all that are buying 10+ year old tires (unused) as spares. Obviously, safety is your motive and I couldn't agree more. Have you considered the risks of these old tires? While some may argue they are safe, rubber deteriorates. Consider the age plus how long you expect it to be in your vehicle. Say a spare you found was 15 years old and you plan to keep the GLC for another 5, that's a 20 year old tire that if put in service spells warning signs. Do the math, 10 years old plus 10 years more is still 20.
Where are you going to draw the line?

cbebmb1

Which (in my opinion) is just plain disregard for the customer so the manufacturers can save a few bucks and show more cargo space. There should be regulations warning the customer that a spare tire does not come with the vehicle and require the manufacturer to allow for space to add the spare as an option. Run flats and/or a can of goop & cheapy air pump are okay for city driving but, having a hole to big to plug in the tread or a sidewall blowout on a remote highway or area means you're helpless and hope the vehicle pulling over to help is really roadside assistance.

Sugar_Mouth

Yep!

I do quite a bit of driving in remote areas. I have installed a spare tire kit, there is no other way to roll.

mikapen

It's not the manufacturers' disregard for the customer or an attempt to have bigger cargo space. It's the Fed requirement for fuel economy (CAFE) that is driving weight reduction. That's why we see more extensive use of High Strength Steel, Aluminum, bonding, and many much more expensive construction technologies. And THAT is another reason that cars continue to rise in price.
Eliminating the spare saves precious weight. It's a simple fact.

cbebmb1

Hmmmm. Do you really believe what you just wrote?

cbebmb1

It's the obvious smart thing to do.

mikapen

Of course, because CAFE is the driving force here, not your groceries. Do some research.

cbebmb1

Right. Take away the spare tire and blame it on CAFE. Do you or have you family members or friends that work for MB?
At least voluntarily disclose to the customer they're purchasing a vehicle that does not come with an emergency spare tire.

mikapen

At some point you're going to have to look out for yourself.
If a spare tire is important to you, then you should check to see if the car you are looking at HAS A SPARE!

cbebmb1

Very important. I wouldn't buy a vehicle if it didn't have an emergency spare tire or at the very least a designated spot on the vehicle to store one.
Hey....when are you going to forward the name of that Colorado MB dealership that does all that above and beyond maintenance service you mentioned in another thread?
I'd sure like to know. Please help out another forum member.

pjsr8509

For some drivers run flats are the best option. If you don't have run flats, you need to be prepared for handling a flat tire (putting on the spare, plug the hole, fix-a-flat). There are a lot of people who just can't do these things, so having run flats makes a lot of sense for them. In this forum, the DIY spirit is strong and most here would definitely prefer the spare tire over the limitations and expense of run flats. There's no one solution that fits all and some people are better off with run flats. Average man would rather have a spare, average woman would rather have run flats...but I know a few men who can't change a tire and a few women who can...no absolute gender rule with this.

Luciano136

Funny this thread popped up. I was interested in the GLC 43 until I found out about the lack of spare tire and extremely limited selection in all-season tires with solid snow performance. Bummer but I think that's a deal breaker for me. Why do they offer a vehicle with offroad performance without proper tires?!

cbebmb1

I really don't think the GLC AMG 43 is considered an off road vehicle. Maybe not too rough of a trail or dirt/gravel road to your cabin but, not true off road. Just put a set of
Michelin's Pilot Sport All Season 4's on the 43 and you'll be good to go. I do agree with you regarding the lack of a spare tire. I'm guessing you could order the vehicle with the spare tire option.
My GLC 300 came with both a spare tire and the crappy run flats.

Luciano136

Not hardcore offroad for sure but the regular non-AMG GLC can be outfitted with the Merc offroad engineering package. The GLC 43 also has air suspension, so you can raise it up for extra ground clearance. I don't do anything crazy but they should expect some people to take it on dirt roads at least and getting a flat is not that unusual. The tire sizes are really oddball too; the tires you mention for example don't even come in the GLC 43's size so if you're driving in actual snow, you almost need a second set of wheels?! I may need to stick with my original idea of a 958.2 Cayenne S or GTS; still a sporty SUV but it keeps all the offroad/winter driving options as well.

cbebmb1

I see what you are saying about the very, very limited selection of tires for the GLC 43 yet alone a good all season tires. I see even Tirerack could offer only one Goodyear all season to fit that oddball size Mercedes chose to put on the vehicle. It pays to do your homework so you don't get stuck with a vehicle that requires weird size tires. Or worse yet, discover the vehicle does not come with at least an emergency spare tire when you need one.

Luciano136

I know! Kinda crazy because I'm sure most people don't even think about tires when buying a car. I can see someone buying this vehicle because it's awd, which is great for snow and ice and then find out they need to buy a second set of wheels just so they can use proper tires in winter!? I agree on the spare too; when I bought my ML it had run flat tires; I drove over a bolt in the mountains and the tire lost all of its air in a hurry; there was no way I was going to keep driving on that. Thankfully I had a spare. Long story short; runflats are pretty much worthless LOL

George in KG

Like a previous poster, I ordered a spare, jack and tools in November 2020 from this company. https://modernspare.com
Tire was backordered but finally arrived in Feb 2021. Pricey, but nice quality wheel, tire and tools. Some of the lug bolts were damaged in shipment, but the vendor replaced those immediately after a phone call. I ditched the run flats about a year ago and have been driving with just a plug kit and mini air compressor. I am more comfortable to have a spare tire even if it is only for temporary use. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase from modern spare.

Regarding fit in the cargo area, my experience is the same as others posted. The spare just barely fits under the floor of the cargo area.

cbebmb1

My 2021 GLC 300 came with the factory emergency spare and I still have a bunch of room around the spare that I use for storage. MB went the cheap route though and left the area around the spare tire as just prime coated sheet metal. I layered the sheet metal around the spare tire compartment with the cheapy carpeted floor mats the vehicle came with. I love the vehicle and wouldn't trade it for anything in its class but, not everything in the MB is as good as it could or should be.

George in KG

It's interesting to me how the vehicle configuration changes based on market (US, Canada, Europe, etc) and model year. Under floor storage area of our 2017 is lined with a fuzzy plastic like the walls of the cargo area. No bare metal in sight.

cbebmb1

2017 must have been the good old days. My 2021 is just bare primed metal. No better than my old 1967 Dodge Dart.

beachboy183

Hi Im new to the forums and have read through the threads for run flat replacements but I haven't seen anything that matches my case yet
I have a 2019 GLC 300 4M with the AMG sport package - My tires are 255/45 R20's
Its time to replace the RF tires and I want to use non RF tires but would like to find a spare and kit that will fit in the rear storage compartment and have the lid close - Im ok with a donut tire
Has anyone found a suitable option for a spare for these tires ?
If the spare can only go on the back and I have to rotate two tires in the case of a front flat I can live with that
Im going to contact the dealer tomorrow and see if the spare available for the 2020 model year will work for me but I would appreciate any and all help I can get
thank you in advance

Vaboy

Start here: https://modernspare.com/

Several members have gotten these and seem to like them. I ordered one 3/19/21 with anticipated ship date of 4/18/21. They’re having trouble getting all the components to ship the package. I got an email from them the other day and they said they had just gotten the heavy duty jacks that are required for the GLC and it should be shipping shortly. I’d be concerned if other members here had not used them so I’m expecting shipping info shortly.
I just looked and they mention having a pkg. for AMG’s.

Good luck!

Arcik 14

i found spare wheel from mercedes gl 350. Just wondering if this will fit glc

lanoipat

GL 350 spare tire should fit . Rim needs to be 19 inch minimum . Check fitment in the front to see it it clear the brakes . I had to buy 10mm spacers for mine .No spacers needed in the back .

beachboy183

Hi
I have a 2019 glc 300 4m with the AMG sport package. Of course this vehicle came with run flat tires - 255/45 R20.
Ive now reached the 30K mark and the tires need to be replaced. Ive read about replacing the runflats with regular tires and have placed an order for the replacement tire and jack kit I read about on this thread.
The service manager said that the vehicle is designed to be a runflat vehicle and has a heavier suspension to accommodate the runflat tires.
He also said that if I replace the runflat tires with non fun flats that the tires would be lighter and the car would tend to drift off line a bit more because of the tire weight.
This sounds like a sales pitch to me - I cant imagine that the difference in tire weight will noticeably affect the handling of my car.

I know many of you have replaced your run flats with normal tires - has anyone noticed this type of issue with non run flat tires ?
Are there any other issues I might encounter when I change to non run flat tires ?

thank you in advance