Luciano136

It's impressive the load of BS stealerships come up with. Tire weight won't matter; all vehicles come with different wheel/rim combos. The only thing that will make it drift offline is a bad alignment.

pjsr8509

I'm not a performance driver, but tend to pass more people than pass me. I don't take high speed turns. Thus far I would say my non-runflat tires are superior in handling and give a much smoother ride. The vibration in the steering column going over bumps stopped when I got rid of the run flats. I'm very happy I got rid of the run flats. I think you break-even immediately because the non-run flats will last twice as long.

I bought the cross climate 2 tires. I'm happy for the most part, but this SUV still doesn't handle in the snow/ice as well as my ex-wife 525xi. A little disappointed because I thought it should be great on snow and ice...it's not.

thisglc

I concur. It's an impressive exercise in imagination, but also one that defies physics. Lighter wheel/tire combo is what manufacturers seek. The tech term is "unsprung weight". In any case, the difference is immaterial and consequences orthogonal to drifting. You can safely LOL this one and purchase your tires elsewhere.

Sugar_Mouth

Get your spare tire kit, buy a good tire and have them mounted. You will be better off in the event you are in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and a blow out.

Luciano136

Exactly! People spend thousands on forged lightweight wheels to improve handling LOL

ajmtbm

All I have noticed with CrossClimate 2's on each corner and a Modern Spare inn the trunk is a quiet and smoother ride and feels more surefooted in the rain, and hopefully more than 30k out of a set of tires

Luciano136

Makes sense. Run flats have rubber blocks in them in case of a puncture; they are much firmer and typically have a harsh ride. There is very little benefit to them IMO; in case of a severe puncture, you still can't drive on them. And if it's a small puncture, a regular tire will typically hold enough air to get to safe spot as well.

Sugar_Mouth

I am running Michelin Defender LTX M/S, they are great!

beachboy183

so thank you all for your input -
Ive ordered the spare tire and will put non run flats on the car this weekend
next question - the dealer was going to charge me $400 for alignment and distronic alignment - $250 for normal alignment and $150 for distronic alignment
I have read on forums here that the distronic alignment has to do with the radar and lane keeping assist
I can get a life time alignment policy at my tire place for $150 ( I have had one on my lexus for years)
I dont think I can trust the tire place to do a distronic alignment (maybe they can)
What experience have you had with alignments and the need to do distronic alignments when replacing tires ? - seem like the distronic system would only need alignment if the sensors were moved

thank you all again !

Teckno

Never hear of Distronic alignment - sounds like a new ‘cash cow’ for Dealers ???
If you replaced your front windscreen, then yes need to realign to new glass optics.
Re the issue of run flat tyres, again Dealer info is ‘disinfo’ - MB delivered our 250d Coupe with non run flat tyres from factory, Michelin Latitude 3 sports with air pump and can of goo in boot as standard (car has air suspension).
MB Australia did change over tyres to run flats due to complaints re front tyre scrubbing out and front end juddering when performing a hard right u turn - this was part remedy to RHD models. Juddering was later improved when Germany designed and replaced steering knuckles on earlier GLC models, in UK, NZ and Australia.
So normal summer or all season tyres seem fine to be fitted.
Hope tour MB spare tyre kit is cheaper than ours here, recommended price is around AU$1000 which is ridiculous.
Some owners have looked a Continental ‘self healing’ tyres that have a goo built into the tyre construction.
Dealers charge around $290 here, which means ‘Hunter’ laser wheel align takes 1 hour. Insist on paper copy of before and after she’ll data settings, that way you can go anywhere next time.
I cannot imagine RHD and LHD cars will be much different for front settings and rears settings should be same across models.
Good luck

DanD.

I thing you got it right, especially as with 2020 model you can get spare, i doubt MB have changed suspension.
In my personal experience, RFT is junk, especially on rough road.
I have winter tires and all season non RFT, and i driving is much more pleasant, handling is more soft, cornering is about the same, maybe a little softer.
18winter
19 all seasons
So my experience, a big win in comfort, cost and overall.
Good luck.

ajmtbm

I usually get tires at Costco, and this never get alignments. Haven't noticed any issues. If I were to notice uneven wear, I would then look into getting one.

gjosephson

After experiencing several flats (simple nail punctures) with the run flat tires and purchasing 2 brand new tires to remedy the situation I knew the run flats had to go.
Upon researching online it seemed complicated to convert to standard air tires and find the correct spare tire, wheel, and jacking kit until I stumbled on to this website: modernspare.com

This company has a complete package of wheel, tire, lugs, and jacking kit. I paid around $400 bucks and replaced all 4 tires with standard Michelins. The spare fits nicely under rear shelf and each kit is specifically designed for the vehicle. Just enter your vehicle information into their search engine to get the correct size spare. There are several options for the jacking kit. My GLC 300 rides so much better.

NEskier

This forum has great information! Thank you guys. I too am going to change to non run flats in the Spring. My original tires on the 2019 GLC300 4M base model made it to 29K miles. Just so happens it was time to put winter tires on so after some research I got Bridgestone Blizzaks put on by Costco and got an excellent deal on them in late Summer. To my surprise these tires ride so much better than the crappy run flats that came with the car. Immediately felt the difference. In New England we have so many pot holes both low profile and run flat tires will give you a very harsh ride. Unfortunately I am in a time crunch. leaving for a long trip soon and don't think I can get a spare delivered before we go. But, I will be investing in the spare tire and kit mentioned here.

2020GLC300

Put a 12V air compressor and a tire plug kit (add a razor blade for cutting off the excess of the plug), and you'll have 90% of tire flats covered on your trip.

NEskier

Already have the compressor, but don't have a tire plug kit. Any recommendations? Got some "Fix a flat" because it was cheap. Not sure if it will work. I like your idea better.

2020GLC300

This is the kit I put in each of our cars. Just make sure it comes with the glue which also acts as lubricant to get the plug into the hole. Some kits just have the plug and handle without the glue, which seems like a huge omission. Walmart or your local parts stores will have these kits.

DanD.

Agreed it saved me one time, i was about 70 miles away from large city in OR, i was able to plug the hole in run flat rear tire. 6 months after, still holds the pressure.
This is what I have

GSPSCN Portable Air Compressor Pump Dual Cylinder Heavy Duty Tire Inflator with LED Light,150 PSI 12V Air Pump with Tire Repair Kit and Toolbox for Auto,SUV,Truck Tires etc
I have the same winter tires, they are very soft as they should be, and ride quality is very good because of that.
Good luck.

DanD.

I got an extra and put it each of our cars

Slime 1051-A Rubber Cement - 1 oz, Pack of 3
Walmart has kits too, if its faster

Slime T Handle Tire Plug Kit For All https://www.walmart.com/ip/16782759

NEskier

Thank you!

Sugar_Mouth

Yes, get a spare and jack kit.

eddieo45

what was the lie??