Cinqc

On my 335d the winter Bridgestone Blizzaks seem to run softer than the All Season Conti RFTs that came with the car.
Cheers

fabbrisd1

Correct the new Gen "Extedned Mobility" run flats for US models are not yet available in aftermarket like Tire Rack because there has not been enough on the road to generate demand by Dec/Jan that will change...

Yes, Canadians "standard" are all-seasons and "gunk kit" - US standard is "extended mobility" which is the factory code/term which is why 1st gen MB salesmen were not aware..

No one know the "life" or tread wear on the new gen ExMob yet... if you have bought a US model frankly I would be bugging the dealer to make sure they stock a set NOW in the event of a disabled tire..

Bob338

A couple of weeks back I was getting a set of tires for a car at America's Tires/Discount Tires. In discussion with the manager about tread life, the subject of run flats came up. While he made no distinction about the 'generations' of the tires, he told me that ALL run flats require replacing at between 20K and 25K miles. I was complaining about some 90K Michelin's that I wore out in 22K miles (for which I received an adjustment,) and the subject of the tires on the GLK and E350 came up. There are no mileage warranties on the run flats but they have them. I didn't inquire about brands as I'm a bit away from tires on either of those cars.

mike-nc

One possibility may be a receiver hitch spare tire mount. I'm not sure that these are made, but I think it might work, similar to Jeep style external spare mount. Of course it would have to flip down like a bike rack for access to the rear hatch. But there is also the issue of blocking the license plate and nighttime illumination of the license plate. I haven't experienced any issue from law enforcement about this while carrying bikes, but it could be an issue for an extended period of time (I'm thinking about no-stop toll roads in particular.)

Another option might be Land Rover style-roof rack basket that would not take up any cargo room.

107123210

Anyone come up with a good solution for a spare tire mount? Hitch, roof, inside car?

I have seen hitch mount type from Curt like this. It may work. It would need a 2-1-25" adapter for standard hitch. Problem for us is that we already have a hitch mounted bike rack.

Rascally Wabbit

The external mount could be an answer. First thought is will a 19 or 20 inch tyre/rim combo fit where the spare is stored? I have not measured the well yet but I think not. So the issue arrives of where to place the flat. I carry the Continental Repair Kit which I purchased from Tire Rack. It is imo a good solution to the problem. Hopefully I will not have to use it.

107123210

On the GLK250, there is no spare and no well for one (space used for DEF tank). 19" wheels are MOE (sort of run flats). 20" are not run flats. Either way you are running with no spare.

The repair kit and compressor comes as standard with the car, at least here in Canada. OK for small leaks, but not for a cut tire or major leak.

Lot of GLK250s out there now, and I guess most are running with no spare.

Bob338

I just made an amazing (to me) discovery! Being an ex Boy Scout and "Be Prepared" being the motto, I bought an inflator and tire plug kit to keep in mine. While looking for a good place to store it I opened the panel to the left side tail light and discovered a small black tank at the bottom of the space. A tire inflator!!! I happened to have a 12V compressor from 4 wheeling days so that now there are alternatives. I ran many miles in the E350 BlueTec with run flats and no spare nor even a repair alternative, and never a problem. I expect that to be the case with this GLK.

I don't know if other US cars have this accessory. This car was a European Delivery at the factory and I'm certain the tech who introduced me to the car did not point this out. It was completely news to me! He did show me the tire changing tools which was ludicrous to me and I even asked the question if I was supposed to take a tire off and roll it down an autobahn for repair! Nothing mentioned about the inflation device. We at least have half of what the Canadians get!

Alex Bel

Lucky you. All I have is an empty space without black tank...

balticgreen

I don't have anything black in that space. I have a big silver metal box with another silver box attached to it. The label says something about "NTSC Version" which would mean something video-related. There are numerous cables plugged into it. I'm assuming this is the control box for the 360 camera and each cable is a camera input.

Alex Bel

No, you have to open the panel on the Left Side tail light and look inside at the bottom of the space.

balticgreen

That's exactly where I was looking.

107123210

Well - Finally made a decision regarding lack of a spare. We are going with the Vredestein Compact spare. This is same spare as used on the GLK350s and is listed in GLK owners manual.

In Canada, the dealer price for this wheel is $592 less any discount they may offer. But, by now there are enough wrecked GLK350s, that you can pick up the spare from wreckers/recyclers. Tires are of course usually unused. They need a set of short studs for mounting (about $30 for 5)

What clinched this for me, was:

1. The collapsed Vredestein will fit behind the passenger side seat. It is 22" diam x 6.6". If we need to use the back seats, we can always throw it in the cargo area.
2. Being convinced that we will likely never need a spare!

HONDO250

Completed a trip to MAINE COAST-USA & found that the tires worked well performance wise,handling was good on various road surface conditions.
It is August 2014, traveling through various New England States ,one long series of Road Construction Projects testing never ending lane changes,bumps,ruts & Potholes.
The tires did well and I inspected the tread ..hoping to get more than the 12,000
mile reported limit.Hoping that despite the many advertisements by particularly Bridgestone* about their extended 50 mile run flat tires.
235/50/R19 All season tires is not currently on their *list.
It seems that their are other suitable replacements with other tire manufacturers...time will tell what options will be available for replacement.
In terms of tires plus rims,one bad pothole can destroy both ,alignments.
I have an independent tire dealer who is looking out for options.
Have not had not much luck in the past with the large Tire distributors salespersons..trying to hard sell me on the most expensive glorified Big Ad tire.

super7pilot

I think run-flats are rubbish. If you do get a flat "in the middle of nowhere" your still up the creek even with a runflat. As they will usually only last 50 miles before being considered ruined. There's not likely to be a 19-20" run-flat or even non run-flat in that size hanging about in Bob's outback filling station. And a lot of small stations won't even attempt to fix a run-flat. So you are double screwed. Yet the lack of a spare doesn't bother me at all.

Our GLK is the third vehicle that uses runflats. The prior two were changed to normal tires when the OEM's were done. The best alternative for peace of mind in the middle of nowhere is a pressurized can of flat fix goo, A small pump, And a .45 auto . Or do like I do. AAA, And my .45

HONDO250

Having some options to decide in the choice of tires. There is much advertisement now from Bridgestone concerning their Run flat technology 235/50/R19 is not on the list thus far.
Since if have time before there will be a replacement under normal circumstances & not premature damage caused by road hazards.The Big Picture for me as a traveler is that money has only been freed up from Federal government to repair the Highway System.
Unfortunately, I am still dodging Potholes caused by Winter Damage.The weather is changing & summer will be gone.
Run Flat tires probably are rubbish ,possibly better warranties ,options will be more available for all seasons tires in the size mentioned...
On the Web it seems that i am directed to Tire Rack ( a supporter of MB forum)The list show Winter tire/Summer tire option which is good for those owners that switch tires seasonally using the proper selected tire to meet temperature requirement.with all the cautionary advice.The Michelin Man provides advice....availability of sizes based on my State Location.
Florida tire dealers don't sell many Winter tires other than to the New Yorker Snowbirds
With all the Information links, my MB Dealer wants me to make an appointment every 3,000 miles to rotate my Run flat tires placed on my GLK250 diesel...I stay clear of the dealership ,they usually find some other fault .Initially free, repeated visits are good for dealer's service business $$$model.I am not planning to purchase replacement tires from the MB Dealer...I know they have the Dunlop's in my size.

super7pilot

If you are doing a lot of miles on rubbish roads. Your best bet would be to ditch the silly penny farthing tires.(google it folks) here is a link to the tire rack about minus sizing. The article applies to summer tires as well.http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=126 A taller side wall will take potholes far better than the pimp mobile 20 series stuff.

miked807

GLK<pimp mobile>=NOT !!!! LOL....


On subject = GLK & lack of Spare Tire!
When I FIRST ORDERED my (Now we TRADED our GLK to Q5 TDI) we wrote to the DEALER/SALEMAN and he clearly replied = YES THERE WILL BE A "doughnut" - his word!.....and also assured us that the famous "ADD_BLUE" critical error HAD BEEN FIXED!!

We ordered GLK = with all /every options there was to have !!
Long story short - DEALER took 4 weeks (from deposit) BEFORE ORDERING the Vehicle..... and HE GOT THREE MAJOR OPTIONS WRONG !!! (no tow package and no AMG no mutimedia) so we refused DELIVERY !....AND LUCKLY THEN MB USA came to party and reordered our NEW REPLACMENT with "lots of free-bee for you" ..... blah blah

SADLY - when we finally got the replacement = NO SPARE (excuse was _ FED GOVT doesn't permit MB to give spare tires anymore!!)
SO we reluctantly took delivery as we had LONG PLANNED a "around AMERICA ROAD TRIP" and already had bought a lot of other things to fit the GLK250!

Three months use and we traded that LEMON in for AUDI Q5 TDI with 3.0 v6 diesel engine. Which meant that we had to cut short our planned road trip and back-up to take Delivery of Audi (no major biggie!)

Glad to say since then we have had nothing but GREAT THINGS to say about AUDI; its dealers and their SERVICE,and best of all it DOES HAVE AN "included" FREE SPARE TYRE_ PLUS_ a very convenient ADD-BLUE filling plug - next the Diesel Filler !!! (and NOpe never had any ADD-BLUE CEL notice yet in nearly 9,000KMs driven!)

Cannot believe that MB USA/Canada gets away with that..... "Fed govt don't permit them from giving out spare tire" - quoted from MBUSA CS person's email.

PS - don't have anything against MBUSA nor their products - just stating our 'terrible experience's with GLK order / Service issues / Spare tire / Add-blue issues etc etc......" when we compare those to what we have had __NONE _so far from Audi USA/Canada on same topics .....!

Happy motoring everyone !

super7pilot

Lemon! Please explain. As you seem to think the fact that there is no spare, And you don't happen to like the ad-blue fill location. Makes the GLK a lemon.
You might want to check to see what a LEMON is (apart from being a citrus fruit) If something breaks and isn't fixed or repeatedly fails again. That is called a lemon. Not simply due to the fact that you don't like where the ad-blue is & that there is no spare.

Of course I would agree that the sales person stating that the government doesn't allow spares is pure And should be fired for lying like that.

Take note though that there are more and more cars moving away from spares of any kind. (most BMW's don't have spares) And those cars that do have spares, tend to use the mostly useless compact spare that's only good for 50 miles. One is still better off with a AAA membership. Make a phone call and let someone else sort it out. Job done. And without a spare most cars will benefit from more trunk space. why do you think most makers went away from full size spares in the first place? Including the Q5. Oh! Oh! No FULL SIZE SPARE (how shameful) Is it mounted on the rear door close to the Ad-Blue filler? No! You mean you have to open the door and dig it out from under the cargo area. Oh! the humanities!!! Better call Audi and have them fix that hidden pint sized spare tire defect.

miked807

OOooops I hit a nerve of someone in EURO'land !

.................whichever way - THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE SALE - didn't have any 'much issues' with my invoke/revoking the USA LEMON LAWS............ and were very "sorry for your inconveniences" - and Kindly gave an EXCELLENT TRADE-IN towards our Q5 (same dealer principle involved) Kudos to everyone involved there !

Cheers everyone !

super7pilot

That made no sense at all.

I'm from the Pacific NorthWest. But you are telling eveyone that A dealer allowed you to invoke a lemon law buy back because you didn't like it not having a spare tire. And that the ad-blue filler wasn't convenient for the two or three times you would need access to it every year?

bugelrex

I had a crazy hard time finding a place to plug a run flat this weekend in Northern NJ. Most places wont touch it, had to find a small independent shop.

Can only imagine the headaches if this happened on a long road trip.

HONDO250

In my research,on -going,there is a method to repair a run flat tire. Standard Fix- a -flat is not one of them...so has been written in some of the USA Literature,not necessary the course of action taken in Canada or the UK....as is noted that for Mercedes vehicles with a Sealer & air pump included in the vehicle's jack /tool kit. My MB GLK 250 service manual notes this configuration in my manual,with a disclaimer not in USA Sourced vehicles.
In the middle of no where, the driver probably would seek out an independent shop.If the tire was A Dunlop,warranty through GoodYear Tire , the authorized tire dealer would probably say "limited warranty" & place a new tire on the rim." The authorized dealer would not take a chance of an additional failure.
There is repeated Bridgestone tire commercials about going the distance safely a certain amount of miles to a repair shop. Please note after going the distance ,the tire is now trash ...a different result would be possible if the car was towed after the first sight of the tire monitor on the dash.It is mere speculation to establish at any point whether the tire can be repaired...,saved.
What the Authorized Dealer would do & what a small independent shop would do tells the story. On a trip,it is difficult to say what action is immediately taken , in a rural area the closest replacement tire may not be available & not available till the next day. The action that the driver decides to take would be something to think about.
The very idea of having a spare tire,quickly changed & on your way...allows time for flat tire to be repaired or replaced,if that is possible at all.Run flat tires are a short time peace of mind,safety within limits.Fear of the unknown ,there is no comment...Car manufacturer's have their reasons,even if it seems to be fuzzy logic.
I suppose vigilance on a long trip is necessary like checking tire pressures before the tire monitor is activated on the dash...

107123210

Not sure I understand the above paragraph, but in Canada, we do not get run-flat tires on GLK250s. We get standard allweather tires. We also get a compressor and a bottle of sealant that are suitable for temporary repair of the AW tires.

I prefer our configuration, but do have a compact spare as an emergency backup.

HONDO250

There is much that can be found in the media , many reviews that I have looked at .In one viewing, the entire lay-out the Storage area , the space clearly has a jack ,tools, Sealant & DC Air Pump . In further reading ,the sealant is special that doesn't compromise the tire warranty.
In fact, my service manual that came with my MB GLK250BT shows a Lay-out of spaces for repair tools...this is in addition the Lay-out of my USA vehicle.
The lay-out was referred to as Canada.
MY vehicle arrived from Germany , configured in Baltimore SeaGirt Facility,Maryland & then shipped to the Dealer.(6 weeks total)
My MB GLK 250BT was ordered from Germany & not purchased from the car lot.It seems that it would be a simple process to change the molded inserts & provide space for a Canadian Shipping.( The molded spaces has room for the sealant & the AC Tire pump but are missing in a USA Configuration.
I do not know if Canadian MD GLK 250 have tire monitors or different safety lay-outs...it is already known that non-MO Dunlop Tires (run flats) are not configured on Canadian Shipping...
As mentioned in earlier responses, the availability of certain tires imported to USA vary in the North American Market.
In recent media viewing , Tire Rack , there will be better options once the DUNLOP GRANDTREK tires need to be replaced , Tire Rack even rates the list of replacement run flat tires for my vehicle, Bridgestone is rated best but 235/50/R19 is not available at this time in an All Seasons Run flat.
There is special mounting machinery needed to remove & install run flat tires , the local gas station probably does not have the new costly machines.My Local Authorized Tire Dealer pointed out that he had to make a costly investment to properly service run flat tires and the tire tech needs special training. He stated that run flat tire work is increasing & he is required by the manufacturers to have the right equipment . Those interested check the many YouTube videos that give the best explanations: