Streamliner

I know there has been a lot of talk on this subject, but try as I may, I cannot seem to find anything conclusive. My 2015 S550 has 18" wheels. The dealer says that the compact spare for a W221 will fit and do the job. Does anyone here know this to be true?

Regarding a jack, will a W221 jack work? If not, does anyone know if MB even produced a jack for the W222 and, if so, might anyone know the part number?

Lastly, suggestions as to where might be the best/most economical place to obtain these items would be most appreciated.

Like many here, I have few worries when driving around town. But when we head out of the city, I'd like to toss a donut in the trunk just for peace of mind.

Thanks!

Jason B

I don't think the jack will be a problem. There is no reason why the w221 jack wouldn't work. You probably could have taken that jack with you when you traded it in

But is there a place for a donut spare in the w222 trunk? Meaning, when you pull up the trunk liner like in the w221 is there still a cavity there to hide a spare in?

Streamliner

No, some brilliant mind in Germany made the decision to not so much as leave a space for even a compact spare. This must be one of the all time, idiotic decisions ever made at MB. When we go out of town, the donut will have to take up precious trunk space, which in the W222 is a bit on the small side to begin with for such a grand car. The car is magnificent in so many areas, but they truly dropped the ball when it came to the trunk/RFT/spare, etc.

UrBusted

Aren't the wheels runflat? Over the last few years, believe it or not, the only wheel I have had that pop'd was 10 metres away from a tyre shop. Must have been my lucky day. There was a spare in the boot anyway.
May not be useful but on the manual is the following:

Streamliner

Well, I'm sure that everyone here is happy that you had your only "pop" over the past few years close to a tire shop. Most of us are all quite aware that the car comes fitted with run flat tires and most here don't seem to be too fond of them. I happen to hate RFT, so I will be installing conventional tires. Even though the absence of a spare is related to the RFT, it really is a separate issue. If you are driving out on the highway, away from a large metropolitan area, out in the boonies somewhere and you encounter a significant road hazard that sheds your RFT, just what are you supposed to do without a spare? I know, it probably won't happen, but many of us on this site must have been Boy Scouts, as we like to "be prepared." RFT are a bad idea. No spare & jack is an extremely stupid idea.

UrBusted

Sorry if that post seemed a bit idiotic. When retrofitting Burmester 3D, in one of the many visits to the local Mercedes Dealership, while looking through the parts we stumbled upon some sort of holder. It may have been for the tyre. Also, after some research on the Mercedes website there was some reference towards a temporary location for the spare wheel. I'll see if I can find it.

MTrauman

Attached please find info on retro fit of a spare tire. I either came across this somewhere or someone else at one point posted this on this site.


I think it was a bad idea for MB to not include a spare and a tire jack in the car. With that said, at this point, I am just praying that I do not get a flat. I tried to forget about not having a spare and a tire jack on my most recent driving trip between Pennsylvania and Florida with my '14 S550 4matic.

Streamliner

Yes, I've seen that. I believe it was first posted on LM's thread. Unfortunately, even with the factory publishing this, they will not sell anyone the frigging spare! It sounds like it's a German version of the Keystone Cops doing things in Stuttgart.

Buddyk

My opinion so far is that the run-flat tires are fine on my car. I thought the ride of my new S550 4-matic was fine with the run flats. I'll keep the run flats on the car for summer.

I did install winter studded tires for winter however, they are normal tires, not run-flats, and I intend to carry a can of "fix-a-flat" in case I ever do get a puncture. The tire salesman said he did not recommend using fix-a-flat, but when I asked him why not, the only real reason he gave me was that it "ruins the tire" with all the goopy stuff. I figure that if that's the only down side, I can live with that. My priority would be to get my car to a safe location quickly, so I think fix a flat aerosol stuff will do the job of preventing me from being stranded far away from a garage.

I haven't changed a tire since the last century actually. I have seen guys on the side of the road who have dropped their cars off the jack right onto their brake discs and have heard other horror stories about being stuck on the side of the road - for me it seems better to get the expensive machine to a garage quickly and safely.

dje.s550

To me, this retrofit idea is worthless. The only reason to have a spare tire is for a long trip where you are in the desert, etc., far away from civilization. The trunk on the 550 is very small as it is, especially with the executive rear seats. So I have a choice to have luggage or a spare tire! I will take the luggage and forget the spare tire because there isn't space for both.

As for getting a flat, I know that it happens. But I drive a LOT, my S550 has over 15,000 miles on it now and I have only had it 6 months. I have driven high miles for years due to where I live and my propensity for loving road trips. I honestly have not had a flat in the past 14 years and I have never had one outside of a major city. The last one I had was sitting in my driveway. I do realize that if I hit a road hazard it could happen, but the odds are very low and then I will use my cell phone and call AAA.

My reason for hating the RFT has really nothing to do with my fear of a flat in a remote area. It has everything to do with the fact that they are noisy and harsh riding. The S550 is a lovely car because it is so quiet, but not when you are on concrete or other pavement on the highway that is not totally smooth; then the RFT make you aware of every groove in the road due to noise. Thats awful. So when I do change the tires out, I will go to a traditional tire and throw in a can of inflator/fix-a-flat and call it good.

Start a poll - how many of us have had a flat due to road hazard in a very remote area in the past 10 years....

Streamliner

I agree, to a point. The retrofit is merely a personal choice. I don't have the executive seats or the big stereo, but the trunk is still tiny for such a large car. That said, when we go out of town, the spare will go in the trunk, our small bags will probably still fit and if not, there is always the rear seat.

I think that after we boil down everyone's thoughts on liking or disliking the RFT, I believe that virtually EVERYONE on this board will agree that the factory designing this big, new "flagship" saloon without even a SPACE to put a compact spare (let alone the full size that most of us would prefer) was close to, if not "THE" most idiotic decision MB has made in modern history. Each and every time any of us visit an MB dealership, to look, to buy, to service or to use the restroom, grab the first sales person you see and tell them that you won't be buying another MB without at least the provision for a spare--of course it's BS, but they don't know that. If enough of us do this, perhaps something might change.

Jason B

I can't believe I'm hearing an S class trunk is small. The w221 trunk is darn huge, and I would assume the w222 is just as big, right?

Streamliner

You know, I have not seen the actual dimensions, but I know that the 222 trunk is reasonably smaller than the 221. Add to that the fact that there is no spare tire well and one has to wonder just WHERE the space went.

konigstiger

Dimensions in brochures document 222 has more cargo capacity than 221 however, pictures clearly indicate 222 panels are larger and more squared diminishing side storage.

Streamliner

Yes, that's pretty much exactly what I thought. The 221 trunk had much more usable space compared to the 222. Your docs & photos are always very helpful. Thanks.

MTrauman

Additionally, if you have the Warmth & Comfort package, the trunk space is less as well since the package comes with moveable/reclining rear seats in the w222 lessening the amount of trunk space.


I did not have the moveable rear seats in my w221 but I have the Warmth & Comfort package in my w222. This fact alone reduces the space in the w222 as compared to the w221.

Streamliner

Thanks for pointing that out. I was unaware that the W&C resulted in less trunk space. I didn't want the reclining rear seats, but had to take them, to get the Exclusive Nappa. This is another case of MB bundling options, which I feel is cutting corners. On a top line car like the S, everything should be available as a stand alone option, in addition to any packages they may wish to offer. I would fully expect to pay more if I went the a' la carte route and that would be fine. I just feel that on a top line car like this, they should allow the customer to have it just how they want it.

Jason B

Read this on another forum:


Thought the new S-class was stunning until I got to the trunk. Looks quite a bit smaller than the old one, and there is a big storage bin under the trunk floor where the spare tire would go. Salesman confirms the car has run-flats (yuck).

I notice that the trunk size is listed on the MBUSA web site as "TBD". I wonder if the plan to include this under floor storage bin in the "trunk capacity" to hide the loss of trunk space?

Interesting.

Streamliner

The "big storage bin" might hold a jack & tool kit, but not much more.

Jason B

The w221 can fit 4 sets of golf clubs in the trunk and that is important to me. This is a scary thought if the w222 won't be able to do this? When the time comes to upgrade, this may be a problem.

Streamliner

Just for that type of reason and others posted on this site, I predict that the 222 will not sell as well as the 221. The new car has a lot to love, but way too many negatives as well. One would hope that they are scrambling in Germany, already working on an extensive mid-cycle refresh. But, maybe not, because they want to get that next, new, "something-LA" cheapo-crossover-hybrid-convertible-ATV model into showrooms before they address 222 issues.

Jason B

You sure a spare can't fit in here?

Streamliner

Way larger than my S550. Here's a shot of my itty bitty below floor storage. I plan on just putting my spare on top. What else can I do if I want a spare?



2015 S550 below trunk floor storage space

Jason B

Hnmm, the pic I posted is from w222 S63. What underneath that panel in your pic? Maybe more room???

Streamliner

Somebody give me a hammer! I'm going to go exploring!