Streamliner

Well, for those of you who know me on this site, I think you will agree that what I am about to say is nothing short of earthshaking! I have driven my new 2018 S560 about sixty miles so far. It is equipped with 18" wheels and Bridgestone Turanza EL400 MOExtended or "run flat tires." This is how the car came from the factory. Well, I'm amazed to say that one of two things is certain: either these tires are day and night better riding than the RFT that were original equipment on my 2015 S550, or MB has made phenomenal changes to the suspension of the car. I say this, because the ride is excellent and I must say that I am very impressed. The tires make a bit more noise on the freeway than the conventional tires I had on my 2015, but they are certainly acceptable, whereas the RFT on my 2015, IMO, were completely unacceptable for both comfort and noise level.

As it turns out, I had the dealer agree to swap out the RFT for my favorite Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus tires. That should be done in a few days. I can't wait to compare the ride and noise level and I'll be sure to post my thoughts here. In the mean time, if you need new RFT, I'd have to say that the Bridgestone EL400's are truly worth a try.

Utopia Texas

quantira2

MikeAtLincoln

I have the exact same tire on my S450 and I agree they are not bad for a RFT! I still plan on replacing them when they wear down. Did your 2015 S550 also have 18" tires? The extra sidewall on the 18" makes a big difference. I had 20" on my C300 and the ride was harsh.

syswei

My 2015 S550 was delivered April 2015 with EL400s. They are my only experience with runflats and I never really found them lacking, so I've never taken part in the runflat bashing on this or any car forum.

MBS63AMG

My 2015 BMW 750 Li had RFTs and they were the best tires I've ever had on any car (ever!). They were staggered and still had 5Kmiles of tread left on them at 35,000 miles. I miss that car.

Streamliner

Steinhart

well Streamliner, that is hard to believe, coming from you, amazing in fact, lol

glad you like the ride and thanks for posting

how is the road noise compared to your '15 S550? We have had reports on this forum that there is more road noise on the '18 vs '14 or '15 similar cars

I have a '15 S550 and looking at getting an '18 S560, so any feedback you can provide will be very helpful, thanks

Streamliner

Switcher55

My previous car, a BMW 750Li M Sport came with 19" wheels and Pirelli P Zero run flat tires. Initially, I was never satisfied with how the car rode and after a few thousand miles, it sounded like all the wheel bearings were bad! So, I was tempted to try non run flat tires but didn't want to have a spare taking up space in the trunk. As a last ditch effort, I ditched the Pirelli's and fitted Michelin Primacy 3 ZP run flats. These totally transformed the car, it rode better, was far quieter and I thoroughly enjoyed the car thereafter. The 3 ZP's stayed quiet until fully worn and I highly recommend them. Fast forward to my 2016 S550 4-Matic, it has the same tire sizes as the 750 and came with Continental SSR run flats, whilst not as bad as the Pirelli's, they don't ride as well as the 3 ZP's, so I'm looking to switch soon. BTW, the S550 has 2 places with recommended tire pressures, one on the driver's side B pillar the other inside the gas filler door. The first calls for 38 PSI front and 39 rear, no option. The second says 32 front 32 rear for light loads. Since I usually have only 2 people with no luggage in the car, I use those pressures and find that the car rides much better. On my 3 Series BMW, I'm using the new Bridgestone Driveguard RFT and am loving them. They even ride better and quieter than the non run flat Conti DWS I had replaced the original RFT's with! Unfortunately they don't come in sizes to fit the S550.

Steinhart

thanks for the feedback, yes when you get comparable tires, will be interested in your impression again, many thanks for posting

BenzV12

Nice to see your pleasantry on the tires . My car has 18" Goodyear tires and they ride incredibly smooth for a car that is epitomized by many as Ultimate Driving Machine .I have read that Run Flat Tires has their nose cut thru as well .However to make a better judgement you should be driving same specced car as yours with conventional tires

it's good

I have commented a couple of different times about the suspension/tire improvements between my 15 and 17.Again, online material for the 17 said the suspension had been "re-engineered with lighter components for better response."Also my 17 weighs 100 lbs.less than the 15.Some of that is the 9G trans.Anyway,glad you're happy Stream!

HSCLA

I learned from the dealer shop foreman this week that there is a special foam injected into the tires on Maybachs to enhance quietness. The tires may be a special spec as well. He mentioned they had to bring one back to re-do the foam insertion a second time.
Anyone know details?

Streamliner

superangrypenguin

Yes. TireRack also tested these tires (made by Continental and Michelin) and found negligible differences. Some Tesla's use these type of tires too.

HSCLA

The new 2017 550 Maybach i drove recently was wonderful. Silent, quick enough and luxurious. Trunk's big enough - don't want the fridge...I'm a little concerned about dealing w/ the increased length, but otherwise, I'm liking these cars very much. If MB can't / won't solve the noise problem on my 560, I'll get a Maybach.

Streamliner

Carfan500

I envy you guys, who can test drive the car before buying it. Not possible where i come from, at least Maybach. I drove a lot of pre-facelift cars, but i have not even seen a facelift. Good for you. But the fridge i would recommend, you can remove it. If you want to add it later, it can be difficult with wiring etc, and also i think it is double price.

Why not have the most luxurious back seat to offer your passengers? I was more worried about parking, and loss of sporty feeling (little of it in a long wheelbase S500, so i could not risk it). The price difference is incredibly small, if you spec them the same.

HSCLA

I understand your comments. So my use these days in SF for a sedan is to shuttle back & forth to our Napa house every couple of weeks hauling my wife & our 3 extremely spoiled Persian cats & whatever stuff we are exchanging between houses. My wife sits in the back of the car interacting w/ our children trying to prevent a meltdown during the 55 minute journey. I'm already their Driver...:-) When I run errands in SF and basically all other driving, I use the wonderful SL. I had considered getting a Maybach instead of the 560 when my 2015 550 lease ended, but frankly, the 550 had been such a problem-free great car that we still really liked, I decided to move on w/ the next one. I drive these sedans less than 3,000 miles / yr. Now that I have driven a Maybach, I'm kicking myself. The tranquility and sense of calm while driving the car is remarkable. You speak in hushed tones. The audio acoustic experience is as if you are wearing really good audiophile headphones. All this adds up to a perfect vehicle to navigate the SF / Napa freeways. Its gotta drop your cortisol levels and raise your serotonins!

kmdsid

Interesting. What will your options be regarding a compact spare tire? You know, out in the country with no roadside available. Just curious. MB makes is hard to find a compact spare.

Nice Ride

The Turanza EL400 RFT is Bridgestone's Standard Touring All-Season self-supporting run-flat replacement tire developed for Toyota Sienna* minivans originally equipped with run-flat tires. The Turanza EL400 RFT is designed to combine temporary extended mobility for a distance of at least 50 miles at up to 50 mph even after a puncture has allowed complete air pressure loss with dry, wet and wintertime traction, even in light snow.

The Turanza EL400 RFT tires feature an all-season rubber compound molded into a symmetric tread design with straight circumferential grooves to balance dry and wet road traction with noise comfort and hydroplaning resistance. The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped nylon to blend high-speed durability with uniform ride quality. The structure of the Turanza EL400 RFT features Bridgestone Side Support Run-Flat technology-reinforced sidewalls specifically tuned to temporarily support the vehicle after a puncture causes complete loss of air pressure.

*The P225/60RF17 99T-sized Turanza EL400 RFT developed for Toyota Sienna minivans originally equipped with run-flat tires feature Bridgestone's 3rd generation run-flat tire (3G RFT) technology. The 3G RFT tires are designed to offer almost the same riding comfort as conventional tires while continuing to provide temporary extended mobility in the event a puncture allows complete air loss. While Bridgestone's "3G" identification isn't molded on the tire's sidewall, it is visually confirmed by the cooling fin technology molded into the sidewalls

CDAVIDWEIMER

I thought I'd add my recent experience to this discussion. I purchased my 2019 S560 with the 18 inch wheel option, with the intent to swap to non RFTs after some period of use. The car came with Continental RFT (245/50R 18). (Thanks for your advice, Streamliner) I noticed upon receiving the new MB, that the RFTs where not as smooth or quiet as those similar Michelin non RFT tires I had on my previous Lexus LS 460. But not all that bad, except for the freeway "bumps."

After 8000 miles, I recently experienced a small (relatively speaking with an MB) front grill accident from a speeding parking lot cowboy. Getting the damage repaired, I was loaned a 15 year old Lexus LS 430 with 180K miles on the odometer. Wow, what memories of my previous LS 430! Plus, this old sedan rode quieter, and smoother than my new MB! Well, that did it. Upon receiving the car from the body shop, I marched into Discount Tire, and swapped the RFT Continentals for new Bridgestone Turanza "Quiet Tracs."

With only 100 miles on the new tires, I can say the ride is somewhat quieter than the Continentals. As for the smoothness, I'm not sure yet. My dilemma is what tire pressure is the best for the smoothness. Logic would have it that the lower pressures would be the best. I'm now ready to experiment, and would like any comments from the experts as to what pressures they prefer. Somewhere between 32 Psi. (fuel door figure), and 39 Psi. (door jam figure). Thanks to all on this site.

aypues

I think 35psi is perfect. I actually have an 04 LS430 with air suspension and I've never had a car so smooth, ever. I do want to upgrade to an S450 I think when the time comes, but even at my crazy mileage (187k) I just can't justify giving it up yet. Last year I put a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season PLUS on it and it has never been so quiet and smooth. If you are still unsatisfied with the Bridgestones I would suggest going with the Pirelli's, Discount will do the switch for you if you don't rack up thousands of miles. Search the clublexus forums...many threads about it.