Detailingdoc

I wonder if they dont sell them in the stock size anymore for 20".

switching to a 19 in rim and they are available.

jumpman726

The optional Magic Body Control (MBC) is only available on RWD cars. Not 4matic. However, on the E-class you can get Active Body Control (ABC) on 4matic cars. Strange.

MBC > ABC > Airmatic

carnut1

I cannot stand run flat tires, if I buy a car that comes with them I pull them immediately. If the car is a summer car I like Bridgestone SP04's because they have a very strong side wall, but they do not make them in every size so I use Pilot sport 4S's as well. Since the S class is used in the winter I have Bridgestone all season tires on my 20" AMG wheels. My RR (came with 22" how stupid) has 20" with Nokian snow tires since it only gets used in bad weather. People tend to forget just how important tires and wheels are, these are the things that connect your car to the road, and I'm always surprised that many people do not do enough research to make a good decision. There is a guy named Damon at TR give him a call, he and I have had many discussions about what tires work best for a drivers needs.

Detailingdoc

Carnut1: what are the all season bridgestones that you run on your 20" amg rims? I see the potenza pole position on tirerack but they are closeout.

Also can anyone confirm that tires purchased through tirerack and installed at one of their i installation locations stil qualify under the wheel and tire warranty? Meaning they wouldnt exclude them being non run flats and not installed at their location.
Has anyone used the warranty for non dealer sold tires? Does the dealer replace the tire with the exact same model?

supra55vp

The stock setup for my new 2018 S560 produced a terribly poor comfort ride. Many posters attributed this to the RFTs. It turns out that ditching them is no simple matter for several reasons. First off, AWD 4Matic drastically reduces or even eliminates non-RFT due to 4Matic needing all season tires. With the sizes of wheels MBZ uses, this pretty much heads into a dead end. In my situation, I ordered an S560v RWD so I could get Magic Body Control. The non-RFT tire options for my 19" wheels opens up a bit. I put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 3 MOXL tires on the car. Now, without RFTs, what about a flat? Well it seems that MBZ had already thought about this. In the trunk bed is the foam unit in the first attached picture. With the new Michelins, a compressor and tire repair tank is included as shown in the second picture.
The car now has a much more comfortable ride and I have some peace of mind about fixing a possible flat. Thus far I don't see a way to turn the MBC on and off. The dealer says it is on all the time. So, no way to compare how well MBC actually does nor reproduce what they show on YouTube.

aypues

carnut1

I have the high performance potenza all season tires (RE970) on my car with the 20 AMG rims. You may have issues if you have tire and wheel warranty on your car. I'd check with your dealer, I never buy that since I rarely end up keeping stock wheels and tires.

infinitiq45a

This goes back to my original post where I commented about what I read about a poor ride on RFT's. What doesn't make sense is that surely the majority if not all of the S Class's tested by the motoring press must have been on RFT's and for these reviews, the comments on ride comfort have been that it is one of the best if not the best riding cars. Where is the disconnect? Sorry I am just puzzled. I love the ride on my W221 S550 4 Matic but want the new features of the W222 but I don't want to take a step back in ride comfort.

Streamliner

superpop

I have to wonder how much of the perceived ride differences in the new facelifted 560 is psychosomatic. I went and test drove a new 2018 S560 4matic yesterday and it rode, drove and sounded exactly like my 2015. Same wheel dimensions and tires and I drove it for around half an hour in all kinds of traffic. Sorry folks but I do not see much of a difference. As much as the sales guy gushed about the improvements, I did not notice any difference in ride quality. Maybe it is the new MBC but that is irrelevant to me as I cannot get MBC because I need 4matic most of the year in the rain and sometimes snow. YMMV.

Streamliner

Well, what you experienced is your opinion and I won't dispute it. Different folks experience things differently. In addition, I have never driven or ridden in a 4-Matic equipped W222. That said, I can tell you that my S560 is HEAD AND SHOULDERS better than my 2015 S550. The engine sound is MUCH more muted and sounds completely different. The sound is, to me, much more pleasing and gives me the feeling that a massive "turbine" is powering my car, whereas the 2015 sounded like one of my old '60's cars when the valves would clatter. The ride is much smoother, the handling much more "buttoned down" and precise. My 2015 felt heavy and almost clumsy at times, but the new car feels just so much more sure footed and refined. The structure seems to be much more solid, as the Panorama Roof in the new car has never said a word, while the glass roof in the old car would never shut up! As for the new MBC, I feel very badly for anyone living in snow country who cannot experience the truly magnificent "Curve" function, which to me, is nothing short of phenomenal! I liked my 2015, but never loved it. I am in love with my 2018 and consider it to be "THE" best car I have ever owned and I've had some pretty nice ones over the years.

AppleFan1

Streamliner, I love your posts and knowledge about the S-Class. However, do you think the guy in the following link is lying about how quiet and comfortable the ride is among other incredible features? It really does sound like the new rft's must be improved markedly from a few years ago. That combined with the new air suspension must be making a sizable difference on the ride quality.

Streamliner

AppleFan1

Yes, absolutely! I forgot to mention the wheel size making a big difference. I would never go for the 19-20 inch wheels. I will leave that for the younger folks.

Ronny G

Guys, The '18 S Class is a beautiful and comfortable ride.

Before we opted for the S450 we drove Audi, BMW and yes even the Genesis, nothing holds a candle to this ride.

And yes I'm an old guy (58) with the 20" rims and she is smooth as a gravy sandwich.

AppleFan1

Wow! So, you're saying that even with the 20" rims, the ride is terrific? Very impressive. If that's the case, the 18" rims I have ordered my 2019 S450 with might be even more comfortable. I can't wait until mine arrives. Hopefully, it will be sooner than September. By the way, you're still a youngster. 😀

Streamliner

AppleFan1

Yes, it looks that way from this forum. However, I'm sure there are quite a few others like us around the country.

syswei

18s definitely aren't all that rare, since they are standard on the S450, and the S450 outsells the S560.

carnut1

After owning 466 cars let me give the benefit of that experience, living with a car (any car) is very different than a test drive made by someone who in many cases know far less about car design (how many patents do they have), and engineering than I do. I often wonder about these reviewers and whether the week before they staring doing this they were asking if you want fries with that burger. I have spent over 45+ years rebuilding cars, and have made my fair share of good and bad moves. You rarely see a review where they say gee look at all these pot holes lets go drive right at them a see how the car handles it, but you know we are going to bend a rim and probably need to replace a tire or two. You are going to not get the best ride from a car with 20" wheels and run flats, that is the truth. What you can do is soften (which they did not do with the S class) the suspension to a point that the car handles like boat (remember that term), some people would rather have comfort and that's fine, but the S class is set up to be a big car with a pretty steering response and that starts with the suspension setup, it will not ride like a Lexus no matter what you do.

MikeAtLincoln

You can count me in as one of the 2018 S450 drivers with 18" wheels. It's a fantastic ride and can only get better when I replace the RFTs when they wear down.

joeyb1000

Me too. It was a major factor in choosing the 450 over the 560. I also plan on getting off the runflats when they wear down.

wilfie

The car magazines are fully aware of low profile tires causing a rough ride.
Almost all comparison tests of sedans and sports sedans the one with big wheels gets a rougher ride comment and usually low profile tires mentioned.
They are hip, the car manufacturers not so much!
Methinks they are concerned about style as so many in aftermarket seem to want to upsize their rims for that bling effect.