jprescott

I cannot even explain in words the difference between run flats and non run flats in my 2011 740Li. Night and day. The humming vibrations, hard ride and road noise all went away. Should be even more dramatic on the S. I am in the market for an S now and the deal will hinge on taking off the run flats at delivery

AppleFan1

What size wheels did you have on your 740Li? Now that the "ice is broken" with Chucky, I don't see any reason why MB will not accommodate you and replace the RFT's with non RFT's.

Kratos-TM

Ships that port to Baltimore have a lot of Canadian stops. And it also probably stopped at UK ports as well before it entered the Atlantic.

jprescott

19's and I can't imagine they will say no when I push it. They can keep the new unused run flats which have a higher value in exchange for what I want. The only down side is that having a slime kit with inflater is not as comforting as a spare

Kratos-TM

I wish I could get those bad boys on today, but I have a meeting after work. :-(

Chucky300

Tomorrow is a new day! Going to be great to hear your thoughts on it!

AppleFan1

Ok, now it all makes sense. The wait is tough to take though.

Kratos-TM

5 minutes ago, received this email....


Dear Doctor Harrell,

Thank you for your additional email.

Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory. It is therefore recommended that you additionally equip your vehicle with a TIREFIT kit if you mount tires that do not feature runflat properties. A TIREFIT kit may be obtained from a qualified Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Approved non-runflat tires for the S-class would be as follows:

Winter Tire
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 GRN X XL – 245/50 R18 104V

Summer Tire
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 MO XL – 245/45 R19 102Y Front & 275/40 R19 101Y Rear

Continental ContiSportContact 5 MO XL BW – 245/45 R19 102Y Front & 275/40 R19 101 Y Rear

Dunlop Sport MAXX RT MO BW – 245/45 R19 102Y Front & 275/40 R19 101Y Rear

Additionally, we have received recent confirmation of an approved 20" tire. The specifications are as follows:

Dunlop Sport Maxx GT J XL 245/40 R20 99Y Front & 275/35 R20 102Y Rear

We appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Sincerely,

Nadia M.
Mercedes-Benz USA

Chucky300

BAM...................

They def had a meeting over the weekend and realized they are going to get hurt in the end.

You have two options.

1) Return the 4 tires you just bought and have Mercedes put the (Dunlop Sport Maxx GT J XL 245/40 R20 99Y Front & 275/35 R20 102Y Rear) on for free.

2) Leave the Bridgestones on and keep the runflats on the side. Put the tires on at a non - mercedes dealer (mom and pop shop). Drive around - if you are happy with them - leave them. If you have an issue later on, you can always go back to Mercedes to get the Dunlops.

If you don't have a tire warranty on your vehicle, I would go with Option 2. If you have no warranty, there is no reason to return tires.

Personally, if I did not have a warranty, I'd just put the Bridgestones on and call it a day and enjoy.

kasurg

I have ordered 2015 S550 for ED the end of September. This includes the 321 Sports Pkg with the 19" Wheels Run Flats. Can I order the non run flat Michelin Pilot Sport 3?

Thanks

Chucky300

Call your dealer to inform them of your decision. They can probably get the factory to put it on or they will do it prior to delivering it to you at the dealer.

kasurg

Thanks will do!

AppleFan1

Ok, all you guys have convinced me. I have made my decision. I am going to call the salesman (actually assistant manager) tomorrow and tell him that when the car arrives, I want them to replace the RFT's with the best recommended all season non RFT's along with the flat tire kit.

BadMojo

Any recommendations for 18" wheels? I had always wanted to switch out to non-RFTs eventually but some of the comments on this thread have piqued my curiosity to the point where I'm thinking of doing the switch now.

EDIT: Ack, I meant 18" tires, not wheels.

AppleFan1

My car will also have the 18 inch wheels and I am curious to hear recommendations for this size wheel. I am almost positive though that I want the All Season tire living here in the snow country.

Chucky300

Wheel DESIGN is a personal preference. That should be what you really love.

If you are asking personal opinion...I think this car doesn't look as substantial with 18s. Very massive car, needs that big wheel to fill it all in. I think 19" with All Season is very nice.

TBH, I think the 18" Wheel Mercedes offers is kind of ugly. It looks like an old Honda Civic or Nissan Sentra wheel.
What do you all think?

BadMojo

Sorry, I meant 18" tires.

I guess I'm just the odd one here but I actually like the look of the standard wheels. I did consider the 20" wheels on your car but opted for the 18" for the better ride. Strange I know - I also happen to prefer the standard body style over the Sports Package. Clearly, I'm in the minority here.

clembo

Mojo - I also prefer the standard body over the sport, I usually don't, but on this car I do. Although I ordered the 20" wheels, #53R, I do remember it was not that long ago when we would consider 18" wheels large.

DaveVY

It is a matter of preference and some here on this forum have purchased the car with 18s. No offense to those buyers, IMO the 18s do not do the car justice. The 19s with the dual 5 spoke are ok (my wife likes these best) but the 20s seem to be the best MB provided option. I think I would like the design of the 20s on a 19" wheel size best, as it would provide the classier look and also provide a little more tire height to help with the ride quality.

Personally I did not like the std 18" wheels at all based on looking at them on the web site,, and I agree that they look like they came from a much cheaper car, but reserved final judgement until seeing them in person.... Seeing them in person I disliked them even more. I looked at one car on a dealer lot and it was outfitted with many options we wanted but it had the 18" wheels and that was a show stopper for us.

AppleFan1

Well, obviously you are not the only odd one here. There at least 2 of us. I am willing to forgo looks for a much better ride. That is SO much important to me. The looks of the wheels is not that important to me. I think the 18 inch wheels look nice enough. There! That makes me even more odd.

Now, when it comes to innovation and technology, I want the very latest. I absolutely LOVE high tech features that make the drive easier, more comfortable, and safer. That's THE reason I switched from the LS to the new S550.

AppleFan1

Kratos, after reading this list more carefully, I don't see a pre approved all season non RFT tire for 18 inch wheels here on the list. Does that mean that no one has complained about RFT's with 18 inch wheels?

Kratos-TM

I'm looking at Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 GRN X on the list for 18's...

Chucky300

THats for winter.

Mercedes left off an All Season 18".

They need us to work for them. I think they're losing their way.

AppleFan1

Yes, I saw that the 18 inch was for winter only. What about all season 18 inch? Surely, they will have that available, I would think.

Chucky300

Last time we all thought, we got into a pissing match with Mercedes.

If they threw **** at us last time, I dread to think what they'd throw at us if you dared to ask about an All Season 18" Tire.

You're taking a big risk here. Have you considered a trained effective k9 dog before making that call?