Techs are seeing front bald edges & rear flat wear @ 8,000 to 10,000 miles: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w222...read-life.html

Bad news

I disagree. This is GREAT news! Anything, absolutely ANYTHING that puts another nail in the RFT coffin is truly great news!

This is great news if Mercedes does something to get rid of the RFT's however it is bad news for those of us who are stuck with the RFT's and have to live with it.

When I ordered my 2015 S550 sedan, I got the dealer to agree to swap out the RFT for my choice of conventional tires. I was never stuck with RFT. None of us are stuck. Just head on down to the tire shop and make the change.

The W222 AMG's do not have run flats nor do they have spare tires. I feel it is a personal choice to keep the RFT's or replace with non RFT's. MB is not going to start building new S class cars with spares.
The tire pressures on the placard do two things, they assure the tire will not overheat and fail at the maximum speed allowed by the limiter and they assure understeer, which regulators seem to feel is the safest alternative. What the recommended tire pressures do not do is provide even tire wear across the tread.
I have a 2015 S65 and just sold a 2006 S65 after 10 years. The V12 cars are heavier of course but I have found 42 front 36 rear provides even tire wear and much better handling along with slightly better ride quality.The reason a little more front tire pressure helps the ride is probably because more of the load is carried in the center of the tire where there is an "air spring" effect rather than on the stiffer sidewalls. This effect should be more prominent on RFT's. I have experimented with up to 48psi in the front. The handling and steering response are great but the ride seriously deteriorates at 45psi and above. If my S65 had RFT's I would swap them out.

I think that most luxury car enthusiasts would have thought that BMW would never again offer a spare. Obviously, we were all wrong, as the new 7 offers an optional compact spare, stowed right where it belongs, under the trunk floor. I just can't imagine that MB will not offer something similar on the W223.

Good point, the W223 could have that option. I frequently go back and forth to LAX with a Limo Service. One of the drivers has a new 740i and one has a new S550. As a rear seat passenger the harshness of the RFT's is much more noticeable in the BMW. I cannot feel them at all as a passenger in the S550, so I can see that BMW would have a more significant buyer issue.

Can I ask what pressures you are/were running?

Oh, BTW, I have 8,000 miles on mine and they still look new (less than 20% worn).
I run 39 PSI.

Sorry but I love my run flats!
Sorry I know thats not a popular response here but Ive checked the wear and played with the psi and have even wear front and back on the Pirelli 20" RFT on Multispoke AMG's and I'm at 12,210 miles.
I can appreciate even the bubble that has been there in the passenger rear ever since I hit that monstrous pothole 3,000 miles ago! I have used the manufacturers psi but have likes the ride better at 40 psi rear 38 psi fronts. So far so good for me on the runflats and I already have another set in the cart ready to get another set. I've even driven them hard into off-ramps and on ramps at 80+ mph and top-speeds at over 120 mph not rattle no roll solid tracking! So I'm pleased with the product.

No need to apologize. Some folks like Big Gulp slurpys, while others prefer a fine, vintage Cabernet Sauvignon. There are the shiX kickers out there who rant and rave that a Dodge Hellcat is WAY better than any Ferrari. Its not a problem. We all understand. It's all a matter of taste and personal preference.

Just had dealer rotate tires on my 2015 S550 With RFT'S and he noticed some extra wear on outside edges of fronts. Said to start running at 38 PSI to eliminate that problem.Wish I had 2 floor jacks I would rotate myself.

Do you have the standard 18" tires/wheels? I have the 19" AMG tire/wheels that come with the Sport Package. Unfortunately I cannot rotate the tires as they are staggered with the rear tires being wider than the front.


On my '14 S550 4matic with 16000 miles on it before being totaled I did not notice any problems with abnormal tire wear. Additionally I have not noticed any abnormal tire wear on my '16 S550 4matic with 8200 miles on it.

I don't want to sound like some pompous *** who just likes to throw money away, but when you can afford to drive something like a W222, I would think that putting a nice, new set of tires on every 20,000 or so miles should just be chalked up to preventative maintenance. The fact of the matter is that a car rides much nicer during the first half of the life span of a set of tires than the last half. Can I get 40,000 miles out of a set of tires the way I drive? You bet. Do I want to? Hell no. For $1,000.00 or so, I can get a new set of tires, that will ride smoother, quieter and safer. Sure sounds like money well spent to me. Floor jacks? Rotating tires? Are you guys kidding?

Streamliner makes a really good point here. I've never had a worrisome thought about a flat tire and no spare. I do have AAA but I also have the means to avert that possibility by keepingAttachment 333371 quality tires (Pirelli) with more than enough tread wear to avoid issues on the road. I keep my 20" wheels at 43 and 44psi respectively and have achieved even wear at 12,200 miles.

The reason I can drive a S550 is I do not throw money away.

Well, I guess that the same can be said for leasing cars.
I lease, because I enjoy brand new cars. I like to get one about every 24 to 30 months or so. I very much enjoy the first part of a car's life, the later part, not so much. That's how I feel about tires. I like them when they are less than half used, the newer the better.

One could certainly say that leasing a new car every 30 months is a waste of money and depending on one's perspective, they may be right. The same goes for kicking a set of tires that are only half used. I call it preventative maintenance, peace of mind and enjoyment. What else can I say?

To MTrauman-I have a MY 15 S550 with Sport Package,19"wheels and Michelin MXM 4 runflats.Most OEM tires on the S w/SP are asymmetric,which means they can and should be rotated side to side.I rotate and check balance every 5k.I have 25k with 5 and 6/32's of tread left.Will replace after another 5k.As expensive as these tires are I feel you should try to maximize wear.After thinking about replacement alternatives I will most likely go with the same,as I have been satisfied with their performance and wear.Stream likes the Serenity's so there are good non runflat alternatives.

Thanks! Understood.


I should have said that one cannot rotate from front to rear and rear to front as you are correct. It is the front to rear that would make the most difference as both fronts wear about the same while both rears wear about the same.


Consequently I have the Continental GX SSR runflats. They are the OEMs on my '14 and '16 S550 4matics. I have had excellent luck with the Continentals. I will also replace these with the same as they have great traction in snow/ice/water in my experiences.

That's another thing I like about the 18's: the tires are WAY less expensive!

You can rotate 19" Sport non direction tires left to right which at least changes their rotation direction thereby eliminating tread feathering.