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Runflat Tires are a massive Liability on MB 2016 S550
Got a CPO 2016 S550 4MATIC earlier in Feb this year and was really concerned about the 20 inch Good Year Summer Tires on the AMG wheels which came with the car.
Went over a not so deep Pothole at 55 miles an Hour when the Front tire Good Year Eagle F1 Asymetric ( 245/40 R20/99Y) just blew pic attached. I have never had blown tire in my 25 year driving experience in the US.
It is shocking that Mercedes would produce a $125K car , with no option of a spare tire. If this happens on a Driving Vacation, Function, important meeting , on the way for a medical emergency, that without a doubt your plans will be ruined.
What is even more Shocking that these are low profile summer tires and there is NO All SEASON run flats for this car. How does MB expect this car to be driven in winter , especially in the North East America.
So if I do put on all seasons to drive in the Winter, now I do not have the insurance of the run flats nor do I have a spare tire, once again I feel shortchanged by MB.
Really shocked at the legal liability the MB has exposed themselves too in the event that a driver is stranded on a road in dangerous conditions or neighborhoods .
Just cannot fathom the thought process MB put into this. Even if I could buy a spare wheel, what size do I get as the front is 245's and the rear is 275's.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
First of all, welcome to the forums.
The idea of run flat tires has been beat to death—many times—on virtually every model forum. I believe that I have been quite outspoken on the subject. When I first got my 2015 S550, I purchased a compact spare out of a W221 S Class. When I got my 2018 S560, I moved the spare to that car. I carry it in my trunk, on TOP of the trunk floor, since MB did not leave room for it to be stored below the floor, where it BELONGS!
For me, run flats or conventional tires, it is absolutely insane to drive out of large metro areas without a spare, especially when the tires on one’s vehicle are deemed fairly “exotic” by many service stations and tire dealers out in the country. Pretty much any W222 tire would fall into that category. Try finding one of your tires out in the middle of Idaho. As far as “legal liability “ goes, oh, how I would just love to see such a lawsuit brought!
I am still hoping against hope that the new W223 will at least have a spare as an option, but I’m not holding my breath.
First, if the car was on 18" wheels with the same rolling radius, your tire would not have blown. The smaller wheel would have allowed enough sidewall to deal with the pot hole.
This is a customer demand issue--we, the customers, should quit demanding absurdly large wheels. the only reason to run such large wheels is to put larger brake rotors in there. Wheels larger than 18" have a) less traction, b) harsher ride, c) worse response to bumps and holes in the road, d) generally lower tread life.
Once again, this is a customer issue not a manufacturing issue (of car or of tire). Customers should adjust their demands based on facts not on style.
I do exactly the same as Streamliner does, I carry a spacesaver ( and wheel bolts to suit ) from a W221 in the boot, they do come up for sale on ebay from time to time, I put a small trolley jack and tools in the compartment under the boot floor, I do not have runflats on my 2015 S500 ( in the UK this is the same as your S550 ) over there.
Warrenfds, welcome to the forum as well.
As Streamliner mentioned there are many threads that have discussed run flats and options. You can search or just scroll down a page or two and you will probably see a related thread.
I have the same setup as you and have started research for when I need new tires, likely this winter. Since I am in TN and we often have winters here, one of the options I would like to consider are all season run flats. They make them in other tire sizes (including our front tires), but I haven't been able to find any in the size of our rear tires, 275/35/R20. Right now I am leaning toward conventional tires.
I like having a spare but it is not a neccesity, if you want it you can always buy one and put it in your trunk like the poster above. I don't see it as a huge liability either, most people are not going to care, and most are not going to change a tire even if they had a spare. In fact in terms of liability, a motorist changing a tire on the side of a highway is probably a bigger liability concern for Mercedes than having a stranded motorist. In 32 years of driving I have had 3 flat tires that required a tire change. I have had the same number of windows that got stuck open (3), the same number of cars overheat (3) and more transmissions that quit on me (4) including one 500 miles from home. All of those things will ruin a vacation far quicker than a blown tire will, with or without a spare and they are as likely to happen as a blow out.
Having a spare is not going to change the dynamic much on a long road trip even if you have blow out, a spare is for temporary use, so you are still going to be waiting at the tire store for them to fit a new tire or you are going to need a rental.
I would never have a car with runflats, I can live without a spare but I can not live with runflats. If I bought a new car with runflats the first thing I would do is take it to the tire store for some regular tires. I don't understand why anyone would pay a premium for a good ride or good handling and then ruin the ride and the handling with crappy hard tires.
welcome to the forums. I own an SL with run flats and have easily replaced 10+ tires (lost track) and two rims in the last 5 years. It's ridiculous. I once found myself 150 miles from home with the nearest MB dealer being able to source the tire in two days. I paid for the tow back home and rode back to DC with the tow truck. Thankfully I bought the wheel and tire insurance at purchase and extended it a couple years later. This has really saved me a ton of expense.
What's ironic is MB preaches green and all this save the environment stuff and yet think about how many tire blow outs contribute to so much unnecessary consumption of resources and time. Anything but efficient.
I had the same thing happen to me but luckily was only about 5 miles away from home and drove back on the run flat.
I bought S65 20" 5 spoke wheels to replace the ones that came on my car so if anyone here is interested in my original set and wants to just purchase the remaining 3 good ones I have 1 good front and 2 good rears with tires and tpms. Also willing to sell individually. Not sure what to charge so give me a reasonable offer.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
Originally Posted by spdracer53
I had the same thing happen to me but luckily was only about 5 miles away from home and drove back on the run flat.
I bought S65 20" 5 spoke wheels to replace the ones that came on my car so if anyone here is interested in my original set and wants to just purchase the remaining 3 good ones I have 1 good front and 2 good rears with tires and tpms. Also willing to sell individually. Not sure what to charge so give me a reasonable offer.
My wheels look like these...
I like the look of those wheels and easy to keep clean.
Since 2004 the only flat tires I have ever had have been with run flat tires. 6 to be exact. All have been repairable at a local tire shop. Dealers will not repair them. I have since replaced all run flat tires with all season regular tires. Bridgestone Quiet-Track being my preference. I have never driven with a spare. I have a tire inflator to remedy a slow leak if one occurs. My S has 18 inch tires so I'm not worried about finding a replacement on the road if I would incur a flat. The comfort improves a lot with regular tires.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
Drowse, we are kindred spirits! My S560 has 18” wheels and Bridgestone QuietTrack tires are my all time favorites! Have them on the S and just put them on our newly acquired E450 Wagon, which also has 18” wheels. Best tires on the planet, IMO.
I am sorry I did not read all the other posts as I am running late. The 20" rims look nice, I had them on my 2015. The blew out 3 times in a year. I switched to 19" wheels 2016 and never had another blow out.
09-02-2020, 10:48 PM
When I first got my 2015 S550, I purchased a compact spare out of a W221 S Class. When I got my 2018 S560, I moved the spare to that car. I carry it in my trunk, on TOP of the trunk floor, since MB did not leave room for it to be stored below the floor, where it BELONGS!
