I’m increasingly frustrated by the ride comfort of my 2019 S560. Down to the run-flats 19s.

I remember reading that the best ride quality was on 18s non-RFT of a particular type, and that this tire isn’t available in 19.

1. What’s the most comfy/quietest 19 non-RFT if I want to keep the AMG wheels I have?
2. Has anyone found a donut wheel for punctures?

thanks

 

Hard part is tires for the rear. The size needed for your staggered rear wheels is mostly offered in high-performance tires. For example, there's a relatively new Goodyear ComfortDrive Tire touted for ride comfort, but ... largest size in 19 inch is 255/50 - 19.

I've had good luck using the ratings on TireRack's website, they score all tires for 'ride comfort' and 'noise comfort'.

 

I kinda like the michelin Primacy 3 zp, they are run flat but they ride very nice and handle great. Unless you need a all season tire. If thats the case the Continental DW06 plus's are nice and all season and a good tire for the winter.

 

It's been around for a while, but I would recommend the Michelin Primacy MXM4. It's a non run flat tire and is available from TireRack in the staggered sizes. I find it to be very quiet with a nice ride.

 

These are what I have on mine on the AMG 19s.

Also, run low pressures. I run 31. My car rides incredibly.

 

Some TireRack content I found helpful - again, don't know which of these, if any, would fit a 9.5" rear wheel ...https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=261

 

I have Firestone Indy 500, it is a summer tire only, very quiet, way more grip than the car can ever exploit. Much less money than Michelins!

 

Two weeks ago, I ditched the run-flats and installed a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II. The tires are exactly what I wanted; I couldn't be happier. They are VERY quiet, and the ride has improved noticeably. Exactly what I wanted for my S550 (quiet and smooth). I have the stock 18" wheels.

I also purchased a "TIREFIT kit" from the dealership, which includes the compressor ($185) and a bottle of tire sealant ($102). The compressor and sealant bottle fit perfectly in the trunk, in their proper slots, next to the tow hook. Part numbers are: 000-583-64-03 sealant, and 000-583-15-02 compressor.

Happy Motoring!

 

rented an e350 from Sixt in Maui with the MOE version of these and the car rode great. Just like you mentioned very quiet. The moe version felt slightly firm over really rough pavements but never harsh or loud.

 

Yes, these are great tires. I run these on my car, and even changed to a square set up (19 x 8.5 wheels all around) just so I could use these tires. They're not only quiet and nice-riding, they also have sharper steering response than the other well-known quiet tires. With the P7s, I get a luxury ride with the suspension in full-time "sport" mode, so it's like having the best of both worlds

 

GREAT tires, I ran these on my LS460s. Too bad they don't fit the wider rear tires.

 

Looks like there’s a new version of the P7 AS

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...l=P7+AS+Plus+3

 

Thank you for the advice. A few weeks ago I purchased a set of Continental DWS06 Plus, in staggered 19’’ sizes.

Ride comfort is improved over the original RFTs. But this tire is fairly loud. Specifically:
- They really ‘thump’ over small, sharp rides. This contributes to a subjectively harsh ride
- The hum is definitely there, and depends on road surface. But it’s more than I’d expect from this car.

I think I am just super sensitive to impact noise, and air suspensions are not the best at this (had similar feelings towards 2017 Range Rover).

I’m at the point of trying a move to a squared 18’’ setup. Has anyone tried the new Pirelli P7 A/S?

Thanks again

 

Air suspensions further isolate cars from road impacts, not the other way around. What PSI are you running? Reduce them to 31 or so.

Pirelli P7 is a great tire, I ran multiple sets on my Lexus LSs. I had the AS+ and the AS+II, very soft, extremely quiet. The P7 3 is out now, I'm sure its great too.

I have the Michelin Primacy MXM4 non runflat on mine (19 staggered) and they are extremely quiet. No hum, no impact noise that stands out, and they ride well. Tractionwise they aren't great, they're just not phenomenal tires from a performance standpoint, but they are soft and quiet and come in the staggered 19 sizes.

 

Thanks Steve, this is valuable feedback on the MXM4. Which of the Michelin or P7 did you find the quietest?

Separately, here's what I found about air suspension after owning a number of cars equipped with it (L322 Range Rover, L405 Range Rover, C7 Audi RS6, 2021 GLS 450)

• Air suspensions have excellent large-amplitude absorption qualities, but comparatively little compliance for short, sharp impacts. This is typically apparent when driving at lower speeds, or when going over expansions joints that can 'slap' into the cabin. L405 Range Rover is infamous for this, especially the models with active sway bars.
• Short impact compliance is therefore largely down to the tire, rather than suspension. Lots of posts on this forum from folks disappointed about ride quality, which are mostly traced back to larger wheels and/or tire choice. Our 2021 GLS rides on 21'' and is awful on less-than-perfect pavement.
• Air suspensions also transmit frequencies very differently, and are prone to humming. That resonance in the wheel wells can quickly get out of control. Tesla owners have been grappling with this for a while - see here. Audi had to work with Pirelli and Continental on special tires for their RS6 and RS7 for that reason - see here. I swapped to Michelin PS4S on a 2017 RS6 Performance and it became undriveable - like being inside an over-inflated basketball.

Cheers

 

Its hard to say because they were/are on different cars, and the S Class has much better isolation from the tire/road than the LS. The MXM4s seem just as quiet to me as the P7s, but I don't know for sure whether thats because the S Class hides that noise better. I have no desire for a quieter tire, lets put it that way. Where this tire lets me down is grip, 20k miles in they hydroplane in the rain and were pretty squirrely in the snow this winter. I am considering replacing them with the DWS 06 but your experience concerns me.

I think small low speed bump absorption is a little better in the P7s both my last LS460L and my S560 obviously had/have air suspension.

I had the benefit of having the same car (LS460) with both a coil and an air suspension, and overall the car with the air suspension rode much better once you got past the somewhat stiffer low speed ride that you describe, which is true. Tires and air pressures are really important. For instance my S560 rides like a different car at 31PSI vs 35 PSI. Air suspensions have a detached incredibly polished ride at speed that you just don't get from a coil suspension. I also found in those cars the air suspension muted much more feedback from the road irregularities than the coil suspension did.

 

Many thanks, Steve. Happy Easter

 

I can’t comment on the S Class but I had a similar experience to @Longi with Continental DWS06 on my CLS, I swapped from Pirelli P Zeros, and the DWS’ were definitely a louder tire.

I have Good Year run flats on my new toy, and I may move to NRF when the time comes to replace them, my wife’s ‘22 GLS450 rides quieter.

 

Thanks for the report. The DWS06 is a 'high performance grand touring' tire according to tirerack's categorization, as opposed to more comfort-oriented tires. This may explain the compromise towards performance.

Out of curiosity, what wheel size and tire do you have on the GLS?

Cheers

 

Heres my thoughts FWIW. I have a 15 S550 with staggered 19's, came with run flats that only lasted 11k on the rears. Decided to go with the General G-Max AS05 as discussed in previous threads. Made by and warrantied by Continental but less expensive then others in case they dont last long. Mercedes wouldn't mount them because they "only do OE tires", so took them to my BMW dealer who was glad to help me out. Go figure. So far, just rotated side to side at 4000 mi. showing very little wear. I have DWS06 on my Volvo and these tires feel and sound very much the same. Mind you, these are not as soft or quiet as a set of dedicated closed tread ultra touring tire, but here in PA you need to compromise a little.

 

21" Wheel with Pirelli Scorpion 315/40 R21, so quite a bit more sidewall than my 275/25 R20. 5" vs 2.7" according to Tire Size Calculator

What's interesting, and completely off topic is that when we bought the GLS, I thought that we were just getting a longer version, with a bigger engine, of the '20 GLE350 that we traded in. But, the GLS is a far better, and nicer vehicle to drive (IMO), driving it is what convinced me that I needed to trade in my CLS and Porsche for my S450!

 

Well said! Tire pressures are key, if you want your S-Class to ride the way it's intended (see instructional graphic below). Despite this clear guidance from Mercedes-Benz, my dealership routinely OVER-inflates my tires during service, which I notice immediately when I start driving away... "Why does my car ride like a buckboard?" So I pull over and usually need to let out between 4-8psi, to get the pressure back where it should be. I assume the tech is consulting the wrong label (door jamb), rather than the label on the fuel filler door.

 

Great discussion, this is my first air suspension car and I have experienced the specific characteristics in the earlier post. I have also noticed Pirelli P7 tires on lots of BMWs, Volvos, Audis, including new cars in the showroom, but don't recall ever hearing of Mercedes using them as an OEM fitment. Just doesn't seem that they put much priority on quiet and comfort, especially with the 20" wheels that so many of these cars come with.

 

Mercedes used the Pirelli P7 RunFlat as original equipment on the S Class. Its available in the OEM sizes. BMWs use the same runflat version.

 

I really like my Continental Pro Contact GX SSR's Run Flat tires. They ride fine and are quiet except on rough gritty pavement but I can live with it. I just replaced the rears at 27K miles, coulda got another 5K miles outta them and thats not bad for a rear runflat tire. The fronts I think I'll be able to make it up to 40K miles. On my E450 Wagon I have Michelin Primacy 3 tires and that car handles like a sports car with those tires, they are runflats too. I'm up to 19K on those tires and they are maybe 60 percent worn.