tivoliman

2019 E450 with 4matic

Should I replace all 4 with standard tires or run flats? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

History: CPO that came with Pirelli tires.

Need to replace one, so planning to replace all.

The run flats are a "bit stiff", and the price is a consideration.

Seems Amazon has a spare tire for the car that goes for about $500.

I could get run flats or the "spare tire and standard tires" for about the same price.

ua549

I replaced run-flats with standard Pirelli Cinturato and a spare tire, jack and tools several years ago. The ride is noticeably better and quieter. On my next new car I will negotiate with the dealer for standard tires w/spare. They'll probably do it to not lose a sale. I will never have a car with run-flats. My first experience with run-flats was a disaster. The dealer gave me a loaner and MBUSA paid the bill.

JTK44

There are probably 15 to 20 threads on this. Suggest you read them and then come to your own conclusion.

Hundens

Where do you intend on putting the spare and Jack?

ua549

I put the jack and tools in the under floor compartment. The spare tire is on the left side of the trunk fastened forward with a bungee cord to keep it in place. I still have room for 2 suitcases and an overnight bag in the trunk.

CarFan1

I'm running with just a tire repair can. I've had a Porsche Cayman for more than a decade and it doesn't have a spare tire either and I've had great luck so I decided to not replace the runflats when the dealer recommended that I replace the tires on my W213.

tivoliman

That is my current question.
I thought the tire would fit under the trunk floor - but wrong.

Yes the jack and supplies would fit there.

I'm going to investigate ua549's suggestion and use a bungee cord.

But - tire storage will lead me to my decision - currently leaning toward run-flats - because of storage.

E300-18

I agree that trunk storage is a significant down side to carrying a spare.

I was already carrying a spare before I got rid of my run flat tires, because the run flat tires don't address all tire failures. I also only got about 35K miles out of the run flat tires, which I now understand is about normal. I'm used to getting around 60K miles out of regular tires.

C280 Sport

Our 2022 E had them from the dealer when you bought the car in January. After 100 miles I replaced them with Michelin tires. Non run flat. . So much smoother now.

tivoliman

Great story.

If you would be so kind, please post a picture of your trunk.

Just curious about the space remaining in trunk.

In your opinion, could I just take a tire off the car and see how it fits in the trunk?

ua549

The car isn't currently available (daughter has it on vacation) so I can't take a pic, sorry.
You can use your own tire for fit. My car tires are 245/45R18.
The spare is a compact spare 135/70-19, MB part 213-400-06-00.
It has the same rolling radius 245/45R18 but it is not as wide.

MNIAW

I bought a donut spare for my wagon. But don't usually carry it. If I'm going on a long trip through the middle of nowhere, I'll stick it in the back. I just put Continental Pro Contact LS tires on the car and it is noticeably quieter than it was with the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires that it previously had on it. I'll use the CC2s for winter tires.

I haven't had a flat tire since 2005. Maybe I'm jinxing myself, but based on where I drive (not in a city), I'm not concerned.

CarFan1

My last flat was in 2009 in the Porsche on I-10 heading to Tallahassee. Ran over something near Gulfport with the back tire and immediately the TPMS sensor went off. Drove to the first exit and there was a car dealership. They fixed the tire for 40 bucks.

BTW, I thought I read that a reviewer said the CrossClimate2 tires had some built in tire protection but that they weren't actually "run flats". Is that correct? If I hadn't seen the PZ4s on sale for practically free I was planning to get the CrossClimate2s.

You said they are quieter. How does the ride compare between CC@ and the Pro Contacts?

MNIAW

I didn't do much research on the CC2s...they came with the car when I bought it 8 months ago. I do know that they are 3 Peak/Snowflake rated for snow and ice and that's why I wanted to use them for winter only. They are a 60,000 mile tire which is significantly more than what I normally get on Blizzaks (25,000 - 30,000 miles) but I doubt they're as good as Blizzaks on ice. I know Tire Rack rates the CC2 pretty high for comfort and quiet. For most of the CC2s' life on my car since I've owned it, they were on bent wheels. So they were loud but a good portion of that was due to the wheels. I got the wheels straightened.

The Continentals ride great. I'm not looking for performance, I'm looking for quiet and comfort and they deliver that in spades.

E300-18

If I could piggyback on this topic, does switching off of run flat tires affect the recommended tire pressure? I'm not sure if the Mercedes recommendation for my car is the same with a different technology of tire vs. the original equipment.

When I bought new tires (Bridgestone Quiettrack), they put considerably more pressure in them than the 32 psi that is recommended inside the gas cap, but it's well under the max pressure for the tire. I haven't been in a big hurry to reduce the pressure, and I'm not even sure that I should.

The Bridgestone website also didn't seem to recommend a value. It states that the ideal tire pressure depends on the vehicle.

JTK44

Same pressure

CarFan1

I don't know why but after almost every service my dealer increases the tire pressure to 38 lbs. If I didn't know better I would think he was trying to wear at the tires faster. Thing is with the runflats I liked the ride better but my OCD has always caused me to lower the temp back within a couple days.