The wheel/tire warranty cost has to cover their expenses plus profit. Unless you can't handle the expense of a failure or you want to give the dealer more profit extended warranties are a bad bet. I would expect to get about 10K on the tires. At which point I will switch to non run flat Michelin tires and a repair kit. These tires are UHP summer tires. Unlike your X5 tires they sacrifice wear for soft grip.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

The question comes down to safety vs. comfort. I opt for the safety of the runflats. I had them on my Vette before too. Saved my life. I also opted for the rim and tire insurance. I only had to pay 1300 bucks. It was well worth it since I had to fix two rims already... one from an idiot valet and the other pulling out from an ATM machine at night. There is zero deductable and free rental car until I get my car back. Well worth the peace of mind. Also, I had a E550 coupe in which I hit a pothole on a highway and cracked two rims at the same time. Did not have the insurance on that one. Bad mistake. It would have paid for itself just that one instance. You are paying over 115K what is another 1300?

 

I've gone back and forth about Tire-Wheel Insurance. When I purchased my 2013 SL550 I folded under the dealer's pressure, and purchased a 5-year Allstate policy. Yes, it does provide 'peace of mind' and covers replacement, towing, $100 trip interruption expense, etc. BUT, the $1900. cost is too much. I think I will cancel it (which can be done) after this winter in NJ. Also, since I get almost zero traction in snow & ice, I barely use my SL550 in Jan & Feb. Thank goodness for my wife's E-350 4-Matic. However, I still LOVE THE SL550 and am more than willing to suffer its lack of snow-ice traction in bad NJ winters.

When these original run-flats wear out, I plan to replace them with Michelin Pilots or similar longer lasting, more comfortable riding tires. I did that with my previous Lexus SC430 and loved the difference between its original, too hard run-flats and the replacement Michelins. But the SL550 is not nearly as hard riding as the old SC430 with its run-flats.

 

$1300 is a no brainer either way and as long you switch to Mercedes approved non run-flats, the insurance remains intact for the tires as well.

That said, it's not really comfort versus safety with run flats. They are not really "safer" tires, rather they are more convenient in not having to replace the tire at the side of the road. A tire fix kit will more or less do the same thing.

A front tire blowout at high speeds is the worst case scenario and both types can blow.

 

What Michelin tires do you guys recommend?

 

I recommend Michelin Pilot sport A/S 3. It is the best option that fits the car. Excellent reviews, but I have no experience with them, but it will when I replace my tires.

I suggest you look at the ratings on tirerack.com. Unfortunately, I can't get the link to post from my ipad.

 

I'd like to revive this thread since 2 years has passed. I'll be taking delivery of a new SL in a couple weeks. The harsh ride, short life, and noisy ride of the Run Flats have me concerned. I have the ability to do a free swap when new and was wondering if I should. Do these issues persist, or are the tires better? Give me your opinion. Thanks for your input.

 

Okay here's an update: Since the purchase of my Sl550 and pick up from the factory in Stuttgart, the car has had four issues with the tires, necessitating replacement. I have only ONE original tire remaining that still has not blown out or had a flat. the tires are "run flat" which means that when I was on a trip returning home, one went flat from being punctured by some sort of road debris (wayyyyy too common), I noted the handling became squishy at speed and then the warning light came on for tire pressure. I was able to reduce my speed and return home - luckily within 50 miles of the occurrence, whereupon Mercedes sent someone to tow the car in and have the tire replaced. The tires LOOK great but they are prone to road hazard problems causing flats and rim damage. Because of the amount of money I spent replacing and repairing tires on my previous SL550 with the same tires and the same problems, when I purchased this one I bought the tire and rim insurance. So in each instance, it has cost me nothing this time around to have the tires replaced each time they went flat and could not be repaired, i.e. required replacement... which is, in fact, EVERY time they've gone flat (four times thus far). I have an older 94 Sl500 which has NEVER had a flat tire, I have a 2010 E550 which also has NEVER had a flat tire. If you're going to be driving on well maintained roads back and forth to the grocery store AND you don't push it (what's the sense of owning a high performance sports car if you drive it like a little old lady) then the cosmetic beauty of those low profile tires are nice, if, on the other hand, you actually DRIVE your car (including on trips where there may not be a mercedes dealer handily nearby) then these tires continue to be a MAJOR pain in the *** and a frequent failure.

 

When I went to 20" rims I switched to non-run flats. The tires are Hankook Venus V12's and are about to be replaced by Michelin Pilot Super Sports now that I can get them in the size I need. No issues whatsoever during their life time and no expense of the insurance. I do carry an inflator/sealant kit for emergencies.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Nothing has changed in 2 years. Runs flats are as bad as before and non-run flat performance tires will make a significant difference.

I can vouch for Michelin (PSS or Pilot 3) but there are other good ones out there.

The 20" P-Zero Run flat on our S-Class blew out on a tiny pothole in just a 1000 miles or so; they are much more susceptible to this kind of damage.

A Tire fit kit is also fine for me. This is also what you get with the SL63 from the factory.

 

What is a tire fit kit. Are you saying run flat wheels are different? I retired from the auto industry but I realize things have changed.

 

Never mind, I figured it out.

 

Well, I have about 350 miles on the BS Extended Range tires and I'm pleased. If I can only get some miles out of them I'll really be happy. We'll see, I'm usually not hard on tires.

 

First reply for me on this Forum.

I've had my current 2013 SL550 for 10 months and 10,000 miles. I purchased this car with the orig Continental 'MOE' tires. The ride was harsh, ruf - more than I expected.

This winter I bent two wheels badly on a pothole (@ about 40 MPH). A Mercedes dealer said actually that all four orig wheels were bent.

I decide to replace all wheels with repaired OEM 19" AMG stock wheels from a wheel collision repair place that I have dealt-with before.

Two points to this posting:
1. I wanted to go with Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but three different installers including my local MB Dealer, could not mount the PSS (non-run flat) on the OEM (run-flat) rims. The sizes are correct.
2. I went with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 and they are markedly better in ride than the orig run-flat 'MOE' Continentals. I cannot overstate how good the ride is now!

Now, I also carry a mobility kit (compressor and fix-flat 'slime').

Cheers, Neubs