X166

As we kill time before our cars arrive (or are released...), random question popped up--does anyone know what tires come from the factory with the cars? Michelin Pilot Sport 4S?

pentium7

I was told random 50/50 chance either Michelin PS4 or the Pirelli

E634Me

Mine came with Pirellis

But from reading other posts, I think it's pretty close to 50/50 or maybe 60/40 Michelin/Pirelli

Mandarin

I bought mine with MPS4s

Mocha15

My dealer says that the car will come with Run Flats (didn't know which ones). I have heard a number of people complain about them. My dealer offered to replace them with non Run Flats.
What have other people done? Pros/Cons? Recommendations/comments?
thanks.

bobblehead

Mocha15

The dealer was referring to my 2019, due September. (however, he might not know what he is talking about).

bobblehead

Mocha15

Since it appears that I will be able to choose between run flats and non run flats, what should I choose? It sounds like non run flats give a more comfortable ride? Which gives better performance (cornering, etc.). I guess I could carry a can or 2 of flat tire fix? Other considerations? I am getting a station wagon. Is there room in the storage compartment where the rear seat normally goes, for a donut/spare?

Thanks.

Andrew-NY

I think it really depends on the roads where you live. Unfortunately, the roads are sh*t in New York so run-flats are a big NO for me. If your roads are rough with lots of pot holes etc, then run flats are not very good. Several years ago, I had a BMW 650 gran coupe that came with run-flats. I blew out several tires in the first year simply hitting pot holes. I then got fed up and switched to non-run flats "regular tires" for the next 2 years. It was a great decision and didn't blow out any more tires with the regular tires. It was interesting that the regular tires held up just fine after hitting pot holes. The regular tires were lighter, handled better, and held up so much better than the run-flats. This was my only experience with run-flats and I'd never use them again. Even if I lived somewhere with much better roads, I'd still choose regular tires for the other reasons mentioned. I'm sure run-flats are preferred by some who like the idea of being able to drive for a while with a flat tire. For me, I'd rather sit and wait a couple hours for a tow.

Mocha15

What tires should I ask for instead of the run-flats?

Andrew-NY

Probably the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, which came on my car. I'm pretty sure they're currently the top rated tire on Tire Rack in the 'Performance Summer' category. Another tire to consider are the Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) but apparently some E63 owners switched to the Michelins and like them better.

s26singh

VIN # WDDZF8KB0KA496469 - Is it possible for you to tell me which tires my car came with? Would really appreciate it because if they are Pirellis, I will order a set of Michelins now and have them ready for when I take delivery. Note: Canadian car sitting in Halifax with VPC status.

bobblehead

^ if pirelli, you should first ask the dealer to see if they can do a swap with another car for you as a favor. Even if the dealer says they will charge you some nominal fees for the swap, at least you will have saved couple of thousands $

s26singh

Not a bad idea at all - lets see what they have in stock when my car arrives. Thanks!

bobblehead

haha ... that's a relief for @s26singh

E634Me

I will be switching to Michelins once I wear down the current set of Pirellis. 7,800 miles currently and they look to be in fair shape so it's going to be a while.

Had run flats on my wife's first Honda Odyssey. In one respect it was nice because she did have a couple flats and she was able to drive to the dealer and have it handled. This was a great piece of mind as we didn't want her potentially stranded with small kids in the waiting for roadside service.

There were problems though with the Michelin run flats on the Ody. They felt like they didn't respond well to bumps. Were overly harsh and felt like you were driving around with hiking boots on rather than running shoes.

The other problem was tire wear and replacement cost. The Odys are tough on front tires. That particular tire seemed like it didn't have a lot of tread on the outer edge and even when I constantly checked tire pressure to make sure they were inflated properly the edges still wore out well before the rest of the tire. We would go through two fronts to every set of rear tires. The replacement cost of the run flats was higher than regular tires. The tire itself was more expensive, but then you also had to replace the run flat core, pay for special lube and extra labor.

On the newer Ody run flats weren't even an option. The new one also burned through its first set of front tires relatively quickly. After discussion with the tire center, they actually recommended a Michelin small truck tire which has more tread on the tire edges and higher mileage rating. Pretty happy with that tire. Feels better than the stock tires and is holding up better so far.

So, no run flats for me given the Ody experience. Relatively happy with the Pirellies, but do want to try out the Michelins as everyone seems to rave about them. If they're significantly better than the Pirellis, I'm going to be really happy with the car.

s26singh

Fantastic news! Thank you very much for the info; much appreciated.

Mandarin

Why are you guys worrying so much about what tires comes with a car? Turn on Drift mode and kill them in a minute or so, and then you can buy anything you want.

s26singh

Good thought, but it usually takes me 2-3 years to go through a set of tires (both summer and winter) with the way I drive . So if car comes ready to go, great ... with my busy schedule - works in my favour.

Mandarin

Same here. I just really don't understand why people trying to change Pirelli to Michelin, I bet MB will not install bad tires for $100k car )))

X166

bobblehead

... that's because after paying $125000+ for the car, we are now very poor and our wives/gf would nagged us to death for buying new tires after only a few weeks/months of owning the car.

s26singh

I know man - first world problems eh.

But speaking from experience, I can confidently say the Michelins are superior to the Pirelli's. PZero is a good tire at best, and yes, this new one is supposed to be their best product to date for ultra-high performance summer rubber, but the Michelin takes the crown in this segment.

Maybe I'm biased: Pirelli customer service is probably one of the worst. I had an issue with a manufactures defect for a set of their winter (expensive) tires - promised myself to never touch their product again. This is almost personal for me.

Mandarin

This opinion about "better-performing tire" is super personal and I can't get it because after 2 weeks as I got my car and 1000 miles on it I don't like MPS4s, cause I've expected way better performance and silence as all ppl around are saying. I never had European tires before those btw. Japanese tires are way better IMO. FIRE!