eddieo45

Just got the car October 1, and got my first flat last night. I suppose I'm lucky I didn't crash, given that I hit a pothole (I'm guessing; if I had seen it, I wouldn't have hit it) so hard that I instantly heard the hissing, and the tire was flat in seconds. Obviously, one can't know for sure without inspecting the tire, but what are the chances that my nearly brand new Continental ContiSport Contact 225/45R17 will ever hold air again?

X72

eddieo45, see this thread
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/119361-cracked-rim-tire-bubble-05-c230.html
Not only is the tire possibly not repairable, but the rim may be damaged too. Hope that you are luckier than I am assuming. If it was a puncture from a sharp object, the tire is likely repairable. If it was impact damage, the result is likely to be costly.
William
2003 E320

X72

By the way, congratulations on being able to control the car. In the scheme of things, repairing/replacing the tire is relatively minor. However, I have seen on the bulletin boards quite a few cases of relatively easily damaged wheels and rims when hitting potholes with MB 17 inch rims across different models. If you search the boards, you will see what I am talking about.
William
2003 E320

Tishers

Those low profiles are really unforgiving. It's not like there is alot of rubber to absorb a pothole shot before it gets to the bead on the rim.

eddieo45

thanks for the replies; I was so shook up, I didn't think to search the forums, but that other thread was spot on. For me to have come out of this with a repairable tire would have been like hitting the number. I'm happy I don't need a rim (I think the CT guy got off cheap; I was thinking more like $500) and even happier I didn't hit a wall. I'm doing the shopping now but it looks like the rubber will set me back about $150.

StapleGun

Tisher's right....not much room for absorption when you run those low-profile tires.

eddieo45

Well, Luke hooked me up on the tire ($129 shipped vs. $213+tax picked up locally) and the wheel seems fine, though I probably need an alignment (is it pulling or is it in my mind?). While getting it mounted, we noticed a big sidewall bump on the same side rear tire, which I figured I'd live with until/unless it blows.
Then I did a quick Google search and found a form with which I can make a claim against the city. While the cynic in me sees this as a futile endeavor, the optimist says "give it a go" (my blood type is B-positive). They require a $5 filing fee, which I guess is to keep out the riff-raff, and they require 2 estimates if damage is over $500, which makes them seem sincere. I'm hoping that is I keep it under $500 (2 tires, mounting, alignment), I might get lucky. Of course, I'm prepared for them to say something like, "that stretch of road is county/state/federal/ NATO responsibility", but, hey, it's only $5!
Their rules:

Your claim must include the following items:
Detailed Explanation of damages or injuries suffered.
Exact Location of Incident
Date of Incident
A $5.00 Filing Fee as stipulated by Chapter 13 of the Ordinances of 1981. (Money Order ONLY made payable to the City of Boston)
Items that may be included with your claim:
Itemized estimate of damages and/or receipts
Copy of Police Report if applicable
Copy of medical bills for personal injuries
If estimate of repairs is over $500, a second estimate may be required
* All claims for sidewalk, roadway or pothole incidents MUST be filed within thirty (30) days of the date of the incident per the Statute of Limitations Law, M.G.L. Chapter 84.

sincos

Eddieo45: get that rear tire with the sidewall bulge replaced, ASAP. After loosing my first (right front) tire to a pothole in 2002, the dealer who replaced it noticed a slight bluge in my left front tire. He said I should get it replaced, but it wasn't a big hurry. About two weeks later, at night on a lonely stretch of I-83 in central PA at 75 MPH, the sidewall failed. With my wife and my mother in the car with me. I actually heard the air blow out through the sidewall. Amazingly, the car was perfectly stable, and I got it stopped with no problem. Had to change a tire at night on a very narrow shoulder, not an experience I want to repeat.

Last night, I lost tire number 4 (3 Pirelli P7000's and 1 Toyo) to a submarine pothole on the side of the road. MB just totally misdesigned the wheel/tire setup for this car (I have a 2002 E430 4Matic, with 235/45Z17 tires). The tires simply won't take the potholes endemic to the northeast. And, there's no other wheel/tire combo that's any better due to the large brakes, so you apparently just have to live with it.

My wife and I have put about 1,000,000 miles on a variety of cars (72 Vette, 78 Firebird, 2 Subaru's, 85 Vette, 89 MB 190E, 99 MB ML430) and NEVER, EVER lost a tire to a pothole. Now, I buy the "car of my dreams" and loose 4 tires and one wheel in 5 years. Don't tell me that's not a design flaw!

eddieo45

sincos:
thanks for the reply and welcome to the forum. your many miles of driving experience along with your willingness to search old threads will surely make you a valued member of our community. it's truly kizmet that you bring me back to this thread, as I just yesterday revisited the scene of the pothole to further identify the location in an effort to win my claim against the state's contractor responsible for the road's upkeep.
I have the bulging tire off the car right now, as it's snow tire season. as it turns out, I much prefer the ride with my 205/55-16 snows than my 225/45-17 Conti's.
one important bit of advice I got from Luke (when I was replacing the second pothole damaged tire) was to run the low profile 17's with more air than MB recommends. Luke recommended +5 lbs, but I found some threads (can't seem to find them now) that went way beyond that. before I took the 17s off the car, I was running them at 45 lbs, which was much better than the 32 MB recommends. try that, since you can't try different size tires.

eo