[4353]

Hi, I've just moved from Audi to purchase my first Mercedes and just taken ownership of a new GLC 250d AMG Line Coupe. Due to the absence of a spare wheel and no option to purchase one I requested run flats be fitted for peace of mind during my 1600 mile tour of Ireland this summer. Since taking ownership I've read only negative comments about run flats regarding hard ride and excessive wear which has dulled the enjoyment of buying my new GLC. I have noticed only a small reduction in ride quality with run flats compared the the demo I drove a number of times which had standard tyres fitted. The GLC with run flats is much smother than the Audi S5 and SQ5 I owned which were both a hard ride.

I love my new car but the lack of a spare wheel and the negative run flat comments is making me paranoid for Ireland tour, so much so that I've purchased a spare container of tyre gunk though it's reported to be a waste of time and a tyre repair kit with 4mm and 6mm sealing threads which a are pushed into the puncture hole with tools provided in the kit. This type of kit is reported to seal very well to enable onward travel for tyre repair or replacement without removing the wheel see details of the type of kit here

It appears that generally the consensus is people are more likely to report negative experiences on line rather than positive. I've spoken to a number of people who swear by run flats and those that had them then purchased a car without them wish they hadn't. Does anybody here have good things to say about run flats, I've heard all the bad so it would be interesting to hear the good.

Has anybody acquired a space saver for a GLC.

 

[Hurly]

Hi, I've just moved from Audi to purchase my first Mercedes and just taken ownership of a new GLC 250d AMG Line Coupe. Due to the absence of a spare wheel and no option to purchase one I requested run flats be fitted for peace of mind during my 1600 mile tour of Ireland this summer. Since taking ownership I've read only negative comments about run flats regarding hard ride and excessive wear which has dulled the enjoyment of buying my new GLC. I have noticed only a small reduction in ride quality with run flats compared the the demo I drove a number of times which had standard tyres fitted. The GLC with run flats is much smother than the Audi S5 and SQ5 I owned which were both a hard ride.

I love my new car but the lack of a spare wheel and the negative run flat comments is making me paranoid for Ireland tour, so much so that I've purchased a spare container of tyre gunk though it's reported to be a waste of time and a tyre repair kit with 4mm and 6mm sealing threads which a are pushed into the puncture hole with tools provided in the kit. This type of kit is reported to seal very well to enable onward travel for tyre repair or replacement without removing the wheel see details of the type of kit here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGRw6AfcONQ&t=30s

It appears that generally the consensus is people are more likely to report negative experiences on line rather than positive. I've spoken to a number of people who swear by run flats and those that had them then purchased a car without them wish they hadn't. Does anybody here have good things to say about run flats, I've heard all the bad so it would be interesting to hear the good.

Has anybody acquired a space saver for a GLC.

Hi RickZ,
I'm the same - after four Q5s I picked up a Mercedes E Class yesterday. Should have been a GLC but decided against it for the time being. The car has 20" wheels with run flats. I was a bit wary never having used run flats before. I also put an order in for a set of 18" wheels so I could put some regular tyres on the car when they arrive. However, first impressions were ok. The ride was not as firm as I expected as I suppose the suspension is set up accordingly. (Mercedes suggested I stick to these wheels for this reason) I agree with your point about the Q5 suspension being firm anyway which prepares you for it. The noticeable difference was when I hit a small pothole resulting in a much greater judder than I expected. (I have since received word from my dealer that Mercedes would recommend I change the original wheel size by no more than an inch either way.)
The bottom line is, I could live with run flats if I had too but would prefer them on 18" rims not 20s.

 

[Grootkoos]

I ordered a spare wheel from my local dealer. In my case it took a while for it to be delivered from Germany and the price of the wheel itself was also not too expensive - about US$210.

However, the toolkit and jack that one needs to actually change the wheel costs a relative fortune. In my case about US$260.

A further problem is that wheel also does not fit under the floor of the boot. In addition the jack also does not fit in the space provided for it on the left hand side of the boot.

The wheel is a 19 inch spacesaver.

 

[4353]

Hi RickZ,
I'm the same - after four Q5s I picked up a Mercedes E Class yesterday. Should have been a GLC but decided against it for the time being. The car has 20" wheels with run flats. I was a bit wary never having used run flats before. I also put an order in for a set of 18" wheels so I could put some regular tyres on the car when they arrive. However, first impressions were ok. The ride was not as firm as I expected as I suppose the suspension is set up accordingly. (Mercedes suggested I stick to these wheels for this reason) I agree with your point about the Q5 suspension being firm anyway which prepares you for it. The noticeable difference was when I hit a small pothole resulting in a much greater judder than I expected. (I have since received word from my dealer that Mercedes would recommend I change the original wheel size by no more than an inch either way.)
The bottom line is, I could live with run flats if I had too but would prefer them on 18" rims not 20s.

Hi Hurly, it seems as though the Adblue tank on Merc diesels takes up the spare wheel space, I guess you went for the petrol E class with a spare.

The sales rep told me that my GLC came with run flats which I requested in the absence of a spare, I had to accept his word as it was a new car in stock at another dealer. It arrived with 20" wheels and standard MO tyres, they eventually agreed to fit MOE run flats but found that there wasn't one for the rear 285/40 tyres as the GLC Coupe comes with larger wheels on the rear. Whilst we discussed the situation I drove the car for a week on the 20" standard MO tyres and got a good idea of how it felt on the road. Eventually the dealer agreed to swap my 20" wheels with some 19" from a demo GLC and fit MOE run flats which has now been done, they also agreed reluctantly to refund the £595.00 upgrade charge though they insisted I'd got the upgrade for free, really. Having driven it for a week on standard tyre's I was able to compare it to the run flat ride which is harder but not by a major amount. I wonder if moving from 20" lower profile 40/45 to the 19" 50/55 means the higher wall run flat flexes more than lower profile run flats explaining why I'm not experiencing the the major ride quality issues experienced by others.

 

[4353]

I ordered a spare wheel from my local dealer. In my case it took a while for it to be delivered from Germany and the price of the wheel itself was also not too expensive - about US$210.

However, the toolkit and jack that one needs to actually change the wheel costs a relative fortune. In my case about US$260.

A further problem is that wheel also does not fit under the floor of the boot. In addition the jack also does not fit in the space provided for it on the left hand side of the boot.

The wheel is a 19 inch spacesaver.

Hi Grootkoos, did they supply the space saver in a bag and with a set of wheel bolts, I've read the wheel bolts used on the alloy wheels shouldn't be used with a steel space saver, there should be a clear plastic box containing the bolts attached to the wheel. Does it protrude much above the boot floor, I don't suppose you could possibly post a picture with it in your boot please. I'd probably only carry it on longer journeys like driving holidays, I'm doing 1600 miles on holiday this summer. I feel I'm covered for small punctures but fear hitting one of the ever increasing number of a pot holes in the UK resulting in damage that can't be repaired or driven on in the case of run flats.

 

[dejongj]

I really don't like the run flats. But granted haven't had them in about six years as I will avoid at all cost.

I really would worry so much about a 1,600 mile drive in Ireland. Man, the average people do is about 12,000 per year. I go all over Europe in my car. Besides you should only drive about 50Km on a run flat once it gets damaged. I'd more worry about the changes of getting a replacement run flat over a standard tyre.

I appreciate you only normally do 3,000 but please just relax many people drive every single day.

 

[Grootkoos]

Grootkoos, did they supply the space saver in a bag and with a set of wheel bolts, I've read the wheel bolts used on the alloy wheels shouldn't be used with a steel space saver, there should be a clear plastic box containing the bolts attached to the wheel. Does it protrude much above the boot floor, I don't suppose you could possibly post a picture with it in your boot please.

No, they supplied it in a huge carton box. No bag and no extra set of wheel bolts. The space saver is in any case an alloy wheel, not steel. I was assured by the dealer that the normal wheel bolts would be safe.

They did offer to sell me a S-Class bag but it was a bit pricey.

The wheel sticks out about 15 cm from the boot floor and it lies at an angle with the highest point being at the boot lid. The boot floor cover is a bit wobbly on top of it. If I remember, I will take a picture of it when I get home tonight.

 

[4353]

No, they supplied it in a huge carton box. No bag and no extra set of wheel bolts. The space saver is in any case an alloy wheel, not steel. I was assured by the dealer that the normal wheel bolts would be safe.

They did offer to sell me a S-Class bag but it was a bit pricey.

The wheel sticks out about 15 cm from the boot floor and it lies at an angle with the highest point being at the boot lid. The boot floor cover is a bit wobbly on top of it. If I remember, I will take a picture of it when I get home tonight.

Many thanks, I'm being quoted £310.00 for part number 36685, I can't picture it in my boot but from your description it sounds pretty high. I wonder if it could be stood upright to one side as opposed to laid down.

 

[4353]

I really don't like the run flats. But granted haven't had them in about six years as I will avoid at all cost.

I really would worry so much about a 1,600 mile drive in Ireland. Man, the average people do is about 12,000 per year. I go all over Europe in my car. Besides you should only drive about 50Km on a run flat once it gets damaged. I'd more worry about the changes of getting a replacement run flat over a standard tyre.

I appreciate you only normally do 3,000 but please just relax many people drive every single day.

Ha ha we meet again on another forum dejongj, thanks for your input, much appreciated, I dislike not having a spare more than you dislike run flats ...

 

[Hurly]

Hi Hurly, it seems as though the Adblue tank on Merc diesels takes up the spare wheel space, I guess you went for the petrol E class with a spare.

The sales rep told me that my GLC came with run flats which I requested in the absence of a spare, I had to accept his word as it was a new car in stock at another dealer. It arrived with 20" wheels and standard MO tyres, they eventually agreed to fit MOE run flats but found that there wasn't one for the rear 285/40 tyres as the GLC Coupe comes with larger wheels on the rear. Whilst we discussed the situation I drove the car for a week on the 20" standard MO tyres and got a good idea of how it felt on the road. Eventually the dealer agreed to swap my 20" wheels with some 19" from a demo GLC and fit MOE run flats which has now been done, they also agreed reluctantly to refund the £595.00 upgrade charge though they insisted I'd got the upgrade for free, really. Having driven it for a week on standard tyre's I was able to compare it to the run flat ride which is harder but not by a major amount. I wonder if moving from 20" lower profile 40/45 to the 19" 50/55 means the higher wall run flat flexes more than lower profile run flats explaining why I'm not experiencing the the major ride quality issues experienced by others.

Think you're right RickZ, the higher tyre wall will make a difference which is what I'm after however, my dealer refused to change wheels with another car. I went with a diesel so on run flats too. I thought tyre kits had much improved but a space-saver might be the solution.

 

[Hurly]

Re Run flats. I wanted to change my wheels and tyres but my dealer has said that I cannot change wheel size by more than an inch up or down and if the car comes with run flats then you should stick to run flats throughout the car's life. Does anyone know if this is the case or if it will affect warranty if I do choose to run regular tyres?

 

[Tony Mac]

My dealer is saying swap from run flats and run it all year round on winter tyres - quite a different story.

Also, MB have stopped supplying run flats on new GLC's

Tony

 

[Klass]

Run winter tires all year round? That sounds like a less than appealing option....?

 

[dejongj]

Re Run flats. I wanted to change my wheels and tyres but my dealer has said that I cannot change wheel size by more than an inch up or down and if the car comes with run flats then you should stick to run flats throughout the car's life. Does anyone know if this is the case or if it will affect warranty if I do choose to run regular tyres?

You may have to inform your insurance company but there shouldn't be any warranty claim on that. Heck Mercedes themselves call it a wear and tear item.

 

[4353]

Re Run flats. I wanted to change my wheels and tyres but my dealer has said that I cannot change wheel size by more than an inch up or down and if the car comes with run flats then you should stick to run flats throughout the car's life. Does anyone know if this is the case or if it will affect warranty if I do choose to run regular tyres?

Mercedes changed my factory fitted 20" wheels with standard tyres to 19" with run flats, I queried the suspension setting to be informed the change remained within the suspension tolerance range and confirmed the change wouldn't affect the warranty. I can't see why harder tyre walls would be an issue, it's almost like saying your warranty is affected if you drive on a bumpy road.

 

[4353]

Can a space saver be used front and back on a car with offset wheel sizes front/back.

 

[Tony Mac]

If it was me journeying around Ireland I would simply rely on MB recovery taking care of the problem - I believe it's free of charge with all new vehicles and covers you for the UK and Europe.


Tony

 

[Novice]

If it was me journeying around Ireland I would simply rely on MB recovery taking care of the problem - I believe it's free of charge with all new vehicles and covers you for the UK and Europe.


Tony

Heck!!!!I had to read all the posts and finally the last poster has the correct answer. If you ever get a puncture anywhere in Europe this is what you do if your driving a GLC fitted with a Tyrefit kit.... Call 0080017777777 and let them take care of the problem. This cover is there during warranty time and may be extended if you continue to have your GLC serviced with a MB Dealer.

​

 

[Teckno]

I have RFT on my GLC now for 2 years. Never had RFT before and never not had a spare Tyre in the boot. So lots of intrepidation on my part.
Our Coupe has normal tyres and yes, no spare Tyre. Also no jack, wheel brace in either car, a worry.
I have purchase wheel jack and brace, Tyre 4x4 repair kit for both cars and an air pump for wagon. Coupe has can goo, has a 5 year shelf life and is $200au to replace, ouch.
I have had 2 x flats in 42000km, one at 7000km on new Tyre and one at 8000km on new tyres too !
No flats in 13000km with normal tyres.
Prices for normal Vs run flats about $70 - $100 difference for each Tyre.
Active Tyre pressure warning system essential, not fitted to our cars, only warning, not actual live data. I have fitted after market to valve stems, found Chinese supplier who offers OEM integrated Tyre unit with inserts for each rim and integration with Comand Syst. Will look at buying and have fitted.
I had played around changing my 20” rims for 17” or 18” rims with normal tyres and buy a spare Tyre, either OEM that fits on boot floor or source another MB space saver from another model that might fit under boot lid, yes depends on electronics in boot that restrict fitting internal Tyre. Other concern is voiding my insurance if not “approved” rim and bolts ?
Biggest concern is in this country, even in Capital cities, there can be a week to several months delay in sourcing replacement tyres. I have kept my old casings as emergency back up, even though brand and pattern different; allows me to swap 2 to run on same axle and not muck up 4Matic until new Tyre sourced.
Hope this helps.

 

[LONS]

I had run flats on several BMWs but hated the harsh ride so my Audis had standard tyres with spare wheels and now GLC has normal all season tyres with an inflator kit. I shouldn't say it due to sods law but I really can't remember the last time I had a puncture and I'm careful around potholes. I do cover less than 7k pa though.

With runflats you can drive a good 50k so would it not be easier, and cheaper to just buy a spare run flat tyre to take on long journeys for peace of mind?
Weighs less would take up less space and unless the puncture happened late at night shouldn't be difficult to find a garage to swap tyres over.

Just a thought.