First car, first Benz!

Welcome!

The run flats are by nature stiffer so reducing pressure a bit would help to some degree over rough pavement (we have much same these days due to construction). But then on the highway an efficiency hit and greater tire wear. There’s no free lunch.

German vehicles are more attuned to feeling the road even with normal tires. It’s something we enthusiasts generally appreciate, but again of course on rough roads not so much.

btw: we have 18” and 19” wheel models and as you would expect the 19” are less shock absorbing given lower sidewall tire profile.

I ditched the run-flats immediately after buying my CPO 2015 GLA. It made a huge difference in the ride for me. Let's not confuse a German car suspension with riding on rigid sidewalls! I love a tight suspension but hated those stock tires! I also went down 1" in rim diameter so it is not an apples to apples comparison.

I work in Philadelphia, PA and we have really poorly maintained roads. I needed to be able to handle some potholes. In 175k miles, I went through 3 complete suspensions and a few sets of rims on my Audi, which always handled beautifully until it hit a pothole. Lesson learned. So, my first change on the gla was 17" rims with non run flat tires and I love the ride. Is it my old Audi? Absolutely not, and I do miss that. But, this is practical, functional, and still fun!