Since ;purchase in November, I have lost 5 run flat tires on my 2008 SC 430 to NY potholes. Bead at rim breaks & tears. They are Bridgestone Drive Gaurds, replacing Dunlops; replacing did not help. Would non run flats help me enough to buy another set? Can I fit tires with larger sidewalls and smaller wheels?

 

I don't know about run flats.

My wife has 19" wheels on her MB and goes down to 17" for her winter tires. Much more sidewall on the 17"; less likely to get mashed in a pothole. I believe it says one can use 17" wheels in the SC OM.

Here is a link to try out.

Minus size calculator.

 

You can also keep the stock wheels and install 45 profile tires instead of the stock 40. I did that for a week and ride was much better.

You can also use 17in rim and go even higher. Just use the link ivanj posted above and play with it.

 

Thanks, Digitatc, and thanks Ivanj the for lead at Minus size calculator. I will indeed play with it, soon as I can figure out which end of which snake I pick up first. Do you know anybody who has gone to 17 inch wheels--maybe on the fronts only--and lived to tell about it?--Or maybe I should think about shocks instead? The impact I felt behind teh wheel from the pothole was enough to knock out your fillings.

 

Hey Tom, good to see another NYer on the forum! The original owner of my '06 bent a factory rim on a pothole in Michigan. He replaced the wheels with 2012 IS250 wheels and 225/50R17 non-runflat tires. I can say I like the smooth ride and the same bumps are less noticeable than with my RX350.
Bob


My '06 getting a little sunshine after the snow melted in Feburary ( my RX is photobombing the SC )

 

I run 17's on mine year round

 

Tip of the hat to digitac for going to the 45s on the stock 18" wheels. I was going to replace my tires with Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ in either diameter even though I have 45 Pilot Alpins for the winter. If I stay at 18" I am going to use the Enkei PF01s 18/8.5/35mm because of lower weight and more suitable width. Tires I mention are measured on that width rather than the 8" rim. I also want much lighter unsprung weight. I am not married to either the tire or wheel choices

Although ride improved when I renewed my front end sway bar links, shocks will not solve the problem - look at the wheels'tires first. Keep the sizes uniform otherwise the alignment is tough.

To have less of a chance of pothole damage - someone should map the state tax burden to the quality of the roads - one needs a taller side wall that has more air in it. The 17" minus ones have just that in proportion to the 18" stock, for example. In addition, the 17" wheel and tire will give you less unsprung weight all other things being equal. Last I checked air is lighter than metal. (BTW tire rack seems to have little or no easy route to get to a minus one - 17" - combination but have no problem with 20" wheels.)

Besides oldsig - nice ride - which 17" tires and wheels are folks going to?. Name names and wheel weights - I know weights are hard to find.