2011 Mercedes-Benz C250 Pricing and Specs

You don’t have to fit run-flat tyres to your car, but it can be a lot more convenient. A decade or so ago, it was quite common to replace run-flat tyres with more conventional tyres as the ride quality of run-flats was relatively poor. These days, that isn’t the case to the same extent, and run-flats have come a long way.

But if you can’t get them in the correct size, then you have a problem that can be solved by fitting conventional tyres of the correct size, speed rating and load rating. A tyre shop should be able to sort this out for you.

The catch, of course, is that a conventional tyre won’t get you home if it deflates for any reason (as a run-flat is designed to do). The knock-on problem there is that a car designed for run-flats will not only not have a spare tyre, it won’t even have a physical space to put one. The solution then is to find a repair kit of the type found in many cars today. This amounts to a tin of repair solution which is added to the tyre through the valve and the tyre reinflated with the attached compressor.

I assume the noise you are unhappy with is road noise. You could try a Michelin tyre, which is probably your best option, but the tyres are run-flats, so you won't get a soft ride whatever the brand you fit.

We often criticise cars for excessive tyre roar on country roads. You're another victim of big wheels and low-profile tyres on a C250, which is the sportier model below the C63 AMG, multiplied by the harshness of runflats. You need to get back to 18-inch rims with higher-profile regular tyres to reduce the road roar, perhaps test driving a basic C200 for a noise test.