I know there has probably been a lot written about run flat tires. I did quick search here but didn't find what I was looking for so I am going to ask for probably the umteenth time.

Recently bought a very low mileage Clubman S '13 with Bond Package that was demo, less than 4K on the odo still. I am new to the brand as well, first MINI and first set of run flats. I love the car and realize that it not designed to step over bumps but rather to corner flat over smooth pavement. Having said that, how much of the 'bumpyness' I experience over small imperfections is from the stiffness of the run flats vs the lack of suspension travel?

I definitely will consider getting rid of the run flats in favor of standard tires if there would be a significant improvement without compromising handling. Also, how wide could I go on stock 17" wheels without creating any rubbing issues?

Thanks

 

Yes, ditch the run flats. You'll notice a vast improvement. Good thread here with some recommendations for all season replacements. Another good thread HERE.

 

And a thread on spare tires / jacks for 2nd gen Clubman S models...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...pare-tire.html

If you prefer a mobility kit:

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/...nce+and+Safety

Non-runflat ride king with decent (but not "go-kart" handling):
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Contact+DWS+06
budget version:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Ecsta+PA31

Improved ride in runflats:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=DriveGuard
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e+Position+RFT

 

I changed from run flats on my '09 Clubman and it improved the ride considerably. The "crashing" over expansion joints remained, though....I had passengers scream because of it....they had never ridden in a MINI and weren't car people, but just the same. I finally switched to coilovers and things got much better.

Also, I added a space saver spare but have never used it.

My summer tires are 215/45 - 17's and they fit nicely (no rubbing, even though I dropped the car about 3/4") and they don't look too narrow to my eye....like the 205's look just wrong on stock 17" wheels.

 

I went from RF to non RF in the R58 JCW and a huge difference. Don't go any wider then 215 and you will be fine.

 

I am about to switch from the stock RFs to non RF tires on my 2014 Clubby S - looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3. My current RFs are 195-55-16s. Can (should) I go with 205-50-16 or 205-55-16? Or should I stick with same size? I understand about the odometer differences but are minor. Any input appreciated.

 

Wider = better grip when cornering. Taller = better ride comfort. I have the sport suspension and value handling over ride BUT I have the 205/50-16 and would do the 205/55-16 on the next set. (or switch to BFG Comp-2 A/S to save some money).

Detailed review here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hing-well.html

 

I go with the stock size, unless you are looking for a certain brand or tire deal at more common sizes ( which are usually not a standard MINI size ) by plus sized.

 

You might want to do a comparison between the Sport AS/3 and the Premier A/S for those sizes. I had Sport A/S on my '08 MCCS with Sport Suspension and 215/45-17 for 3 years. Hated them after a short while. Huge upgrade over the original RFT's for sure, but ride and handling were disappointing for a "High Performance A/S", and after a year, with regular 3kmile rotations, ride was almost poor. 1 inch snow performance was terrible. Hydroplaning resistance was good. Noise was below average. It's true when they say a "HP A/S" really does nothing really well. It's really filling a niche that is imagined. The performance crowd doesn't want to "settle" for a regular tire, they want a performance tire that they can use year round. The tire LOOKED great, but what they had was a tire with softer rubber, but more tread depth, so it wears faster, and becomes mediocre when the tread was still good. Even with regular rotation, my fronts ended up very "chopped", like I ran over series of razor blades, on just the front, while the rears were fine. When I took them to the tire dealer, I got the usual "You didn't have them rotated here, so no proof (which is BS, because tread depths were same F & R. If I never rotated, the rears would still be like new) and "that looks like an alignment problem", but alignment showed all in spec when done. (I spoke with a Service Adjuster that used to work at the Mini dealer for years, at center where I get my cars inspected, and he said that the MCCS are known to be hard on front tires, even with rotation.) When I compared reviews on the Premier A/S to the Sport A/S, it was better than the Sport in all categories by a wide margin except cornering and traction, where it was just equal! I put the Premier A/S on a year ago, and they are simply amazing, in performance handling, noise (super solid sounding when hitting bumps, no road noise, no bounce on expansion joints), cornering, wet and snow traction, dry stopping (FAR FAR better in stopping than the Sport A/S), and mileage went up almost 2MPG! I get 37 on the highway. Zero roll or soft sidewall feel in cornering, they stick like glue. After 7k miles wear is less than 1/16 from new, and they feel just like they were when new. Maybe on a heavier car that's RWD, there is a difference that the Sport A/S can use, but on the MCCS, the Premier A/S is an absolute perfect fit.

 

Thank you all for your comments. I am leaning towards the Pilot Sport AS/3 on the original size. I will be using dedicated winter tires during winter months. The reason I am not going with Pilot Super Sport summer tire is because they are rated to last almost half as long, and they perform marginally better than the Sport AS/3s. My use is mixed highway and city primarily commuting to work (40 miles per day) with weekend spirited drives on twisty roads, but definitely no track driving or any racing, so I think this should be ok.

 

Welcome, post up when get them installed and let us know the feedback, I have had great use with the V12 Evo Hankook in 205 45 17 , they lasted long and a good price tire. Smooth, great grip and not too loud, i bet i have bought 8 sets over the year with 3 MINIs.

 

Will do. Also, regarding the spare donut type wheel and tire, does it fit in the lower part of the boot? My car has the styrofoam with the jack and tools there, does the spare fit there as well?

 

Perry, you could not have had the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 on your car for three years followed by one year of the Michelin Premier AS. The A/S 3 has not been available for four years. Perhaps you had one of the earlier generation Pilot Sport A/S? Video of A/S 3 at launch event outperforming popular summer only tires on a dry course:


Could you please provide a link to the quoted reviews measuring the Premier A/S as equal in dry and wet traction, and better in dry stopping distance compared to the A/S 3?

Thanks.

Btw, I don't mind you preferring a grand touring tire, many do. But your claims of equal dry/wet traction and better dry braking are a bit dubious:

TireRack data from separate tests on different days A/S 3 vs. Premier A/S:
dry g-force: .91 .82
wet g-force: .77 .74
dry stopping distance in feet: 83.8 90.4

I don't think you can randomly get 8-11% difference in dry traction on the same site day to day. I've never seen it while autocrossing since 1996.

 

215/45/17 work great, first mod was to ditch run flats, sold mine with 500 miles on them, so bumpy it was terrible.

 

I'm late to the party but my opinion is the same: lose the RFT's and get 17's. That's what I did with my '11 Clubbie, and I moved my wheels and tires over to my '14 Clubbie during the trade-in.

Get the donut AND the styrofoam piece that goes in when you have a tire in there (Detroit Tuned). Absolutely ignorant that BMW/MINI has a styrofoam piece in there you can't use with a donut.

 

My take on run flats is if you got the factory sport suspension you'll benefit a better ride quality if you go with conventional tires vs. runflats. Our Clubby came with the sport suspension and runflats and although the car cornered like it was on rails the ride totally suck on rough road surfaces. I quickly switched to conventional tires and it road a lot better but the cornering handling suffered.

When the car had 30k I changed out the factory struts to Koni FSD's and the ride quality completely change to the point where I went back to runflats.

With conventional tires I didn't like the fact I had to keep tire slime and air compressor and or have a spare tire. Funny thing about it is I got 2 nails in 2 tires with conventional tires. Downside to runflats is a nail requires replacement instead of patching.

 

But that was one of the reasons why I got rid of the RFTs. Get a nail, buy a new tire that's costs more than a regular tire. With a Clubbie it isn't an inconvenience to carry the donut (I thought slime wrecked your TPM's) and I can change it out and get back to what I was doing within 30 min (or be lazy and wait 2 - 5x as long for AAA to come and change it). Get the tire patched at my convenience and for significantly less, and be on my way.

I remember last spring I hit a killer pothole which bent the wheel. Nothing an RFT could've done except have me waiting for the tow. Instead I threw on the donut and the next day dropped the wheel off to be repaired (surprisingly the tire wasn't damaged).

But, like which MINI style, color and mods one buys, it's an individual choice/preference.

 

Yes, you are correct, mine were the Sport A/S, original design. That is what I wrote. I said the OP might want to compare (the new) Sport A/S3 to Premiers and see what the differences were. My compares were the old Sport A/S compared against new GT Premiers.

I'm not judging, I'm not a boy racer, don't track or autox my Clubman, but can tell you that in aggressive everyday handling over poor road conditions (you know, the real world, not a parking lot), the 215/45-17 low profile with the Sport suspension on Premiers are stellar. I'm sure you know to get a set of performance rims and tires if you track or autox; the difference is phenominal. But for aggressive fun real road handling, it really depends on what suspension and tire profile are on the car to determine what tires will really feel like. The original Contis on my Clubbie were pure crap and were tossed by 20k miles. And one even had a separated belt I discovered when inspecting the old tires! Tire reports are for specific sizes and cars, and can serve as a guide, but unless you have the exact same car, suspension and tire size, the information is anecdotal,mfor a new full tread tire. Most everyone I know likes to keep the tires until they are worn to 3/32nds or so, so a tire that is only good for the first 25% of its tread life is a loser to me. I lived with those specific tires for years and can honestly say the Sport A/S was the most disappointing Michelin tire I've ever owned, and I've had a ton. It really did nothing very well after it had about 10k miles on it. I hope the Sport A/S is far superior as it wears.

I'm not saying the Sport A/S3 may not be a great tire, and for sure it will outperform any GT tire on the basis of pure handling. I compare the Clubbie to my Carrera which has PSS9s and PS2s as a reference, so its not like I don't know what handling is.

BTW, that is a great point about Slime. I've never considered if it might screw up the stem TPM sending unit! Is that true? There is no way to flush out the Slime?

 

The Premier A/S is even newer than the A/S 3 which is now being replaced by the A/S 3 plus with improved snow traction. I have 4400 miles on the A/S 3 which continue to do everything well on dry or wet public roads.