Hello

I have a ALL4 With Sport Package, Factory 225/45/18 Goodyear Efficient Grip RFT

I find the interior decibel level is LOUD - Are the tires mostly to blame?
If I change to Non RFT, will the car be quieter inside?

I find the ride a bit HARSH - (I do have Sport package, however I rarely hit "Sport" button)
If I change to NON RFT, will the ride be more "Smooth"?

Kindly help me decide if I should "Ditch" the RFT's

Please advise which NON RFTires are advisable, and what size

Thanks!

 

hi guards,

i have a 2012 CM S All4 with sport suspension and 225/45-18s also

initially i found the same as you.

i RAISED (!) the tire pressure to 38psi from 32psi, alternate pressure as listed in the OM and could not believe the difference, much better ride, quieter, harshness on bumps mostly gone, better turnin and handling

i have the pirelli cinturato p7 rfs, so if you have another tire, i do not know if the same would apply, but it is worth trying ... i was going to ditch the RFs too, until i raised the pressure

i doubt i will buy another set of RFs, due to their high cost, but i am very happy with them now

btw, the sport button does nothing to the suspension, it only changes some engine and automatic transmission parameters

scott

 

Ditching the RFTs was one of the best decisions I've made with my 2012 CMS All4. I swapped them out for BFG SportComp 225 50s and put them on the stock 17s. More grip in the corners and a much smoother and quieter ride. I put the RFTs in the garage.

I keep the Sport Button on. Always.

 

I want to point out that the Sport Package, like the Sport Button, has nothing to do with the suspension, except that it includes the 18" wheels+tires. There is another option for the Sport Suspension, and it is not part of the Sport Package. Mini has been using this terminology from the beginning and it causes no end of confusion.

We have the Sport Suspension option with 17" wheels + Conti all season RF tires, and find the ride and noise level OK. The car came with 34 psi in the tires; I just raised them to 38 psi (the high speed pressures specified on the door placard). So far it feels fine also, but I haven't driven much at the 38 psi level yet.

 

I 2nd the notion on the 38PSI thing. I have Dueller H/P Sport RFT and at 40PSI and I can agree that they're quieter, smooth on smoother surface as well as responsive...

 

Finally ditched the runflats. Have Continental Extreme Contact DWS in 225-45/R18. About 13 miles so far, but, I knew before I left the tire lot I made the right decision. Much quieter and a lot more smooth riding. I touch more roll, but I didn't notice it until my friend at the dealer drove the car and commented.

Bill

 

I'll chime in, 3rd Mini - (06 r52, 08 r56s, 11 r60s) 2nd set of runflats.
I've tried 38 psi to 42 psi, when all is said and done, it still rides like a runflat.

After our non-winter here in the Northeast, I treated myself to some sticky tire goodness. I picked up some Nitto NeoGens (225 50 17).
Quiet, comfortable, great in the rain, and reasonable on the wallet.

 

I have factory 18" with factory Dueller RF tires.The RF are very quiet on smooth...especially new pavement. On any type of older, not perfectly smooth pavement especially at highway speeds they are extremely noisy.
Last winter I ran Michelin 17" Icex2 non RF snow tires. Far quieter and smoother, much better ride than the factory summer RF tires! As soon as my RF tires have some miles on them they will be gone. Hate the run flats.

 

ditch the rfts. my wife yelled when she was the bill for my pilot sports but even she noticed the difference in the passenger seat

 

where did you have the boot stripes installed?

 

the dealer did mine, bought the stripes, labor was free

 

Replaced my 18" run flats a few days and just completed a 800 mile trip. It was a dramatic difference. Much quiter, smoother ride. It seemed to have added a bit of refinement to the suspension. I was balking at the price for new tires but after my long trip, it was well worth it.

 

Which tires did you buy? Any deterioration in handling?

 

I got the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, 225/50/17. A bit pricey, although they were 65 a tire cheaper than replacement p7 RFTs are the time. Amazing tire though if you need an all weather.

 

Not sure who you are asking but I bought Toyo 4 Proxes Plus. It is a new tire for them that is supposed to be a little quieter and haver longer life than the Proxes 4. I do notice that there is a tad more roll of the side wall but I think that is to be expected with a much softer compound than the run flats. I liken the handling more to a BMW now. It just feels a little more refined. A lot less jittery. I hated that when taking a corner and I hit an imperfection in the road, the car felt like it was going to bounce sideways. I am glad to sau that is no longer an issue. I don't think though that any major handling losses would be noticed unless the car was on a track. I took my CM to the dragon a few weeks ago and my run flats were squeeling through the turns. I could tell the suspension was a lot more capable than the tires were. That is when I decided that the benifits of run flats are far out numbered by the disadvantages.

 

the Sport Suspension (not Sport Pkge) will contribute to a harsher ride. The springs are revised, and a few cm lower. The sway bars are 1mm thicker & cause more torsional resistance. The shocks are also different & valved a big more aggressively.

'over-inflating' "may" soften the ride on because the load is transferred to the 'ballooned' center of the tire & reduced the amount of stiffer edge/sidewall contact. (nothing 2-3 # would do,but adding +7# may be be a different story.

 

After 27,500 miles, I finally ditched the RFT's. Went with Continental Extreme Contact DW... 225/45/18's.
What a difference in ride quality. I was really contemplating selling the Countryman, I wasn't happy with the harshness of the ride, but that's all changed now. I don't cringe when I change lanes and hit the lane reflectors or manhole covers or potholes.....
Only have a few hundred miles on them, so will have to give an update in a few months....

 

I ditched the RFTs after about 3000 miles...

...When we bought the car in December I didn't notice that the tires were summer only Duelers. I thought about making the dealer exchange for all season runflats but then the news started warning of an impending snow storm so the morning before it hit I went to a Discount Tire location and bought a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires in 225/50-17.

Amazing difference!

Pluses:

• Immensely quieter ride
• Tons smoother
• Far better grip and breakaway
• Improved ride
• Improved looks from wider tire, slightly taller sidewall, and sexy tread design

Cons:

• Suspension feels soft now
• Bit of tramlining on certain surfaces. Not much, but it's there
• Cornering precision feels slightly reduced
• Torque steer is more noticeable in low-speed tight corners and quick acceleration from stop

Overall it was worth the coin to put these on - but now I want the sport suspension to reduce some of the body roll and improve overall control. Its pretty clear from ditching the runflats that BMW/MINI tuned the car's suspension to the stiffness of their sidewall. I hate to admit it, but the handling isn't as crisp anymore. I guess that's the trade off for radically improved ride, noise and grip though.

Just gives me scope for future modification...

 

Too bad the forum software can't detect a MINI rookie on the verge of requesting info about RFT's and just flash a big poster across the screen with lots of sound effects that say "Ditch The Run Flats". It would sure save a lot of screen time for lots of viewers, or, even better, if they were an afterthought option in small print at the bottom of the build page.

 

It was horrid enough when I bought my new mini that I ditched the RFs with only 4k miles on them and I hated them badly enough that I just told the tire shop to keep them..
New NON RFs were so wonderful in both handling and yes, extreme reduction of road noise... It was like a better, NICER, car from the very second that I left the tire shop and now getting close to 9k miles with two PGH, PA to Boston MA trips on them and driving them to work everyday....got to test both worlds highway and city and some really nice twisty roads and yes, best move that I could had ever made.

You wanted a testimonial, you got one. Ditch the damned RFs and enjoy your car way way better.... Just do it!

 

Besides it being a RF tire making the ride harsh, it is exacerbated by being mounted on an 18"wheel with correspondingly shorter sidewalls. A better ride is available with 17" wheels.

Better shocks will also help tame the harshness, noise and vibration. I noticed a tremendous improvement when I switched to Koni Sport Yellow shocks.

Different tire makers use different construction techniques. So, just switching to a conventional tire can have many different results. Maybe not all what you would expect. Unfortunately there are always trade-offs. A softer sidewall will give a smoother ride, there is no doubt about that, but you will lose steering precision. Some tires transmit more road noise to the chassis than others without any improvement in steering precision. The best thing would be to try different tire/wheel combinations on other CM until you find one that fits your requirements.

 

 

Here's an interesting new wrinkle. After reading about lots of members here getting their tires at Costco, I was informed today by a Las Vegas Costo Tire Dept guy on the phone that Regional has informed them that they cannot replace a RFT vehicle with anything but RFT because the vehicles have no spares, which is a total crock since more and more vehicles have no spares now - lots without RFT. They also told me if you want to change sizes from 205 55 17 to 225 50 17 you have to sign a waiver.

 

Hard nose dogma like that can kill a business. Costco is not the only tire dealer in the world but they seem to be acting like it with that sort of attitude. What ever happened to "The customer is always right"? Tire Rack has a great big ad at the top of the page that I am looking at right now. I'd sure take a look at what they have to offer and let Costco know why you are. Independent tire dealers of the world would love to have a chat with you too.

 

I found that all of the corporate shops said the same. Firestone, Sears, Pepboys and even Tire Kingdom. I ended up having TireRack.com ship mine to an independent BMW shop and couldn't be happier. He charged $125 for balancing and installation. I now run 225 55 18's and love the ride.