Greetings,

Yikes...only 12,000 miles in two years and my front tires may not make it through safety inspection. Do safety inspection stations have different standards for runflats? It's only on the side edges that the treads are worn down, but I remember failing a safety inspection many years ago with my previous car.

Any suggestions on tire replacements? Can't afford runflats! And how about the spare tire challenge?

alohas,

Lazule

 

Spare tire challenge? The MCS doesn't have a spare. If you are not at the wear bars, they should pass.

 

Thanks Beastmaster!

What do you mean by "not at the wear bars?" When I had my bad experience with my other car, they used a ruler to measure the difference between the top of the treads and the base. My front runflat tires are worn almost flat only on the outer 2" of the edge.

As for my question about the spare, yes, I know that the S doesn't have a spare and no space for a spare. Since I'm going to switch to regular tires, I'm wondering where you store the spare? Creative ideas?

alohas,
Lazule

 

Someone on NAM used to make spare tire bags. You would then strap your spare behind the rear seat storage area.

As for the wear bars, take a close look at your tire tread. You will see a bump in the area between the treadthat runs across the tire. That is your wear bar.

 

Thanks B!

The graphic clearly explains it. Really apprciate it! I do have a slight wear bar visible about 2" in from the outer edge of the tire. (See attached jpeg)

Btw, I read Sullivan's Daddy thread "Tic tac there goes my..." and called the number at Salt Lake. $150 a pop for Yokohama 17" tires. Just wondering if there are any other options? Will call Costco Hawaii Kai tomorrow.

alohas,
Jill

 

graphic didn't upload...will try again

 

Don't forget to give Sam's Club a call. You can also check out Sams and Costco's prices online.

 

Bad news. My two front tires won't pass safety. On top of that I have a "bubble" on the side of one of the run-flats. It's a noticeable bump about 2" in diameter on the side of the tire. "They" said it's the result of hitting a pothole or curb and the leakage of the gel inside the runflats.

I called around today. Costco, Sams Club, and Sears don't have anything in stock and claim that it takes 6-8 weeks to get delivery on 17" non-runflats. Since I discovered that bubble, I am not going to drive my Mini except directly to the tire shop.

TiresDirect and Lex Brodie are my two options for 17" (not runflat tires ... and I don't want high performance.) I've been told that it can be difficult to pull the rims from the runflats. Will post the prices and solution as soon as I solve it.

Btw, how dangerous is that bubble? It seems to have appeared out of the blue.

Am also wondering what do do about a spare. Is there a doughnut available?

Not a runflat fan anymore. Wish I had had an option when I purchased the Mini two years ago.

Lazule

 

Try Tire Rack. You can order them and it'll take a couple days via UPS to get here. You can also have them drop shipped directly to Eurosport and just make arrangements for installation.

 

FYI ....

Plan ahead! I barely got my runflat tires replaced in time for safety inspection August 30.

After countless phone calls and web research, I replaced my two front runflats with non-runflats - Yokohama H4 205/40R17 High Performance from TireDirect out by the old Costco. Ron (sales manager) gave a Mini club discout and was very helpful. Thanks Sullivan's Daddy! The only frustation arose from the shipment sitting on the docks for days due to customs issues. It happened to be the one container customs randomly singled out for detailed inpsection.

The only alternative in local stock was Lex Brodie's Goodyear Kelly EVO (very little information about it). Once again, Sam's, Costco, Sears had nothing and mentioned 6-8 weeks for special ordering.

I did check out TireRack (thanks Beastmaster!) and could have FedExed the tires here in two day. Eurosport will install, rotate, etc...but I felt better going with Tires Direct, just in case there are glitches. (TireRack.com only offers a warranty when you purchase 4 tires and I only needed 2.)

Thanks to all of you for pointing me in the direction of solutions.... I'm still peeved that my runflats only lasted 12K. When Ron removed them, the left front tire had two loose ball bearings inside. He had no idea where they came from.

I will raise one last issue about my trusting the routine maintenance inspections from the dealer. I had no idea that runflats would have such a short life span (12k!). I kept them inflated to 38psi...checked the pressure at least once a month (even bought a new gauge a year ago to make sure). Since I've had countless manini glitches with the boot, software upgrades, steering wheel's cover blistering, etc. I've been in and out of the BMW service department a dozen times since I've had my Mini S. Consequently, I have countless receipts that show that I requested that they check the tires and the tire pressure. Never was there any written notation (or verbal recommendation) about a questionable status - or excessive wear- of the front tires or any notation that the tires tended to in any fashion. Specifically, no one said that the tires needed to be rotated. I admit that I was thinking in terms of traditional tires and rotating at 10K. But that's why I kept requesting that the dealer check them. My partner called the dealer to complain with no results...only an offer of a small discount on runflats at their prices.

Any ideas????

alohas,
Lazule

 

12k on a set of performance tires is not bad, but not great. On a rear wheel drive car, one would expect anywhere from 10k to 15k to 20k off a set of ultra high perf tires and max perf tires.

One thing you can do to maximize your tire wear would be to rotate every 5000 miles. However, I have seen where BMW does not recommend that you rotate tires. WHY? I have no idea. I have rear wheel drive cars and the sport setup is to run different sized tires front and back and to have wider wheels in the back. I prefer to have the same size wheels/tires all around so I can rotate them as needed.

Don't forget to get a spare wheel and tire since you have non runflats on your car.

 

Beastmaster is correct, 12,000 miles isn't bad for 17' high prefprmance tires, run-flat or otherwise. To increase the tread life not only rotate every 5,000 miles but you can check the tread wear across the tread surface, inside shoulder, center, and outside shoulder. Buy yourself a good tread depth gague, they are not very expensive. It will allow you to measure depth changes of less that 1/64" easily.

With the new information you can adjust air pressure to maximize tread life. If there is less tread on the shoulders than is the center, raise the pressure by 2 - 4 pounds, check again in 1,000 miles see what the wear pattern is. If the tread is deeper on the shoulder than in the center the opposite would apply, reduce the pressure 2 - 4 pounds and check again in 1,000 miles.

This will mean that you will not be running the same pressure front and back, this is OK. Always use the same pressure in both front tires or both rear tires.

This will not yield 30,000 mile tread life but it will get you all that there is on the tire. Using the above method produced about 25,000 miles on the original 16" run-flats, including 4 auto-X days.

I lived in Hawaii years ago and know that the roads there are made of a very abrasive material that accelerates tread wear. Something that you can't do anything about unfortunately.

To get an idea about approximate tread life of any tire there are numbers and letters printed on the sidewall. ie: 440 AA AA or 200 AA A It is the numbers that are of concern, they offer an approximation, under ideal conditions, how long the tread will last. It is a good place to start looking when you are buying new tires. The higher the number the harded the tread and the longer the tread life. The harder the tread, the less traction is available. That is the trade off. Traction or tread life, your choice.

As far as a spare tire goes, just carry a bottle of "Slime" and a small 12 VDC air compressor in the boot. That is what I do all winter when I run non- runflat snow tires (guess you don't have to worry about that )

 

Thanks Bilbo and Beastmaster,

I'm somewhat comforted by the comment that BMW doesn't recommend tire rotation. I thought it was just my situation and falling through the cracks. Am still peeved that I could have gotten another 10K of life, had I rotated them.

Anyway, special thanks Bilbo for the tire pressure info (tread wear, tread life, etc.) Printed it out and sent it to friends.

As for a spare, is there a donut or inexpensive solution for the MiniS? I did buy a bottle of slime (a big bottle of slime since the 17" rims need a lot). Do they still make those plug kits? I used to carry one and an air inflator that plugs into the lighter.

alohas,
Lazule

 

Check Daiei for the Green Slime compressor pack. I know I saw it there before.

 

Try njbaglady.com for ideas to store your tire.

 

Beastmaster......Just wondering if all slime is created equal? I bought an aerosol can of fix-a-flat. Nothing about slime on the label.Am nervous about driving without a spare, so I guess I should travel with the best. Thanks for the specific info about where to buy it.

atcql, thanks for the bag url. Just what I'll need when I figure out the spare tire situation. What's the best solution? Is there an inexpensive donut for MiniS or do I have buy a real tire with rim?

alohas,
Lazule

 

Go to MoH and ask if they have any takeoffs. You might be able to get one cheaply.

As for slime, they are all different.