My '06 MINI has 12,000 miles and I've rotated a couple of times.
My daughter has had it at school for the past two months and on her return home today I notice that the backs are significantly more worn than the fronts.
My experience with most cars is the front tires wear faster than the back tires.

Do the rear tires wear faster on MINIs than the front tires or did I rotate them a second time in my sleep immediately after I had already rotated once (putting the tires I had just rotated right back where they were)?

 

My experience is that the fronts wear at about 2x the rate of the rears.

- Mark

 

I'll agreee with Mark. Fronts about twice the rears. Make sure you have the right air pressure in the tires.

I have found that I run slightly different pressure than factory recommended in order to keep even tire wear. At the front I have found 32 - 34psi keeps the shoulders from wearing faster than the center. In the rear I have been running 24 - 26psi to keep the center from wearing to fast. Rotation occurs every 3000 - 5000miles.

I also monitior the tread depth when I rotate the tires. Tread depth gauges are available from you local auto parts store. Depending upon the tread depth readings I'll adjust the air pressure.

Does you daughter like to practise e-brake turns? That could explain excessive rear tire wear.

 

I agree with the others that front wear is probably about 2x the rear. I never rotated my tires and at 22,000 miles or so I just replaced all the tires. The front were really worn and needed replacement, but the backs looked really good. I had the all-season Continental 15's.

 

Also, I don't they rotate a straight front to back anymore, but instead do a cross rotation, not sure of the details.

 

You can only "cross-rotate" non-rotational, symmetric tires. Directional tires (i.e. Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s) have to remain on their respective side (left front to left rear, etc.)

HTH