Hi All -

I recently damaged a standard 15 inch tire on my base Cooper and tried to replace it. The problem is that the tire is a special order tire, only made for the Mini. Tire Rack has a three month wait on the tire, and my local Mini dealer didn't have one in stock. I found one, but it took some time and I don't like riding on the standard spare.

Just a thought - if you have a standard Cooper with 15 inch tires, consider buying a spare, just in case. The tire is under $80, but having to wait for it will put a damper on your riding fun. I feel better having a spare in the garage.

Just a thought, you may disagree, but for me the peace of mind is worth it.

 

my car has the continental 175/65/15 non-runflat all-seasons....no problem getting them from my local non-chain tire dealer

 

I've run into several times in the past (on my '03 Cooper) when OEM-sized Contis were on national backorder. We recently got some from the MINI dealership...the SA told us they like to keep some on hand. MIght be worth a call.

 

The OEM size is supposedly a rarely used size(per multiple tire dealers I called). I'm trying to sell off the 4 all seasons I have since switching to snow/summer wheels but so far no luck. Might have to just fleabay it.