With the help of this forum I finally made the leap to non-runflat tires. After 20k miles on my orig Dunlop SP Sport 01 Runflats they were ready to be replaced. After doing some research on NAM I went with the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO a high performance non-RF tire. I also went up one size to 215/45R17 (vs. 205 stock width).
What a fantastic difference in the ride quality... way way quieter, much stickier around the corners (I drive Topanga Cyn regularly), super smooth over bumps and ridges, and the fatter tire looks awesome! They only cost 350. installed (after a 50. rebate) as well. I have a inflation kit with slime (I hope I never get a flat though). This has to be the "Ultimate" upgrade for the Mini. Thanks to everyone who posted all the great info about upgrading tires.

 

Sorry for my ignorance on this subject but do you have to change rims to switch to non-runflats? Or can I just switch tires from runflats to Non-runflats on the same rims?
Thanks for helping my understanding.

 

You can put real tires on the standard rims.

 

Thank you for the quick reply! Now I just have to wait for my runflats to wear out (I'm still suffering from sticker shock from purchasing my 2010 MCS but I am enjoying it!)

 

When I saw the thread title, I just KNEW it would be about ditching runflats.

My one runflat experience was on an '06 330i. The tires were HORRIBLE. Crashed over bumps, tramlined badly (wandered), skipped over the slightest road imperfections in turns, etc. Finally got rid of them at 11k miles, and kicked myself (hard!) for waiting so long. Completely changed the car into a different beast, with better handling, FAR better ride quality, no more tramlining, and much quieter. The only downside? No spare, but I carried a goo kit and compressor, and we all have a cellphone and BMW (Mini) roadside assistance, and/or AAA. Sure, you can get a flat out in BFE someplace and wish you could limp to a nearby town on a dead RFT, but once you get there, then what? Many tire shops refuse to repair them. Some don't even have the necessary equipment to mount/unmount them (something the odds of which no doubt increase if you're out in BFE), and nobody will have the right tire in stock anywhere nearby. So you're hosed. With a "real" tire, you get patched and on your way quickly, and most likely, you had no big problem getting a nice flatbed tow to the nearest tire shop. Besides, in 36 years of driving, I've **never** (knock on wood!) been stranded by a flat tire. Ever. Many times I've picked up debris that caused a slow leak, but every time I've been able to make it to a tire shop for repair. NFW I want to suffer during every single mile of driving, for some perceived safety advantage that RFT's might give me, in the extremely remotely possible situation that I might be stranded. No thanks, I'll take my chances.

I have a '10 MCS on order, and won't make the same mistake this time - my new wheels and "real" tires will be waiting the day the car arrives, and will go on IMMEDIATELY, even before I take delivery, if I can get the dealer to mount them for me.

Scour car forums (particularly BMW forums, since they've been using the damn things for a while now) and you'll find that 100% of the comments from "switchers" are just as positive as this one and of the OP. Do yourself a favor - if you have runflats, lose them IMMEDIATELY, don't wait for them to wear out. It's hands-down the best mod you can do for your car, and you'll wish you'd done it sooner.