Been cruising the Tire Rack site and find a lot of comments about the harshness of the run flats and replacement with regular tires. I think this is the way I would go when the time comes.

My question is does the tire pressure monitor system stay on the rim or in the tire when replacing with regular tires? Never had this on a car before. I'm looking at compact spares and think I've found one that will fit. Will the compact spare fit in the storage compartment with the original tool tray, or does it need to be replaced with a tray from another vehicle? Thanks.

 

More info would be helpful. Is this an S or non-S? Is is 07 or 08+? If I recall correctly, the 07s don't have TPM sensors, they detect pressure loss by rotation speed. If you have one of the newer ones, yes the sensors would stay on the wheel.

If you have an S there is no room for the spare tire and you'll need a solution like the Slime kit (65 bucks on amazon).

If you have a non-s, do a search, someone has a thread on here about retrofitting a spare to a non-s cooper.

 

The wife has the 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. Seems there's quite a bit of space under the floor for a compact spare. Most of our driving is around town, so I don't expect to be far from home if I ever get a flat. I've got flat repair stuff on my motorcycle and carry lots of extra CO2 cartridges, plugs and a pump, but a massive slice or blowout is something I can't deal with. I'm thinking the same kit would do for the Mini.

 

The TPMS stays on the rim. You can buy the sensors as well, Tire Rack can see you a whole new set up (rim, sensor, tire), mounted and delivered right to your door (I think new sensors add about $200 to a set of new wheels and tires).

If you get just new tires, then you'll have to have them mounted on your rims, retaining your old sensors.

The Clubman does have a large spare tire area in the the "trunk". I believe it will hold a 15 inch spare. The spare will not fit on the front of your car, so if you have a flat on the front, you'll have to swap it with a rear tire and then put the spare on the rear. The spare will very likely not have enough clearance for the front brakes.... A spare kit from Mini is about $300 (I think), but other spares will fit the car and some people have purchased one from a salvage yard for about $50.

Many people on this forum, do as you on your motorcycle. They pack some gear for tire repair and keep a cellphone handy. Strictly speaking a spare isn't required. It's not impossible to shred or ruin a run-flat to the point where you can't drive on it as well, it's just less likely. They will allow you to drive with a puncture or other minor damage. Still, you could be stranded, even with run-flats.

Lots of choices....good luck!

 

Thanks. I'm thinking I'll be cruising the net for a compact spare that will fit in the well under the floor. I've seen a couple places that have the Civic and Acura spares. Too bad most cities banned junk yards, for the first 40 years of my driving life, I pretty much lived in one on the weekends.

The tires on the car look to be in good condition so we've got a while before this becomes an issue. Still, I'd like to know what I'm doing.