Wifey and I were in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas last week. Shortly after stopping off in the visitor's center, the TPMS indicated the left rear Pirelli P7 Cinturato was low. Got out and heard a sickening hissing sound. There was a large hitch pin that had punctured the tire. The good news was that there was a tire shop only half mile away. They said they could have me patched up in 30 minutes. Great! After a short wait, the employee came out an said that they weren't equipped to patch / repair RTFs. I then started calling tire shops in Hot Springs (15 miles away) to see about getting the tire repaired, but none of the shops I called would repair a RFT. Also, none of the places I called had a replacement tire in the size I needed (225/45 18) and said it would take 2-3 business days to get one in

Ended up getting a bottle of "Tire Slime" to seal the tire and then reinflated it. Had never use this product before and I was VERY apprehensive, but it worked. I was able to drive on the slimed tire all the way to my home (350 miles away) with no loss of pressure.

Since my OEM tires were within 2-3k miles of needing to be replaced, ended up replacing the Pirelli's with a set of Michelin Primacy MXMVs. Wow, what a difference. Ride suppleness and quietness are way better than the Pirelli's. Downsides are that the steering "turn in" is not as crisp and that the tires "howl" when cornering aggressively (though the amount of grip is just about as good as the P7s). Since I now don't have a spare or RFTs, ordered a Slime tire mobility kit.

Given my experience, would recommend that you do something similar.

 

I have the same kit!! Its a lifesaver IMO

 

Try and remember to tell the tire shop that you used slime on your tire so they don't get a surprise when they dismount the old/damaged tire :D

 

Can you use that kit with AND without the slime? I think if I had this, I would try to use just the compressor first to see if i could get to a shop without having to slime it.

 

Not sure about the kit I ordered (#70004). However, the #70005 kit definitely will do what you want (only $10 more on Amazon). Didn't order the #70005 kit because the quoted dimensions won't fit under the load floor when folded flat.

 

I've been toying with what to do for replacing my 17" tires. Finally broke down and ordered Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical in 225/50ZR17. I had the slime kit in my boot but I just ordered a MB inflatable 15X4.5 space saver spare and an adapter kit. The tire will fit under the boot flat floor. Tire on ebay and adapter ran about $310 total. Getting new tires mounted tomorrow. Waiting to see how they perform. Did a ton of research and looked at Tire Rack surveys on the tires and user reviews. To me, the GY had the least number of bad reviews. All the others I looked at, Contis, Stones, Hankooks, Michelins, for every 7 good reviews, there were always 3 bad ones. Too noisy after 10k miles, poor treadlife, etc. The only tire that had all around good reviews seemed to be the Goodyears. Run Blizzaks in winter.

 

Nice, solid reviews on the Goodyears. Hoping they perform well for you.

 

I have a plug kit with me at all times, everyone says you canot plug a runflat , I have done it twice and the tires are still on the car. The only problem I have is when it is cooler out it trigges the sensor because the plug keeps the tire a hair taller until it warms up. I reset it and it stays off. I have the slime I just never used it always a plug. Glad to hear it worked for you on that trip good deal.

 

Lightyr, thanks for the info on the adapter and MB folding spare. I may look into this. How heavy would you estimate the MB spare is?

 

Thanks for the info on run flat tires.

I always wondered what do you do? Yes, they say you can go 80 miles on them. Then, my next thought is where do you take Mini to get the tire fixed or replaced? Kauffman? NTW? Dealer? Who would you allow to touch and work on your Mini?

Nice idea to have Slime. Just in case. The whole idea of run flats is good and bad. Mostly using car to go to work on a long commute. Thinking of plotting points along the way of where to go incase of a flat!

Worst case is out motoring on Sunday and nobody is open for business. Or out of state. Yikes!

Thanks

 

Did the slime damage the TPMS unit in the wheel?

Btw -the Goodyear F1s are suuuuuper nice tires in the summer.. Had a set a few years back on my Golf... Really nice, sticky, light, tires!

 

The bottle that I purchased stated that it was safe for the TMPS. From their website ...

Is Slime TPMS safe?
Yes, Slime makes a TPMS safe formula for cars and trucks with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). Look for the yellow bottle and the TPMS Safe icon. Many of Slime’s Spair kits also feature TPMS Safe Sealant. If your vehicle has TPMS, try the Smart Spair or Safety Spair from Slime.

 

I carry Slime but got the Via Air 300 kit compressor and now my wife thinks I can help everyone on the roadside. I have to expalin to her that the cars with shredded tires are beyond help and should have stopped when they first felt the tire go flat..
It works on all our cars especially the
minivan..
http://www.autoanything.com/wheel-tire/69A3199A0A0.aspx