Unfortunately when i got home from work today I noticed a nail in my rear passenger tire. It was pretty close to the sidewall in the tread. I called firestone and they said they are able to patch runflats, but when I took it in for them to look at, they said it is too close to the sidewall to repair unfortunately. So, I plan on replacing the single tire with the same tire(only have about 10k miles on the tires).

My question is, they have the stock continental ContiSportContact 3 SSR 205/45r17 tires on them, 84v rated. However, looking up local tire shops, they seem to have a tire listed, runflat 205/45r17 sport contact 3 84v bsw. Now, does anyone know if this is the same tire as the contisportcontact 3 ssr tires that i currently have my mini? If so, big brand tire sells them for about $20 cheaper than tireracks $203 per tire price, but they just don't say ssr on the website, and unfortunately the store is closed today.

I am hoping my local mini dealership will just match either price and have the tire in stock(they match online prices for parts for me). Otherwise, big brand doesn't jave it in stock, but says online the local shop can get it in 24 hours, if it is the same tire.


here are the tirerack ones which i am nearly positive are the exact tire
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....lar=Cooper%20S

for some reason the link on big brand tires doesn;t work. When i click on the tire through the search results, it links me to the cheaper non run flat version.

Anyways, I hope my post made sense and that someone can help me out and let me know if I am looking at the same tire or not before I replace my current tire with the nail in it.

Thanks,
Brian

 

Your Stock tires are runflats. Look for the "RFT" marking on your tire sidewall.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=56

When the store is open tomorrow you can call and confirm it is a match and they have it in stock.

I only see ContiSportContact 3 as a runflat in 205/45-17. If your dealership can price match that is OK provided the labor isn't too bad.

 

Ok, thank you. I was just confused on why tire rack had them listed as ssr in the name, as well as my tires also have that on them. However, at other sites I don't see the ssr in the name. Hopefully the dealer or tire shop can confirm tomorrow.

 

I think you will be OK.

New tire should go on the rear axle, this minimizes risk of hydroplaning in the wet.

 

SSR = runflat

http://www.continentaltire.com/www/d...tasheet_en.pdf

I'd wager your local dealer has the non-SSR at that price. Now, if it were my car I would buy two and put the new ones on the front.

 

Thank you guys so much. I will have to confirm with the shop tomorrow. The 184 is for the run flat with the v speed rating which I currently have. They also have one with the w rating for like $20 more, but figure that would be pointless, even for 4 new tires due to the V's being rated at 149mph if I recall correctly.

 

Whatever you do (another SSR run-flop, or proper tires), I would buy a pair of new tires. And put them up-front: they will wear faster, and full tread will provide better traction in the rain.

Otherwise, you will always be out of synch when it comes to replace the next 3 tires that will wear out faster than this one.

a

 

It's the other way around: new tires on the front axle to clear the water from the road.

Front tires are the first to hydroplane. Having good tires in the back will be useless, unless you execute a perfect 180 spin and keep full control of the car .

a

 

Because they are a site sponsor, I'll use their link:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=52

but any quick search on the Internet will reveal that new tires should go on the rear axle, even on a fwd vehicle like our MINIs.

 

1+

The correct way to install new tires that are less in number than all four is-

New tires which have more tread and therefore deeper grooves always go on the rear axle. This allows the rear tires to resist hydroplaning in the wet and lets you maintain better control.

If you put new tires on the front and worn ones on the back you will have good grip in the front and risk loosing traction in the back especially in the wet. Loss of traction in the wet could result in a tailspin.

Replacing tires in pairs is not a bad idea but in the OP's case he has only 10,000 miles so it is his choice to replace just one.

So what happens in the dry? All four tires will do OK, the fronts will wear faster from turning/braking/accelerating. If it never rains then you can do whatever you want.

Consider this, does anyone else besides you drive the MINI, perhaps a spouse or family member? If so, if they happened to loose control and go in a tailspin do you think they would be able to recover and avoid injury? The answer is, a tailspin is very difficult to control once it happens, it's much better to avoid it altogether.

Video on Oversteer/Understeer-
See 3:40