Hi,

We have a 2010 Mini Cooper hardtop, non-S. About 40K miles. This car has what I believe are the original Continental tires, but they are not run-flats.

Today we had a flat in the front passenger tire. With the help of AAA, managed to get the spare on and drove it home.

I assume it is advised to replace both front tires in this situation?

My confusion is about the tire pressure monitor system. The car does have a working monitor - it has alerted us a couple of times to low pressure situations, including preceding this flat.

I don't understand whether we need "special" replacement tires. Every search I do on this subject seems to be about replacing runflat tires with non-runflats. But again, these are already non-runflats.

When I search on Tire Rack for this model, it shows a list of matching candidate tires. Can we buy any one of them that qualifies on reviews and price? Or do I need to somehow check whether they are compatible with the tire pressure monitoring system?

Thanks for any clarification!

PS. This car resides in Los Angeles and will not be driven to extreme climate areas.

 

You are fortunate because your car comes from the factory with non-runflats and a spare. Any of the non-runflat tires in the same size and speed rating will work. The sensor for the monitoring system is in the wheel and is not linked to the type of tire.

You also will be pleasantly surprised at the relatively low cost of your tires versus those of us with S models who chose to replace our runflats with another runflat tire. When I had my previous non-S Cooper the tires were only about $100/each and I was able to buy them for a price close to that of the Tire Rack from a local tire store. The bad news is that base model tires only tend to last about 20,000 miles. I am guessing your tires are not the originals.

 

As far as I know there aren't any special tire requirements for the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). I would think that at 40k miles, assuming your tires have been rotated regularly, you probably need new tires on all 4 wheels. I would check your tread depth to be sure. Some of the tire manufacturers offer rebates if you buy all four at once. When mine had to be replaced, I replaced them with the same Continentals that came off. I loved the grip and that I never hydroplaned. Alex at Tire Rack is great and would be able to answer all of your questions. He's a sponsor on NAM. You could also try your dealership if you like your dealership. My dealership had the best price on the Continentals and they were the only place I called that had them in stock. I picked up nails in both of my rear tires and they had to be replaced asap.

 

As long as you have a spare.* you can mount run flats, or NON run flats.

Run-Flats have nothing to do with the tire pressure monitor system (TPMS). Your TPMS will still function as long as the batteries in the units are functional. a TPMS system is federally mandated on all new vehicles sold in North America starting 2007. Some systems use sensors, others do not. Our cars use the sensors.

I prefer to mount tires as sets on the same axle. That is unless the opposite tire has less then 5000 miles and is in good/unworn condition. (this is just a personal rule..). Tires with higher milage generally should be replaced.. bet it depends on age and condition.

I would trust tire rack reviews, or most reviews here. It depends how hard, and how you drive the car. If its a general daily commuter and you don't flog it to death, get quality brand name tires that fit the vehicle.

*spare must be in good shape, inflated, and properly rated for the wheel/hub/vehicle.

 

I just sold my MINI but I would have put 175/65-15 Michilen Pilot Sport A/S 3 on it if I was keeping it. 195/60-15 size also fits and provides more choice.

 

Thanks everyone! This is all very helpful.

Re:

Excuse my ignorance, but when you say that I can get 195/60-15 tires, does that mean they can seamlessly be installed on the same original wheels? Is it the same job for the shop?

Also, besides a wider selection of models, are there pros and cons to the 195 size vs the oem 175/65-15 size?

 

Yes, any shop can fit 195/60-15 tires on the standard 15" MINI non-S wheels. In general the wider tire (195) will corner better but get fewer miles per gallon. In this case the differences are small and can be completely overridden by the characteristics of different tires.

If you're interested in a reasonable tire at a bargain price see the 195/60-15 Sumitomo HTR A/S P01 (H- or V-Speed Rated) High Performance All-Season at TireRack.

 

Wow. Yes, I see what you mean. The Sumitomo's are currently $58 each compared to mid $80's for the "best seller" OEM size tires. Hmm. So much new information to process!

This Mini Cooper is not driven hard. It has a 5-10 mile roundtrip daily commute plus longer weekend drives around LA. No hard cornering, etc. Just average driving. So saving a bit on a well rated tire is worth something to us.