I just got my MCS a few days ago and ordered a new set of rims for it. How does the low tire pressure system work on the Mini? I want to use the original tires that came on the car. Are the tires hard to swap due to the low tire system?

Thanks!

 

34Mini,

Aloha and welcome to NAM.

Aftermarket rims and tires are no problem for the MINI.
The low tire pressure feature/function will work with your new rims/tires.
It senses when the axle is tipped to one side as when one tire is flat or if you jack up your MINI on one side when changing wheels. You can read your manual on how to reset the light after changing wheels.

 

The system uses data from the ABS sensors to monitor the rolling radius of all four tires and warns the driver if any tire’s pressure drops below 70% of normal.

 

Great! Thanks for the info. Makes it much cheaper and easier.

 

Using the ABS sensors to monitor discrepancies in average wheel speed eliminates a problem we used to see with certain model year Corvettes that had tire pressure monitors. The Corvettes in question had a small transponder banded to the inside of each wheel, and used RF to transmit a warning signal to the IPC (instrument panel cluster) if the pressure inside the wheel was out of spec. It's more accurate than the method used by MINI, but does have drawbacks in terms of added complexity, and extra attention needed when changing tires.

Trouble was, GM only produced 4 frequencies/code variants for these units- one for each corner of the car. This means that another Corvette with a low tire can pull up beside your Corvette at a traffic light, and your pressure warning alarm can be triggered by the other car's sensor. Fun stuff!