i love my jcw 18" wheels. i go them three months ago and immediately swapped out the harsh runflats with michelin ps2's.

tough new york city roads don't share this love though. rrghh....

this weekend i found bubbles in both front tires. i can only assume it's the combination of a low profile tire and heavily potholed roads. as careful as i am, they are just unavoidable...

so now, faced with a tough decision, i am looking for some advice. obviously i cannot go on buying replacement tires every three months. i'd consider going back to runflats and sacrifice the smooth non runflat ride if i knew they would be more durable and last longer.

anyone have any input here? or do i (gulp) sell the jcw 18's and go back to s-lites...

thanks - drew

 

Do you remember hitting potholes?

If you have 35 series tires then potholes are going to be very harsh on your tires.

One solution if you have stock suspension is to consider 225/40-18 tires.
Talk to Alex@tirerack

Avon Tech M500 $122 280 wear AA traction 7.5-9" rim 25" tire diameter
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....odel=Tech+M500
Avon Tech M550 $119 360 wear AA traction
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ech+M550+A%2FS
Should still fit a 18x7" rim.

Watch your tire pressures, drive with potholes in mind (not too fast) so you can stay clear of hazzards.

Non runflats can be durable and less costly than run flats. You still have to be careful.

 

oh yes... i've hit a few potholes... not pretty.

not running 35's, but 40's as suggested by mini. it narrows my choices down to either the stock dunlop runflats or the michelins which i now must replace.

it really comes down to this: if i am convinced that the dunlop runflats will survive on the jcw 18" wheels, then that's the plan going forward.

if the concensus is that a run flat wont be that much more tough over a non runflat, then i have no choice but to trade in the jcw wheels for some s-lites and go back to stock. i can't afford to replace tires all the time - regardless of how cool the 18's look! ; )

opinions?


thanks - drew

 

Yeah sell them, we do not have the potholes here. I can trade them with 5 s-lites and some cash I feel like I am trying to take advantage of the situation, sorry, man. On daily commuting, and in NY, it is hard to keep low profile tires, and run-flats, they will be harsher.

 

I replaced my Dunlop runflats at around 1000 miles. By then I had gotten 3 flats (lots of construction going on). My new tires have been on for about 400 miles. I am uncertain if the Dunlop runflats were more prone to punctures than the Kumho conventional tires I now have but after driving the same roads I have not experienced a flat again. Last night after a party I ran over a brick (BONK!) and thought I would have a flat this morning but it was okay. I have more faith in my Kumhos now. My town has lots of metal plates and potholes in the streets and so I drive cautiously. At night they are difficult to see so I have to drive even slower. Seems unMINI to drive like that but we must adapt to road conditions or switch to thick tread SUV tires. I recommend keeping the 18s. Good luck.

 

thanks for the responses everyone.

i really dont want to give up those beautiful jcw rims, so i guess the next step is to bite the bullet and go back to the stock runflats. hopefully they will be more durable given their construction than the michelins and the ride won't be too harsh.

we'll see... - drew