Hello,

I really want to get an MCS and i have found a great car for a nice price. Its going to need new tires and I want to go with an all season tire. Are there any good options for going away from runflats on an MCS? How do people deal with not having a spare when they switch away from runflats.

The runflats are just so expensive.

Thanks,
K

 

We carry a patch kit, sealing gloop, air compressor and on very long trips a spare that we stick behind the passenger seat.

BMW sell an M-Mobility kit ($150) that is a really solution, but I assembled mine from CostCo and PepBoys for about $80.

 

Not to mention the incredibly valuable AAA Roadside Service!

 

Has anyone succesfully fixed their flat on the side of the road? If its completely flat I guess you apply sealing goop and then put air back in the tire. Does that really work that well? I would think it would be difficult to find a hole in the tire while its mounted.

I don't have AAA but the same service through my insurance company. If you have to call them can they fix your tire on the spot or do they have to tow you to the closest service station?

K

 

Did you buy from a MINI Dealer or other delaer? Did you buy it new or used? If you bought new or from a MINI dealer you should have the MINI USA road side assistance (AKA AAA)

 

Don't "mess" with the goo! http://www.tirerepairkit.com/ and a compressor, large CO2 cartridges or a large volume hand pump, better yet all 3 air sources. You can plug and play by the side of the road, just be fast getting the nail out and the plug in, to save adding all that air lost back into the tire. Check plug with a little soapy water or "spit" for leaks, it bubbles if air is still coming out. You'll have to replug it if it leaks. Get to a tire shop and have a proper patch put on the inside of the tire.

 

I've plugged several tires over the last 20 years with the wheel on the car - not real hard - usually the culprit (nail, screw, etc.) is still there. If you have a co-pilot they can watch for it while you creep the car forward. If not you'll have to do the 6 inch creep until you find it - or feel around the tire with you hand and see if you can find it that way. And usually if it's a nail/screw it won't be completely flat anyway because it actually seals the hole and will probably hold 5-15 PSI. I usually inflate it back up before pulling the nail/screw. Make sure you have some pliers in your kit to pull the thing out, and have the rasp and plug all ready to insert before you pull - because you really don't want to sit it on your nice rim...

Of course, you can allways jack, remove wheel, find hole, plug, inflate, remount wheel and drive...

Or fix-a-flat it, inflate it more if necessary and limp home to do it in the comfort of the garage... But I kinda hate putting goo inside my tire unless I have no other choice...

Now, I once hit a big chunk of sheet metal and slashed the sidewall - in which case a spare came in handy... and my rim was never the same.

Paul

 

Its a used MCS. Its a 2003 with 29k miles on it with 17 inch mini-lite wheels. A friend of mine was telling me that putting non runflat tires on a 17 inch low profile would lead to increased flats from pot holes and such. Is that true?

I have not bought the car yet. I doubt I will buy it if its going to take $800-1000 in tires, especially since the tires get such low mileage...


Thanks for the help,
k

 

Its not going to take $800 to get new tires.

Just a quick look at the for sale forum here will get you a set of wheels and RF's for half that.

You could wander around many of the on-line tire vendors and come up with ~$150/tire

You could take the chance than many of us have already and get lightweight wheels/tires and carry a repair kit.

You could even negotiate new tires as part of the deal ?

 

I have 215/40-17 and no problem with low profile.
That is not to say a monster pothole would not kill my tires/wheels, just that I have hit some big ones and no problem yet.

FWIW, there are some good tire options on TireRack for under $100 per.

 

I carry a repair kit from Stop N Go, same one I used to keep on my motorcycle. It uses a mushroom type plug and a gun that 'shoots' it into the tire. They don't use glue so once it's in, it's in for good. I've used it several times on both car and motorcycle tires and have never had a leak. I also carry a can of Fix-a-Flat and a small compressor, but the Fix-a-flat is mainly if my wife has a flat or 'just in case'. If you have experience patching or plugging a tire it can often be done without pulling the wheel from the car.

 

$800 in tires!? thats insane!

Tirerack.com is all i can say...

Here are two of my favorite performance tires that you can find on tirerack. Dont let the low price fool you.

Sumitomo HTR Z II - $71.00 a tire ($284 for 4)

Yoko Parada Spec-2 - $69.00 a tire ($276 for 4)

$800 for tires is a complete rip-off unless they are something crazy like R-compound hoosier racing slicks.

 

Go to tirerack.com. They have a tire decision guide that should be useful for you. From the top menu on tirerack.com select products, tires, shop by vehicle. Then you enter info online about the Mini & the tire size (16" or 17"), then click on "tire decision guide" & it will ask you some more questions to help guide you to the best tires for your situation. That should give you a good starting point

 

No it is not true.....In 95% of cases what will flatten a regular tire will flatten a run flat....the only diffrence is that you can drive it someplace dry and well lit to change the tire, and pay twice as much to replace it!

If you are buying from any dealer make them replace the tires....It costs them less than it does you, and hold firm on price, make it a point of safety.

If an individual...then even non runflats are going to be $500+ if you get the acclaimed kumhos on tire rack for about $70 each, by the time you get them shipped and pay the local tire place a ridiculous price for mount and balance and tire disposal....etc....(about $20+ a tire) thats going to be around $500....So you dont save much really by going to tirerack because most tire shops want you to buy thier marked up tires and overcharge you to mount and balance

So the decision is not a $800-1000 one it is really a $400 one......AND ....If you look in the marketplace forum here there are people selling runflats all the time still mounted for around $500.....you could spend the $500 and get a set of new take offs.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=80727

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=80583

and then sell your other wheels for at least a few hundred on ebay or one at a time for the best return to people on here looking for a replacement to a curbed or bent wheel

 

I have 18"s so run flats aren't an option, so I chose to go with this:



It's made by Airman, and has the Dunlop tire sealant already inside, more so for my wife so she won't get stuck. At least it would get her to a location to get it fixed properly, for myself I would use the plug method.