At my service today, I was told that my replaced Dunlop Run Flat tires were significantly worn and "feathered." I found this distressing because these tires are less than ten thousand miles old and have been rotated. Dealer said they were also pretty low on pressure. Can that have that much of an effect on tread in such a short period of time? The tires that came with the car lasted me 47,000 miles (still not enough considering they cost a fortune.

I'm not that hard on the tires, and don't drive like a maniac. But I'm getting very disillusioned by the amount of money this car is taking me to maintain now that it's out of warranty.

I have an 02 MC CVT with 16" run flats.

 

low pressure will kill any tire, rf or not

 

OK....IMHO

u need to learn enuf to understand what the dealer is telling you is wrong and judge for yourself....or find a mechanic that you really trust. This MIGHT BE the dealer ... but in my experience

Once my 02 was out of warranty a BUNCH of stuff was 'absolutely required right now' the first time the car went to the dealer.

One might appreciate the dealer's attention paid to the car......

or

one might question why the dealer said my front brake pads were totally gone, despite the fact I'd put new pads on only weeks b4

unfortunately, several other owners in our area had similar experiences.

A manager at a dealership (actually this same dealership) told me: we don't make any money selling cars. The profits are all in the service department.

Yes, incorrect pressure will cause faster wear on a tire. otoh, drive down a busy piece of road....see all those tire shops? Stop in a couple and ask 'em, what do you see in my tire wear? Or go to the library and get a book on auto maintenance 101 .... it probably has pictures of unusual wear....and text that explains potential causes....and explains what the wear indicators are.

Ya got's to be informed to avoid getting ripped off - this is a sad truth....

 

I'm not totally uneducated on tires or wear. I learned the hard way about run flats when I replaced the originals at 48,000 and was told by many that that was actually a long time. But I didn't anticipate that the new ones would be half way to gone by 10,000. After reading page after page of posts on MINIUSA Owner's Lounge, I can now see that this isn't entirely unexpected (except, apparently, by me).

I think I can be excused for expecting nearly the same performance from the new tires as with the originals. Not half the bloody life expectancy. And at $800 each round, there ain't no way in Hades I'm getting these darned things again.

And for the record, I didn't buy the line from the dealer on the $1100 they wanted. I went to a reputable garage and saved. I've also been snowed on brake costs by the dealer, who told me initially they'd be $600 for the front brakes, only to be told after I complained that they could have covered them under warranty (even though I was out of warranty). So I understand that the dealer isn't going to tell it to me straight the first time. But tread depth is a measurable item, so there's only so much BS they can give you.

 

[quote=misemici;1875816]I'm not totally uneducated on tires or wear. I learned the hard way about run flats when I replaced the originals at 48,000 and was told by many that that was actually a long time. But I didn't anticipate that the new ones would be half way to gone by 10,000. After reading page after page of posts on MINIUSA Owner's Lounge, I can now see that this isn't entirely unexpected (except, apparently, by me).


The replacements were the same model as the original? That is really odd that you got so much less service out of the new ones. Low pressure, rougher surface roads (like some in Florida), bad alignment all contribute, but go figure if none of that is the issue in your case.

regards,
Red

 

There are better tire choices than the OE tires, check www.tirerack.com, or call 'em and talk to Alex (he had a Mini). Our dealer (Mini of Pittsburgh) has been pretty fair with me and most of the folks in our club, but it never hurts to have a second opinion.

 

Tirerack.com.
Continental ContiExtremeContact
215/45/17
$91
Rated #4 All-Season tire on the website.
And for the price, they're by far the best deal on any other tire you will find. Just slapped four of these on. First day I had them it rained. I ran without traction control and it was very difficult to lose traction, unless floored from a sit.

 

This may or may not be the case BUT, you should have the alignment checked. I had the same problem, 4000 miles on $1200.00 worth of tires and the rears were "feathering" aka "cupping". The verdict? Right front Strut Tower cracked. Doh!!!! The car tracked straight but, I have to admit that I did hear a bit of "knocking" coming from the front of the car when zig-zagging on the street...that was the tie-rod end. If you've ever noticed that sound, have the alignment checked out and then have the strut tower checked out. I am currently waiting for my brand spanking new M7 FSB/STB to come in...yippee. anyway, it's just an idea. Good luck.

 

Kumho makes great replacement tires for the Mini. I am thinking them, or about the Goodyear F-1 all season. Something less expensive, much lighter, longer wearing, and better ride to boot.

 

I was thinking the same thing about the Kumhos. They have great ratings when compared to the other runflat tires on TireRack. I have a nail in one tire right now (Dunlop SP9000 sport 205/45VR17 runflat) I bought this car used last week and the low pressure indicator was on so I brought it back to the dealer. They said no problem, bring it to this tire shop and they will fix it our treat. Well the tire shop said it's too close to the edge of tread so it has to be replaced. The dealer liked to crapped themselves when they heard the cost of one tire. If they weren't going to cover it I was going to switch to the Kumhos. About half the price with a better rating.

 

If you don't get runflats put a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk, or get a compressor kit, a plug kit, and some Slime. If you have to use it, don't forget to tell your tire repair guy that the tire's got stuff in it.

 

gotta check that tire pressure more often too. RFT or not. I check mine very 2 weeks, using a digital meter. Just make it a habit.

 

Absolutely true. The relatively low profile tires on these cars (especially the 35-45 profile tires) have significantly lower total volume of air in them than, say, my minivan's tires (65 or 70 profile). As a result, it takes a VERY small amount of air loss (relatively speaking) to result in measurable reduction in PSI... it's not uncommon for my tires to lose 1-2 PSI every couple of weeks... where my minivan tires can go for a couple of months and only be down a few PSI...