any non run flat tire will be better, nonfat tires have extra sidewall support to allow you to travel distance if you tire weer to have a punture..... this increase weight of the tire, which increases rotational mass... makes a car slower.... i went from the Slites being about 24lb a wheel and 205/45/17 runflat khumos to a 14.7lb BF gforce rival non run flat, saving about 15-20lb a wheel, 4 wheels, 60-80lb of rotational mass... you can definently feel a difference, much more peppy

 

I ditched the runflats... bloated and heavy tires. They work... but in the 8 years of ownership, I had one flat that the RF tires would have not helped out on. Complete blowout from a pothole. Luckily I was 1/2 mile away from home. But the RF tire did not help. That is when I learned that I need to ditch the RF tires. I went with Kumho AST replacements. I have had great luck with these tires for their price point.

BUT, if you do ditch the RF tires, find a good tire wrench, jack and consider buying this spare:

MINI Spare Tire
Some consider this pricey, but it is an all in one purchase. No research to locate which manufacturer you need or which year of car (spare tire) you need. Hope this helps.

I currently run a full size spare in the trunk. I need to purchase this spare as well to regain control/space from my trunk.

 

Thanks, Good to know. About how much are these Kumho AST's? My rear tires are in need, but do I need to replace all 4 at once?

 

Where do I find them? Only On-line?

 

Unfortunately although I have had a good sales experience with MOP, their service dept leaves some to be desired. As I'm getting to know my car and having recently received the service records the dealership failed to do the recommended servicing of the brake and coolant systems as well as the belt prior to sale, they left me with leaking PW steering hoses, and a cabin air filter full of acorns........while. I would expect this sort of thing from a general car lot.....a Mini dealer should be a bit more detail oriented. I have a note in with the general manager, should be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

I don't see the point of carrying a spare. Yes it's nice but there are so many options to simply repair them yourself. I picked up a dynaplug kit and slime repair kit that included a pump. May also keep a hand pump as a backup. Less weight, less trouble.

 

Keep them in sets of 2. So if you plan on converting over, do the rears to start.

- Tire Rack
- Discount Tire
- eBay (retailers can sell sets of 2; sometimes for a good price)

Then have your local shop mount/balance. I luck out as my work has a motorpool with a mechanic that makes a few bucks on the side swapping out tires. Plus we use the company to get a few more bucks knocked off.

 

True, but you are assuming that one has TIME and the ABILITY to do this while stranded on the side of the road. Some people know how to change tires, but to get them to remove a valve stem, plug it, Slime it, screw valve back in and re-inflate might be too much.

Agreed though...

I would rather swap out tires and get motoring again. Worry about the fix/repair back at the house and remount primary tire.

 

I'd rather swap out a tire as well. Deal with the repair in your nice dry garage or if lucky, the tire store that repairs free flat, unless tire is totalled.

Sounds like too much trouble in a Nebraska blizzard or pouring Seattle rain! :>). We're only talking about a few pounds of real tire v. donut.sure a repair kit is just a pound or two. I always carried Fix a Flat for my Rav4 as I liked to go out in the gravel roads and race around a bit, but not with this car. I hate donut spares! If racing, then a different story, but I don't race....except myself on certain roads.

 

i do have the khumo escta A/S they are nice, but i have the runflat version, they came with the car... but i have the summers on now, and i am looking for winters, the khumos actually do decent in the snow, which i was surprised

if you can replace all 4 at the same time, and you will defiently feel a difference.

you can also find prices online from numerous vendors and bring their price into a local chain tire shop, they will normally match their prices

 

How many people were born knowing how to change a tire? None. I think it's more of a mindset thing than a logistical one. I just think it's a matter of getting in the mindset that fixing a tire is actually easier and safer than changing a tire.

In my 20 years of driving and 8 years of riding motorcycles, I have had one flat that could not be fixed by a kit....and it was caused by some jerk who slashed my tires. In those 20 years I have carried around a spare and watched a perfectly good tire go to waste....though on my jeep I am going to rotate the spare with the others. The motorcycle, have you ever seen a motorcycle with a spare tire...not counting Urals?

What I'm trying to say is a spare in my experience has been dead weight and useless.

For those that disagree, you can have fun changing the spare in a snowstorm while I sit in my heated car waiting for the pump to do its thing.

 

Sure, I get that. Prior to, I took my Rav all over the gravel, ice, snow got flats and a full size spare was essential. Now my son has the car, and still essential. I'll consider the easy fix stuff. But, you've not been in Nebraska in a blizzard have you? It aint pretty. -10, horizontal snow and 40mph winds will make you want a properly inflated spare. Fix a Flat freezes up at 25 degrees above 0, so is useless.

I know, the bus is a couple blocks away, or drive the SUV. Ugh!

Summertime and fall, I'm with you. just carry the light stuff.

 

I get it Paul, I live in maine. The only difference is in Maine we also get the cold biting damp winds that cut through you.....while in areas with little to no help. Gotta say though...I have never gotten a flat in the winter, perhaps it's because fate accepts that I already have enought nails in my tires...in the form of studs That is.....the rare occasion that I actually venture out on the roads in a blizzard. Usually I'm aware of the weather and don't get stuck in it.

Now....would I go up into the backcountry without a full sized spare....not a chance in hell. If I get a flat there...it's caused by running over a dead animal and all those sharp bones or sliced by a rock. Will my mini see that part of the state.....not in it's current state.

 

I heard about that stuff.... snow...

Brutal...

 

Brutal? Not for me, I love it. The mornings after a heavy snow, sound all gets absorbed everything is quiet. If it is cold enough that feeling you get breathing in. The freshness, everything is clean....yeah Snow is great. Now if you have to drive in it....well that is fun too. It's just the jerk in the all seasons or worse performance tires who thinks that they can drive any way they want and tries to run into you at a stop sign. That is brutal.

 

A mini on snow tires = outrageous fun!!
A good set of snows makes icy/3 inch snow coverd roads a blast (more than that the bottom starts to scrape... Light snow, no problem, but heavy wet crap...watch out!).

 

love snow!

 

First time a 4x4/SUV driving jerk tailgating you up/down a ramp slides into a snowbank...
The price of Snow tires worth it!! Seems many SUV/4x4 drivers on all seasons(often bald) figure if you can do it in your "tiny car" they can with theirs......love to hear what is going through their head at THE last moment.... Good thing speeds are so slow so nothing other than folks pride gets hurt...usually!!!

 

sooooo many people ask me how my car is in the snow..... and i tell them, blizzard nemo..... 8 inches+ on the ground and i was going through it no prob even with A/S tires

i cant wait to give the snows a chance

its awsome when my mini becomes a plow and im the only one on the road!