I'm looking at ordering winter tires (Blizzak WS70) and wheels for my 06 MC from Tire Rack. I currently have 15in all seasons, non run flats with TPMS. Can I skip getting the TPMS for my winter tires and just run her with the TPMS warning light on for the winter season? Is it easy to install TPMS on non OEM wheels and if so what would I need to buy to do this project?
As this is the first vehicle I've owned with TPMS, I don't have any knowhow about installing TPMS and I'm trying to avoid spending money at a shop just to have one set of tires taken off and another put on. Thanks for the advice!

 

2006 MC used wheel speed senors to read for the TPMS , you dont have the inboard valve stem TPMS sensors( like newer 2008+ Gen 2 MINI ). These gen 1 MINIs used the simple system of reading the wheel speed off of the ABS sensor. So just have to get normal tires and steelies and you are good to go.

Here are some steel wheel options from MINI. If you have the stock brakes on a 2006 MINI Cooper , you can run those 15" steelies no issues. They even have MINI Logo center cap covers that a separate to cover over the would be exposed wheel bearing cap.


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...now-tires.html






Thanks

 

Yup...
Your 2006 does not use sensors in the rims...
But counts rpms using the abs wheel speed sensors....
You should reset the system with the button after doing your tire swap...
Check the owners book in the glove box.....for exact instructions.

 

Another note, if you get a set of dedicated MINI steel wheel and then the WS70 tires, they swapping from summer to winter wheels is easy. Back and forth from season to season. Lot of MINI owners prefer this.

Good luck and thanks.

 

Owning Hondas, I've gotten real used to the added cost of adding TPMS sensors to my winter wheel setups - and fully anticipated the need on the '08 Mini to have them (so finding a takeoff set of wheels w/factory TPMS for a good price was great). But I was shocked (in a good way) when helping my son get winter wheels/tires for his new '14 Honda Accord to see that Honda has now moved away from TPMS sensors and, like the earlier Mini's, uses ABS sensors to track wheel speed to indicate low-pressure situations. Not sure what's the better system, but having to not pay the extra cash for the sensors is a positive for someone like me who lives in the snowbelt with a bunch of cars (thanks to the kiddos...).

andy

 

It's less of a pain for the techs working on them as well. No TPMS means that you won't get bad surprises when the tires are changed. It's an extra cost from the start, as well as having to replace broken sensors here and there.

I work in a Toyota dealer and I hate TPMS, you get really weird troubles at times. The ABS sensor method is the best in my opinion, it uses something that's already there and there's no downsides to it. No broken TPMS, no programming, etc.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I had no idea that there were two different types of TPMS. Great info from everyone and thanks again. I will be ordering my snow tires and dedicated wheels this week. My only other question is how should I store my all seasons? Can I just put a tarp over them and leave them stacked in my garage? Should I invest in wheel covers or a rack? I live in MN where it gets pretty darn cold and would hate for the extreme cold in my garage to do something funky to the seasonals as they sit for a few months.

 

leave them uncovered in the garage, don't want moisture trapped under the tarp with the wheels if the garage is not heated and if they are sitting on rim side, they will be fine, keep em aired up

 

Two different ways, get the tire totes and keep them clean , they don't collect moisture. Stack on side and tower. Or get the bags an the wheel tree, so you can move them around in the garage.

http://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_Wheel_Storage_Bags_ALL_JCW_S_Cooper_Wheels_Ti res_Winter_Spring_Summer_Fall_Protection_Models_Ma kes/




http://www.ecstuning.com/News/GLOBAL_Schwaben_Wheel_Storage_Options_Wheel_Tree_W all_Mount/ES2710754/



Thanks