I am the a new mini owner and also never had run flats before.
driving home my tire warning goes on.I pull over cant notice a
problem. get home only had 8lbs of pressure due to a nail.But the
cooper drove like nothing was wrong.

 

That's good to know! I love my runflats.....drive cross-country too often to not have them!

 

Im a new owner also!! and i just picked my MINI up today from the dealer also cause of a flat. ....

but i hit a HUGE rock or some thing and it bent my wheel all to hell :(
i had to buy a new one :(

i lost all air in my tire and none of my lights went off

 

Cool!
Always wondered how the run flats performed when low on pressure. Did the appearance of the tire look any different?

 

no they didnt show any bulge at all.

 

I don't have my MCS yet, but if the runflats are anything like those on my Z4, they're history as soon as I pick up a nail in one of them. Have you priced what it costs to fix them? If you can find a shop to do it, that is. And you pay a huge price in performance and ride comfort every second you're driving on them. Removing the runflats for standard tires (Falken Azenis) is the best mod to date on my Z4: smoother, better ride, better turn-in and grip, and WAY cheaper. Toss a couple cans of fix-a-flat, a portable compressor, and a plug kit in the trunk, and I'm good.

 

Bummer about the flat, but glad to hear the run flats worked for you

 

Tuesday night i drove about 20 miles on a flat tire. I had a nice "L" shaped puncture in the right front. Les Schwab patched me up and sent me on my way in about 20 mintues, free of charge. My warning light did come on and the tire was so flat it made a noticeable noise as we drove.

 

I know some people don't like run flats, but I use my car for commuting every day and I sometimes take the back twisty roads when traffic is bad. When winter comes, it's dark when I get home. The last thing I want is a flat on some dark, twisty road with no cell reception, all alone. My run flats have already gotten me home safe with a flat once already. It was a quick fix up. Yes, they are expensive but when its comes time for me to replace them, I'm getting another set. It's well worth it for me

I love my run flats!

 

That's what they all say until they try the alternative. I commute 80 miles a day and can't imagine going back to run flats. I carry a fix flat kit and a donut spare for long trips. "It's well worth it for me."

 

the only problem i have with them is that, first of all, you HAVE to get them replaced as if you would have to replace a regular tire. and they cost about $200+. so is the peace of mind worth the (200-80) = $120?

no, i dont run on runflats. then again, im a college student. peace of mind is worth very little to me

 

I don't have runflats....I have roadside assistance

 

I geuss thats the point you dont need road side assistance
because these tires will get you home safely.I was glad the
nail was in a spot that it was plugged and off I went.

 

One time, I was really bored, so I let all the air out of one of my runflats. I COULD NOT see a difference between that one and the rest that had 35+lb in them. Spookey....lol

 

FYI
Tire Rack sells the Dunlop SP 5000 for $157 a tire! You can find them in the Vendor section.

 

Absolutely. Its all a matter of perspective. Get a flat out in the Nevada desert that the goop doesnt fix and you will be begging for RFs. See the post of the gentleman who had trouble leaving from the Las Vegas get to gether and stranded outside of Death Valley.

If you were a women, getting a flat in the middle of the big city may not be the best place to worry about stopping to fix it.

RFs are the future. Cans of goop are a lame excuse for lack of a real spare.

 

Hear hear

 

I just bought 4 of those Dunlops from Tire Rack just before MOTD (MINIs On The Dragon). The 16-inch runflats are not as expensive as the 17s, and are not as harsh a ride, either. Like I've said many times before on NAM, I travel cross-country a couple months each year by myself, and the runflats are right for me. They give me peace of mind because I know that I can go up to 80 miles on them to find some help with a bad tire, if needed.

 

My dealership offers a 5 year tire and wheel warranty for $500. I have a friend that has had two flat tires on her mini and after the first one, she sprung for the warranty and swears by it. Driving around the potholes and frost heaves of Boston and the dirt/gravel roads of Vermont, I'm pretty sure I'll be experiencing some flat tires in the next 5 years. So I was going to go for the warranty...any reason I should not? Keep in mind...bent rims are a common theme to Boston drivers.

 

I've got the 17" run flats and I really don't mind the "rougher" ride... it's nice to feel the road IMO - this coming from an ex-Jeeper, lol...
I do like the piece of mind too... my commute is 46 miles one way so I'm basically doing almost 100 miles each work day. Again, piece of mind. Peace of mind. :-)

 

A couple months ago I got a screw in one of my runflats. The light went off in the middle of heavy traffic and since the car was handling fine I went the rest of the way home. I couldn't tell which tire it was until I checked the pressure and the "flat" one had no pressure in it. Fortunately, they were able to patch it and I have been running on them.

As to the ride, I have 16" runflats and I have no complaints about the ride and they handle about as well as I would expect for all-seasons. While the handling is considerably better with my Azenis, the ride is rougher to me on the Azenis than my runflats

 

I'm hoping runflats are the way of the future...near future. I've had my tire pressure light come on a couple of times now and am thankful I didn't have to stop right there and then to fix them.

As more and more cars go the runflat route, the price of the tires should come down. Also, development should continue to refine the harsh rides these tires have a reputation for.

 

Generation II RFs are already out in the form of Bridgestone 050s.

I doubt you can buy a BMW now without them Even Vettes have them I believe.

It all comes down to money. While in the beginning, they went to donuts to save money, now its RFs. Its not about no space to put them but cheaper for the car maker.

 

Since I use my MINI for mostly city driving, I don't think the runflats are worth it Hence the roadside assistance...If I were to use the car for long distance, I have a Scion spare that I pop in the boot...
Funny thing is my MCS came with a jack from factory but no spare...Go figure.

 

I have 1000 miles on my MC so far with Run Flats and love them. They have been awesome in the rain here and performance on dry streets has been great. Grant it I am not out of my breakin yet but so far so good.

Hey Wicked! Sorry to hear about the injury on yours already! Hopefully the dealer treated you as well down in Cali as they did up here in Oregon!