I have just hit over 7K on my 16 inch run-flats. Does anyone know if these tires are bi-directional? I'm assuming the correct rotation is simply front to back. Any thoughts?

 

Rotate front to back. Never cross! Do it every 5K miles. 7K miles is a little too long! My Clubman S came equipped with 16" Rims and Goodyear Excellence Runflats with a thread wear rating of 200. These tires will no tlast more than 25K miles, so rotate religiously! Other Clubman S equipped come equipped with better Continental all season runflats 195/55R16 V87 runflats with a thread wear rating of 400, which should last double the life service of the Goodyear Excellence and are cheaper too!

 

what is tire rotation schedule for non run flats? is this covered in the free maintenance package?

 

The book says don't rotate them at all. I said to hell with it and did it once I noticed the front edges starting to feather. I dont know why the book would say not to do it, other than the wheel sensors.

 

It's a BMW / MINI thing. I always rotate my tires every 5k, despite the owner's manual non-recommendation.

 

While we're on the subject of wheels, how do you get the cap off a 5-spoke OEM wheel? It's flexible but feels fragile. I'm afraid of breaking it when I need to access the lugs. I plan to remove the wheels anyway to scrub the other side once a month. Is it bad to use a screwdriver? I can't think of anything else.

 

Check in the spare tire well. In the styrofoam should be a wheel cap pulling tool. (mine is in a slot next to the tow hook).

I have 17" A/S RFs and still have the tool. No spare, no jack, but a hub cap tool. I guess the 'bean counters' decided it was cheap enough to give to everyone.

 

Someone wrote:
>> Goodyear Excellence Runflats with a thread wear rating of 200.... better Continental all season runflats 195/55R16 V87 runflats with a thread wear rating of 400, which should last double the life service of the Goodyear Excellence...<<

This is a misconception fostered by the tire industry's silly rating system. The UTQG rating can only be used for comparison within a given Manufacturer. So, a Goodyear with a 200 rating may last as long as a Dunlop with a 400 rating - there is no way to tell. You can only compare Goodyear to Goodyear and Dunlop to Dunlop, etc., etc.

I know, it's stupid and misleading, but there it is...

 

I rotate every 5000. Did the first time when I was taking my MCS in for a warranty issue. They charged me about $20. Since then, including this morning, I just drop by Discount Tire and let them do it. They are no charge.

 

I had my tires rotated today for free at Discount again. I bought 4 tires from them a few years ago and they won't let me pay for rotation on any of my vehicles. I even tell them to let me pay due to the economy and they still won't let me. Because of that, I will replace my Clubbie's tires there probably later this year.

 

I was wondering about this too, and I went to dealership yesterday and asked to service manager about tire rotation. He said that MINI does not recommend rotation tire because of the stability issue. That's what I heard.

 

"Stability issue"? What the heck is that? It makes no sense to me to NOT rotate the tires. The front tires are subjected to much more stress and wear than are the rear tires. I will absolutely rotate my tires every 5,000 mi. This will even out the wear and should lead to longer tire life...

 

Is that not too broad of a statement?

From TireRack.com

Four (4) Tire Rotation

What tire rotation pattern should be followed? The Tire & Rim Association has identified three traditional rotation patterns covering most vehicles (equipped with non-directional tires and wheels which are the same size and offset).

• On front-wheel drive cars, rotate the tires in a forward cross pattern (Figure A) or the alternative X pattern (Figure B)
• On rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles, rotate the tires in a rearward cross pattern (Figure C) or the alternative X pattern (Figure B)

Today’s performance tire and wheel trends have provided the need for two additional tire rotation patterns.

• The "Front-to-Rear" (Figure D) pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with the same size directional wheels and/or directional tires.
• A "Side-to-Side" (Figure E) pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with different sized non-directional tires and wheels on the front axle compared to the rear axle.

If the last two rotation patterns do not provide even wear, dismounting, mounting and rebalancing will be necessary to rotate the tires.

 

I'm gonna do Front to Back same side, option D, it's the easiest one to do in my driveway...

 

One thing we all have to remember is that many of the tires that come on the mini as standard issue and many that people will buy are "directional" tires and crossing them from side to side will make them spin in the wrong direction. This will reduce the traction capability of the tire.

EDIT: also it can cause to the tire.

This is a bad thing to have happen.

So to those that are going to rotate the tires make sure you check the side wall for the rotation symbol to make sure the tire is going the right direction

 

Schatzy is absolutely right about rotation direction. Directional tires will actuall take a "set" after they've been in service for a while. Flipping them around and spinning them in the opposite direction can actually cause a tire to fail via belt separation. If that happens at highway speeds, you could be in for an "interesting" few moments...

 

A day after I got my tires rotated, I got a 10,000 mile oil/filter change service done at MINI of Phoenix. As I was walking away after handing over my Clubbie, Justin, the SA, asked if I had rotated my tires. I instantly thought that the idiots who just rotated my tires must have done something wrong but Justin wanted to know so they could do it for me. The told me they think MINI is in cahoots with tire companies. He said that he and the rest of the service guys think it is stupid not to rotate.

 

You always MUST rotate tires on a FWD car.