I'm a ways off but want to decide now. This my first MINI and first ever run flats. My Clubman S came with Turanza's and so far am satisfied with the performance of these tires EXCEPT the lack of traction.

I see that these are A traction rated and from my experience AA is needed for
anything with power. I tried A on my trans am once , what a mistake, could spin tires through 4th gear .

Is there a good AA run flat that won't loose any of the features I'm ok with, such as the ride and such that are ok now ? I'm never bothered my any
car tire noise , most all of my other vehicles you could never hear tires over
engine and exhaust , but plan to keep my exhaust stock on the MINI.

Or just get some non run flats and a spare ?

Wish I could try a MINI with non run flats so I could feel what I might be missing .

 

Not sure how the weather is in DWF but I love the grip of my Michelin Pilot Super Sports. They are summer tires but in SWFL I can rock them all year round with no issues.

 

I have used summer tires all year here in TX, I
Grew up with snow tires in Chicago so the
Small amount of snow here ( that closes most all
Business and schools ) is no big deal.

 

I swapped out for 215/45/17 Pilot Sports on my last Mini and it was a world of difference.

I'll do the same on this one as soon as the current tires wear out.

 

After 2 sets of run flats that lasted only 20,000 miles I got rid of them. The ride is a lot better, they look better, and they will last much longer. I also bought a spare tire.

 

Run-Flats Suck! They were the first thing I got rid of after I bought my Clubman S! I bumped up to 215/45/17 from the 205/45/17 for several reasons not the least of which was larger selection and lower prices per tire.

If I were in DFW I would get a set of 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot SuperSports... Best tire available but pricey at $149 each. If money is a big issue then I would go with the Continental Extreme Contact DW at about $110 per tire at Tire Rack. Nice thing about Contintental is that they include road hazard coverage with their tires. Oh yeah, both these tires are AA for traction, real Grippy suckers!

I also got a MINI spare that fits in the back under the jack and tools. spare tires come standard in the non S Clubman so you should be able to source the tire and the foam tool insert at a junk yard.

Good Luck

 

I agree that they will last much longer and the ride is much improved. It won't be like riding on "wagon wheels" anymore. I switched to non-RF tires on my first MINI and had them stock on my last one. After the switch, the car felt "lighter on its feet". My Countryman has RF tires, and when I replace them in about 10,000 miles, I will switch to non-RF.

I'm a bit confused about how they "look better", though. To me, there is not a difference in appearance. They're round and black!

 

I got 16" so 195/55/16 or possibly 205/50/16 205/55/16

Not sure I want to try the local junk yards, might just order one from one of our vendors here.

 

+1 for Michelin PSS 215/45/17. They fill the wheel gap aesthetically better too!

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

But the air gap on my 16" rims might be
A issue 😮

 

If I were you, this is what I'd do... Look here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ECDW&tab=Sizes

 

how big can you go on a clubbie ? Can I fit a 215/45/17 ? Still not sure
if i want new 17" wheels or stick with the 16" . I think the 17" non rft's
should ride as good as 16" rft's ??

I don't want rub, I want more traction and less wheel spin on asphalt roads.

Also like the speedo to NOT get farther off , the 205/50/16 would put me at ~3mph off at 65 vs the 2 now.

 

Ok could not pass on the DW's price, got 4 205/50/16 being delivered for $386 , less than a $100 a tire with no sales tax. I plan to try pep boys for install, hope they have no problems installing like must use glue weights.

 

Ok now I know why the tires are on closeout, they are 2 years old. Gonna get them installed Friday.

 

I did the same as timtim by dumping the run flats a month after we got our clubman. Runflats are heavy and create additional rotating mass not to mention the harsh ride quality. Plus if you get a puncture with a run flat the tire has to be replace not patched which ain't cheap. I went with Hankooks V12's and notice the car overall felt quicker mostly because of the tire weight difference. Get yourself a jack and a spare tire and or tire slime and a small 12volt air compressor.

 

Ok, they for sure ride smoother, about 50-60% I'd say. I bumped up the pressure to 38 pounds and the turn in feels as good or equal to potenza RFT . And as calculated the speedo is now 3 mph of at 60 , was 2. No notice in noise.

Traction is improved in a couple of ways , biggest notice is torque steering in vastly removed, seems when I do break traction on hard accel both maintain where as potenza's would jerk and release . Now to test in wet.

I opted to just get a decent air pump and plug kit since I have plugged many a tire in my life.

And I weighed tires, RFT's weighed 22.6 and DW's are 19

 

Do you have to change rims, too?

What about the TPM?

 

No , used my factory rims that I like. No change
To TPMS , just reset for higher pressure.

 

Ok, we had freezing rain and about 1/2 " OF ICE and slush frozen and my ultra perf summer only Conti DW's are doing better than most idiots here. My opinion of these tires is better than good, damn good. Admit I have years of driving experience on ice but I'm passing people.

I highly recommend these conti DW tires.

 

ok got my space saver spare tire ad wheel , a new 09 clubman model. Does the spare use the same the bolts ? They seem to be longer than needed and the concical face is smaller ? It went on ok just making sure I got the real deal. Looks just like the one detroit and mania sells.

 

Here is a fitment guide from MINI Mania:
http://new.minimania.com/part/NMW761...8-59-Cooper--S

It seems some spares on fit the rear wheels. If you have a flat on the front, you'll have to put the spare on a rear wheel and move the rear wheel to the front.

 

Is there a good primer for tire replacements (outside of this thread of course)? I have two sets of wheels I alternate (winter & the rest of the year) - both sets runflats. I would like to upgrade my "rest of the year" tires to non-runflats & am considering the conti dw's referenced here as a good balance of performance & reliability. Is there anything I should be concerned about in switching from winter runflats to summer regular tires?

Obviously I'll need to get a spare as well.

 

Guys, I have a Clubman S that I bought that came with the complete JCW package. Skirt, brakes, Stage 1, but more importantly the JCW 18" rims
My RF's are toast and cannot wait to rid them.

Do you guys know the spec of these rims (pic of clubman below) both width and offset….and if I can run 225/40/18 or is 215/40/18 the widest I can safely run?

Im also looking at the 2 tires mentioned in this thread but more likely will go with the Conti's due to cost and reviews on it are fantastic

Im so looking forward to ridding these RF's. My clubby rides like a wood wagon as indicated above