R56 I HATE Runflats
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4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 474
Likes: 3
From: Maryland
You may be on to something here...maybe it is just the Dunlop runflat that is extra noisy, and ultra rough riding. Car manufacturers are not known for putting the most expensive tires on their cars. I'll have to check out the Goodyears. If you don't mind me asking, how much were they?
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 8,354
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From: Overthemountain, AL
You may be on to something here...maybe it is just the Dunlop runflat that is extra noisy, and ultra rough riding. Car manufacturers are not known for putting the most expensive tires on their cars. I'll have to check out the Goodyears. If you don't mind me asking, how much were they?
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 66
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Well...have had the car for less than 24 hours and picked a nail up in one tire. The indicator worked as advertised, going off when the tire was ~10psi down on the other 3. Boogied into Discount Tire (love those guys), they had my tire repaired and on the road in 20 minutes.
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 196
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From: Los Angeles
Well...have had the car for less than 24 hours and picked a nail up in one tire. The indicator worked as advertised, going off when the tire was ~10psi down on the other 3. Boogied into Discount Tire (love those guys), they had my tire repaired and on the road in 20 minutes.
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 66
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I do not foresee any issues with the repair. The nail was actually a very thin wire and it was in the middle of the tread. I'm confident that DT would not have repaired the tire if it was not repairable. I personally think all the babble about runflats being not repairable is hooey...
I do agree that if your tire was flat and you drove on it any distance...I would replace it, but this tire was only low (~25psi) so structural integrity was not compromised...
I do agree that if your tire was flat and you drove on it any distance...I would replace it, but this tire was only low (~25psi) so structural integrity was not compromised...
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4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 474
Likes: 3
From: Maryland
Performance. I wanted all seasons, but they were not available with sport pkg., and 17" web spokes.
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 8,354
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From: Overthemountain, AL
) which I believe are the least expensive RF of them all. I really liked them & I have never understood why people say the non-RFs handle soooo much better (& I assure you my line of thinking is in the minority here in NAM). My Pirellis never squealed one time when taking corners quite spiritedly & I never felt like they were even thinking of letting go. I now run Goodyear F1 GS-D3 non-RF's & while they are really good tires & grip equally well I do not feel they are "better" handling. They do offer a smoother ride but actually, crazy as it sounds to some, I prefer the feel of the Pirelli ride. With the Goodyears I feel like I am floating over the road SUV-like & the Pirellis make me feel more at one with the road & in the MINI I like to feel at one with the road kemo sabe
6th Gear
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,362
Likes: 1
From: Winston-Salem, NC
OK. Just be sure to look at the Pirelli's (like I keep harping ) which I believe are the least expensive RF of them all. I really liked them & I have never understood why people say the non-RFs handle soooo much better (& I assure you my line of thinking is in the minority here in NAM). My Pirellis never squealed one time when taking corners quite spiritedly & I never felt like they were even thinking of letting go. I now run Goodyear F1 GS-D3 non-RF's & while they are really good tires & grip equally well I do not feel they are "better" handling. They do offer a smoother ride but actually, crazy as it sounds to some, I prefer the feel of the Pirelli ride. With the Goodyears I feel like I am floating over the road SUV-like & the Pirellis make me feel more at one with the road & in the MINI I like to feel at one with the road kemo sabe
) which I believe are the least expensive RF of them all. I really liked them & I have never understood why people say the non-RFs handle soooo much better (& I assure you my line of thinking is in the minority here in NAM). My Pirellis never squealed one time when taking corners quite spiritedly & I never felt like they were even thinking of letting go. I now run Goodyear F1 GS-D3 non-RF's & while they are really good tires & grip equally well I do not feel they are "better" handling. They do offer a smoother ride but actually, crazy as it sounds to some, I prefer the feel of the Pirelli ride. With the Goodyears I feel like I am floating over the road SUV-like & the Pirellis make me feel more at one with the road & in the MINI I like to feel at one with the road kemo sabe 
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 2
From: Sterling, VA
Heck, I have a barely-used set of the 16" S-Winder wheels WITH the Goodyears on them, just sitting in the store room at work. Make me an offer.
--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI.net
You may be on to something here...maybe it is just the Dunlop runflat that is extra noisy, and ultra rough riding. Car manufacturers are not known for putting the most expensive tires on their cars. I'll have to check out the Goodyears. If you don't mind me asking, how much were they?
....Les
1st Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Thousand Oaks, CA
I'm really not sure what all the fuss is about the runflats. We have newest generation Dunlops on our car and although the car was a rough ride the first few days after delivery, it's perfectly fine now. Sure, it's a little harsh on rough road surfaces but it's acceptable. We have 17's and sport suspension. I have never driven an R53 with the older runflats, perhaps they have been improved considerably? My wife drives the car as her daily driver and the convenience of the runflats for her is important. We are probably not going to track the car and her driving skills are well served by the stock tires. I drive the car occasionally and am quite impressed with it's performance and handling. The car I have to compare it to is my '85 Euro spec Ferrari 308QV and the Mini has better handling and is only a little slower. Just my opinion of course.
Last edited by Impactco; Jun 9, 2007 at 06:13 AM.
2nd Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Easton, PA
All Season RF
Yep and I have a set of 17" Continental ContiProContact SSR on my 2007 MCS. Good handling tire(albeit I had a GMC truck prior to the Mini) and Tire Rack has them for about $170(currently on back order). I have had very good service from previous Continental's.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,326
Likes: 6
From: PA
Yep, I hate the run-flats, too. They give a rough ride and hey wear out quickly.
My BFG Traction T/A V's in size 205/50/16 should arrive on Monday and I'm going to have them installed ASAP even though I could probably squeeze another 4,000 miles, or so, out of those blasted run-flats.
My BFG Traction T/A V's in size 205/50/16 should arrive on Monday and I'm going to have them installed ASAP even though I could probably squeeze another 4,000 miles, or so, out of those blasted run-flats.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,261
Likes: 1
From: NOT Lalaland, CA
I love my runflats!
I got 38K miles on my original GY RFs. Had one slow leak that was fixed at the MINI dealership for all of $10. The second flat was due to a cut in the sidewall so I replaced the whole set (which I would have done within six months anyway). My new GY RFs definately give a smoother and quieter ride than the original tires.
I didn't think twice about replacing the RFs with another set of the same. I considered getting non-RFs after reading a lot of the back-and-forth on NAM, but I only have one car and I've gotten used to the convenience of being able to use my car (carefully, and not for long) despite having a flat. And since a lot of my motoring is solo, there's also a safety factor that I like.
I can change a tire (and a bunch of stuff under the hood, too) but these days, I'd rather not!
I got 38K miles on my original GY RFs. Had one slow leak that was fixed at the MINI dealership for all of $10. The second flat was due to a cut in the sidewall so I replaced the whole set (which I would have done within six months anyway). My new GY RFs definately give a smoother and quieter ride than the original tires.
I didn't think twice about replacing the RFs with another set of the same. I considered getting non-RFs after reading a lot of the back-and-forth on NAM, but I only have one car and I've gotten used to the convenience of being able to use my car (carefully, and not for long) despite having a flat. And since a lot of my motoring is solo, there's also a safety factor that I like.
I can change a tire (and a bunch of stuff under the hood, too) but these days, I'd rather not!
Well, the point I was making is that a RF wouldnt explode and shred
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 7,578
Likes: 5
From: Paradise
Why would you think that? What causes catastrophic tire failure (exploding and shredding)? I would think it is either a manufacturing flaw or tire abuse. Do you know that those shredded tires were not runflats? Perhaps they were runflats that had been repaired after having been driven on flat?
My 17" Crown Spoke wheels and runflat Doomlaps are stacked in the garage. I'm about to drive down to Los Angeles (350 miles) with just a can of tire goop and a foot pump in lieu of a spare. Wish me luck.
My 17" Crown Spoke wheels and runflat Doomlaps are stacked in the garage. I'm about to drive down to Los Angeles (350 miles) with just a can of tire goop and a foot pump in lieu of a spare. Wish me luck.
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Actually, I don't drink coffee...no one said that "I was going to die", Dunlop & MINI simply said that the possibility of a blowout was greater on a repaired, and/or driven flat, run flat tire. If you have ever had a high speed blowout, you know that it is not a pleasant experience. Driving on a flat run flat this morning was scary enough...a lot of side to side instability.
It is also worth noting that the tire pressure monitoring system never alerted me to the fact that the right rear tire had zero air in it. It is coincidental that I checked and adjusted all 4 tire's air pressure this morning, before I left the house, and reset the TPS.
Finally, I don't buy the theory that runflats are safer because they allow one to keep driving. If I'm in a "dangerous area", I can call 911, keep driving on the flat, or take my chances and change it. Rural areas, where I drive a lot, are what worries me. Getting a replacement runflat in some small town, let alone finding anyone there with the proper equipment and training to mount and balance it, seems unlikely. My MINI dealer had to get a replacement runflat from another dealer, so tonight, I still have their loaner. If my dealer, who is a very large MINI dealer, was out of stock, I wonder how many other dealers are?
IMHO, the runflat concept is a good idea in theory, but its implementation has been less than stellar, and not quite ready for prime time.
It is also worth noting that the tire pressure monitoring system never alerted me to the fact that the right rear tire had zero air in it. It is coincidental that I checked and adjusted all 4 tire's air pressure this morning, before I left the house, and reset the TPS.
Finally, I don't buy the theory that runflats are safer because they allow one to keep driving. If I'm in a "dangerous area", I can call 911, keep driving on the flat, or take my chances and change it. Rural areas, where I drive a lot, are what worries me. Getting a replacement runflat in some small town, let alone finding anyone there with the proper equipment and training to mount and balance it, seems unlikely. My MINI dealer had to get a replacement runflat from another dealer, so tonight, I still have their loaner. If my dealer, who is a very large MINI dealer, was out of stock, I wonder how many other dealers are?
IMHO, the runflat concept is a good idea in theory, but its implementation has been less than stellar, and not quite ready for prime time.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 568
Likes: 0
Yes, read on.
A lot of people here have said nasty things about runflats. I understand why. Before buying my MCS I did quite a lot of research on all the runflats that are used on Mini Coopers. In the reviews I read, many from NAM forums, there were a lot of complaints. The two that seemed to come up most often were noise and treadlife (awful treadlife). On the Tirerack tables, most had a lot of pink and red (less than good). The only runflats I found where all categories were rated with a minimum of good were the Goodyear Eagle RS-A all season runflats. (This year's Goodyear run-on-flats are new so I couldn't get useful info on them - also, it's a crapshoot as to which tires you'll get).
To make a long story short, I ordered my car with the agreement that the dealer would swap my 15" wheels/tires when my car arrived with a showroom car's 17" S-Lites having Goodyear RS-As. I paid an $800 premium for this ($600 upgrade + $200 for labor). My view was, at a minimum, I'd get that $800 back as a result of the 2X treadlife that I should experience with the RS-As (people reported treadlife in the 20s with, for instance, the Dunlops and in the 40s with these Goodyears.
Here's the Tirerack table on the Goodyear RS-As:
http://www.tirerack.com/tire-12/Good...RS-A+EMT.shtml
A lot of people here have said nasty things about runflats. I understand why. Before buying my MCS I did quite a lot of research on all the runflats that are used on Mini Coopers. In the reviews I read, many from NAM forums, there were a lot of complaints. The two that seemed to come up most often were noise and treadlife (awful treadlife). On the Tirerack tables, most had a lot of pink and red (less than good). The only runflats I found where all categories were rated with a minimum of good were the Goodyear Eagle RS-A all season runflats. (This year's Goodyear run-on-flats are new so I couldn't get useful info on them - also, it's a crapshoot as to which tires you'll get).
To make a long story short, I ordered my car with the agreement that the dealer would swap my 15" wheels/tires when my car arrived with a showroom car's 17" S-Lites having Goodyear RS-As. I paid an $800 premium for this ($600 upgrade + $200 for labor). My view was, at a minimum, I'd get that $800 back as a result of the 2X treadlife that I should experience with the RS-As (people reported treadlife in the 20s with, for instance, the Dunlops and in the 40s with these Goodyears.
Here's the Tirerack table on the Goodyear RS-As:
http://www.tirerack.com/tire-12/Good...RS-A+EMT.shtml
Last edited by Ken Cooper; Jun 10, 2007 at 11:16 AM.
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,384
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From: LI, NY
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