Its a super twisty road in north carolina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_%28road%29


-L

 

Thanks for the link.

 

It's a super fun road, I've ridden it on a sport bike a few times, but as of late Tennesee state troopers have been cracking down on everyone there. Enjoy , if you go!

 

but not perfect. It's relativly heavy, and that's an issue for some. Initial turn in is a bit softer, at the same tire pressure than some others. While those are all minuses, the biggest plus on them is thier wet grip. It's freakin' amazing! I live in hills where even in the summer, the fog can leave the roads damp....

But if you get even a hint of snow, they're useless. Hence the introduction of the F1 All Season. It can deal with light snow.

But a lot of this is personal taste, and a lot of the driving dynamics can be tuned via allignment and tire pressure. Blow off the dealer and the volume tire stores and alignment centers for set up information, and find a very good performance suspension shop, stick with them, and listen to what they have to say. I use one exclusively for all my cars, and they read my treadwear like a blind man reads braille. They let me know what I'm doing right and wrong, and based on what I feel and want, suggest changes to get the cars handling to move in that direction. I pay a lot more for alignments than I would at some of the volume shops, but I get much better results.

Matt

 

I'm glad you posted, Blimey. I was checking out your tires at Fontana but didn't get to motor with you.

General is also making a performance tire now that's worth looking at, Exclaim UHP. A few of the people in the AtlantaMINIS have them on their cars and like them. And at $83 a tire, they're this year's bargain.

 

Grip is quite good on the F1 GS-D3s, but I am curious as to whether the same could be achieved with a less expensive tire.

 

Not for the last couple of weeks - though there was a nasty incident there last weekend with a Miata and a Goldwing... so it may pick back up. The heavy motorcycling season is over, so makes sense that they'd stop wasting time there... at least until spring...

 

Summer tires are great in summer. Winter tires are great in winter. All-season tires, then, must be great in all season . . . which is . . . . ?

 

Or, All-season make great snow tires in summer, and great summer tires in the snow.

Here in California we have two seasons -- wildfire season & mud slide season. I don't think there is a tire suited for either.

 

I'm going on a 3000 mile plus road trip, but i have a nail in one of the dunlop RF now. was thinking of swapping out the RF's to the goodyear F1 a/s non-RF. Ive heard good things about them but am worried about the possibility of getting a flat. (forgot that i have never, had to worrie about that ... not having a spare)

then again i have never had to get out on the side of a freeway and change a tire.. but with my mcs i feel like i should always prepare for the worst.

 

but run flats can get screwed up too, it's just the chances are smaller. Severe side wall problems will ground the car, as will tread separation.

Most that go with non run flats go one of several ways.
1) Live on the edge, and just roll the dice.
2) Take a cell phone and a AAA card. (or just a cell phone)
3) Take a fix a flat kit and small pump
4) Take a spare (Cooper spare, or Honda, same bolt circle and more plentiful)
5) Stay at home and cower in fear (just joking on this one... )

Hope that helps, Matt

 

as far as option 3 goes. Which flat kit do you recommend? and Do i need to have the pump?

for option 4, where can you put the spare? besides the trunk? Can it go under the car, like on some SUV's?

 

Friend of mine had an engine fire in his classic Porsche a few weeks ago. AAA was only going to pay for a few miles (he was 60 miles from civilization, hundreds of miles from someplace that could actually DO anything with it. Check your policy limits. The local towing companies wanted $500+ for that 60 miles.

We wound up towing the car to a safe haven (our garage) for the night, then his specialty car insurance flat bedded it to San Antonio for repairs. My friends were thoroughly disgusted with AAA.

 

Oops--double post.

 

FWIW, for another $29 you can up your AAA range to 100 miles. I've never had to use it, but it's worth it for situations like that.

 

I bought the one Tire Rack sells. It is the Continental Tire ContiComfortKit and cost me $92.76 with shipping. It is an electric air pump and tire sealant dispenser. Runs off the cigarette lighter outlet. Others have mentioned getting similar units for around $30.

This may not be viable on the new TPMS that has sensors in the wheels. The sealant may not be able to get through the valve into the tire.

If you can't use sealant, at least carry a foot pump. You can get them at most auto supply stores. I've carried them for years and they have saved me on several occasions.

I also carry a Dynaplug.

In the boot or in the back seat. No room under the car on an MCS. That is why we don't get a spare.

 

The MINI comes with roadside assistance. For warranty repairs, they pay towing, I believe. Not sure how they handle flat tires that are not runflat.

 

Are you sure this is a towable issue? I didn't buy the tire insurance through the dealer, and got the impression that Roadside Assistance didn't work for tires.

 

so I guess I'm voting for number 2, or 1 when I forget to take my cell phone!

The compact spare has to go behind the rear seats. No room under the car. In fact, that's why there are run flats on the S, no room for a spare.

Matt

 

I got a similar kit from Wally World for just a few dollars. There were several options available, all less than this.

 

I have the "wally world" variety plug kit, AND a Dynaplug kit. The theory with the dynaplug is you don't have to ream the tire, it's not "gooey", etc. which the traditional vulcanized plugs are... If my dynaplug doesn't seal the puncture (and it usually should) I'll revert to the caveman plugs.

 

My car is a late model 07, so i think i have the new TPMS. Is there any spray can I can use that will work with the system? I don't like the idea of carrying a spare in my tiny boot.

 

I have been very unlucky with the new Mini S, the rear took at 3 inch bolt right through the tread. That was a new tire replacement for $325 with a one week wait, because no one could get the runflat, including the dealer. Now, I found the largest pot hole in North America in the Washington, DC area. The rim is bent, who knows about the tire, probably need a replacement again. Two points.
Point 1 - Even with runflats, if you bend the rim or have a flat, you may need the spare while you wait for a replacement tire.
Point 2 - The dealer's parts rep. did not want to price me a spare tire because he said if I did get rid of the runflats, I put car coverage and everything at risk because the dsc, brakes, handling etc. are all tuned to the run flats. If you have an accident, you are running the vehicle out of spec. I am still under warranty with less than 10K miles. Anyone heard this before?.

 

I was very happy with my G Force Sports. They are a good tire for southern states IMO. Now, how they would do in colder climates... I don't know.

A friend of mine has the KDW2 on his car and really likes them... but he says they are a bit noisy.

 

For what its worth here is my recent experience with Runflats .
I have gone back to the tire dealer 3 times in the last week because of improper installation.
Three times I have come out of work only to find that my tire has gone flat.
The local gas station air pump does not pump quick enough or with enough pressure to reinflate the tire.
I have to carry a small scuba tank with a tire inflator attachment on the regulator in order to reinflate the tire and get it back to the dealer.
I'm starting to wonder if the dealer bent the rim and that may be the reason why it does not seal properly .
I have no intentions of replacing these Pirellis Euforia's when it is time to get new ones, I will go with a non-runflat and leave a spare at home.
That way if I get a flat, I'll just have someone stop by the house and bring it out to me.
I don't really make any super long distance trips so this system should work for me .

From what I have read on this thread it sounds like the Goodyear F1 is the tire of choice in non-runflats..