clayvt and OXYBLUECOOP are correct. The wheels are 15" and the tires are not runflats. I don't think any tire manufacturer even makes a 15" runflat.

 

If I were the OP I'd quickly test my TPMS (once the car's fixed) by deflating one tire to about 25psi and driving it to see if the warning comes on. I have the old 07 system and got a nail and mine lit up at 25psi right away. If it did I think it's very likely the tire was defective and just blew in a hurry like Eirhead said. When I got my new set of non-RFs recently the tire dude told me about a RF tire where the entire intact 360 degree tread separated from the core and moved away from the car and rolled down the street like a hot ring of rubber* while the car was driving. They don't come apart as often as regular tires but they can blow.
*wan't that a Johnny Cash song?

 

Don't forget if you have the older TPMS system every time you add air to your tires or change to a different set of tires you have to re-set the TPMS monitor on the computer. If you don't your TPMS may not work correctly when a tire pressure problem occurs.

 

That's right - - it doesn't matter what goop you use.

I talked to a couple of tire techs at 2 different tire places when I had my non-runflat winter tires mounted. I wanted to know which of the goopy tire-repair stuff they didn't mind cleaning out of a tire after use. They said that as long as the label says that it will clean up with water, it's OK. Most of the newer ones are fine. I bought a container of the green "Slime" brand, they said that was good.

They DID tell me to stay away from the pressurized aerosol can-type tire repair stuff. You know, the kind that is supposed to inflate the tire and repair it all at once. They did NOT like that stuff, it is very gooey and sticky and the gas used to inflate the tire is sometimes (depending on brand, I think) explosive - according to them.

I don't know about the pressure sensors in the US and their "goop compatibility", but in Canada, no sensors = no problem.


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+1

Eirhead - your car must be a "Cooper Classic" model. 15" wheels, all-season non-runflats are standard equipment. If so, that answers that question. Loss of tire pressure = immediate deflation and destruction of the tire. It has happened to me, and is truly scary! Assuming you can stop the car safely, clean shorts are definitely required!

However, according to the MINI.ca website, the Cooper Classic DOES have a tire pressure warning system. Why didn't it throw a warning before the tire's sudden demise? It should have given at least some warning.

I'm not too familiar with the "Classic" model - not too many of them around here. Does your MINI have a TPW system? Maybe it wasn't standard before the '09s?

More info required....

 

¿Que?

 

I just got a hole in my right rear Dunlop run-flat, so big that any air I put into would come right out. The TPS went off in Los Angeles, drove back 75 miles to San Diego at 55-60, found the hole, then drove 30 miles to Escondido to get it fixed. No problems, no tire failure. HOWEVER, when I got to Escondido the tire was too hot to touch (about 140-150 degrees), so I can see that I couldn't drive on it for much longer.

 

Re-read the post, por favor:


De nada.


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Stock 15" wheels come with non-runflats - whoever sold the car to you did you a disservice by telling you that the car had runflats.

 

Sweet. I'm probably going to pick up the Conti Comfort Kits then. They look like a decent all-in-one solution

 

I just have a bottle of "Slime" and a cheap ($10) compressor in a small case that I carry in the back.


I can't say anything specific about it because I haven't used it, but this one:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...romSearch=true

is only $30.

And this:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...08474396672438

looks just like the Conti one, it's only $50.

And, as I'm sure you know, Canadian Tire always has stuff on sale. Wait a while and watch the sales flyers, I'd bet you can buy either of these for half list price or less, sooner or later.



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I'll bet that got your attention pretty quick, eh?

I had a Michellin blow like that back in the 80's, on a Peugeot station wagon. I looked behind me and saw drivers dodging smoking chunks of rubber. There was a 4" hole in the sidewall. No place to go other than the LEFT shoulder (right rear tire), fast traffic on the freeway, 2 small kids in the car, no cell phones then, AND it was dusk. I changed it myself, standing behind the car as much possible. I still shudder at the thought, 25 years later. (And yeah, I'm a woman...)

I have non-runflats now, along with Slime and a compressor/light combo I bought at Wally World for $20. Also have a tire punch-plug kit. AND a cell phone!

BTW, Hubby bought the compressor. I would have paid a few dollars more and bought the one that fits inside the fender. I don't know the brand, but if you pull back the little "hatch cover," you can figure out which one fits. I use one of my side nets for everything, plus paper towels, cleaners, etc.

 

Ya I was told by the dealer it was equipped with runflats - which is why I didn't need a spare... Ok now I'm kind of pissed.

EDIT: Additionally, I've been calling them daily, and they haven't been returning my calls. Mini Edmonton has the worst service I have EVER seen. I'm going in to raise some hell today I think. I could also go on, I've brought my car in a couple times for service now, and everytime they do really shady ****. They've tacked stuff on without asking me first. I'm going to consider court here.

 

Thanks for the tip(s). Seeing as how you're intimately familiar with CrappyTire you must be a Canajun too