I recently ditched the stock run flats and got Conti DWS tires. The car runs much smoother now at all speeds, but I've lost some of the "go cart" handling characteristics that Mini's are known for. I also feel like the "heavy" steering wheel when sports mode is turned on feels much lighter.

What can I do to improve or get back to the way the car felt before ?

 

Part of what you are feeling is the loss of spring rate due to the less stiff sidewalls if the non run flat tires. You probably could use some stiffer springs and shocks. Or just learn to live with it.

 

Check the tire pressure. Raising the pressure 2 or 3 psi will fix the mushy handling

 

I own a 2009 Cooper S that had RFT Bridgestone's Turanza ER300.....195/55R16 run flats. They were standard with the car. I never liked the ride,seemed hard but I did like the go cart like driving experience. The Bridgestone's tread was gone after 25,000 miles. I'm not a hard driver and the 25,000 were put on in 2 1/2 years.

This is my first Mini Cooper and I am a novice to the world of tires. After reading everywhere and taking the advice of a friend I went with Yokohama AVID ENVigor
195/55R16 non run flats.

My initial reaction was that they are way quiet compared to the run flat's. I noticed the driving experience changed as well,seems more like a auto then a go cart. Still fun but different. Seems better in the rain.

I'll stop back after a few miles with an update.

 

I also ditched run flats a couple of days ago, I went with yokahama's s. drives. Car drives a lot smoother and the steering wheel is a lot lighter.

 

I've been debating between running my OEM Pirelli Pzero 205/45/17 run flats until they wear out or versus ditching them for a set of non-run flats. due to the harsh ride.

For a summer tire (which is all I need here in So. CA) I've read numerous posts, articles, and reviews that rave about Hankook's V12 Evos. For the price and great reviews, this will definitely be my next tire.

 

My wife and I both ditched the run flats after pricing them here in charlotte, $450 each. We went with Bridgestone Potenza 205/45/17, huge difference in the ride much smoother. My wife went nuts when she felt how much better the ride was. We went skiing last year in our home state of WV and the tires did great in the snow as well.

 

If you miss the go-kart feel you had with the run-flats, then pick non-run-flat
tires that are rated higher for steering response in the TireRack surveys.
These will tend to have stiffer sidewalls and also tend to be on the heavier side
of average, but not as much so as run-flats are, nor as expensive.

 

What cristo said above.

The Conti DWS is a very good tire, but it apparently gives up some cornering stability, dry traction, and steering response compared to some of the other highly rated high performance A/S tires, such as the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+ and the Yoko AVID ENVigor. You'll appreciate the DWS more when you encounter snow or icy conditions.

The run-flats have very stiff sidewalls; a source of both their good steering response and their firm (crappy?) ride.

 

I have a set of potenza all seasons on 17's (non-runflat), and the steering response did get much better when I went to 42 psi instead of 38. Still kinda like the compromise of my 16" runflat snows. I agree with the above comment about using the tire rack ratings.

Mike

 

If you need a summer tire I would recommend you look at the Conti DW tire. If I lived in an area like you that is the tire I would own. Maybe the best Ultra High Performance tire available. It's reasonably priced too.

 

Have the DW's and love them!

 

The first day after changing from run flats, I thought "my God, what have I done" ! Just as you, I thought my go cart handling was gone. BUT, two things - your worn tires are as stiff as they ever will be and your new tires are as mushy as they ever will be.
You will likely get used to and ultimately love your new tires for the quieter and ever so slightly plusher ride. If you don't, you are faced with a plethora of choices for tires and rims to choose from. Not a cheap proposition.

 

Are you using the stock size? An all season tire is softer than a summer tire.

 

I agree...I've read a lot of great reviews about the DWs. I do hear that they can become excessively noisy as they wear down, but I think this is true with most tires.

 

Changed my run flats today. Went to Yokohama's and couldn't be happier!!!!

 

What size did you go with? I'd like to go up a size (215/45/17) but I don't like what I've heard about the sidewalls being soft and the tire looking too tall. Just curious...

 

love my conti DWS's

 

My Conti DWS's are 215/45/17 and I don't think they look too tall. Check my gallery and decide for yourself (the pics with the stripes have the DWS's on the car. The pictures without the stripes on the car are stock RF's before I swapped them out). I believe you can get them in 40's, though. I also put an extra couple of pounds of pressure in them and they don't feel soft at all. They're definitely a little softer than the RF's, but that's trade off for a much quieter and smoother ride. I no longer fear highway expansion joints! LOL

 

I wanted to really improve the ride so I installed the oem size of 195/55/16. I didn't want the narrower sidewall because they will ride rougher. After spending $500+and removing the conti run-flats (new on car 1500 miles ago when I bought it) I wanted a major ride/noise improvement. I'm pleased to say, it worked out great!

 

There are a zillion threads out there already on the merits of RF's versus non-RF's. Sounds like you're running all season tires which are never going to feel as crisp and grippy as summer performance tires. That said, I suspect the difference in "feel" you are experiencing will diminish after you've driven for a while.
The harsh ride of RF's does not promote good handling. It may give the illusion of quick steering but it also contributes to bump steer and skittering over rough pavement. Once you've gotten used to the good grip and built in degree of compliance in a summer performance tire, you'll never want RF's again.

I've been using the Hankook Ventus V-12's since the day I brought my JCW home and they're awesome.

 

I'm sure a lot of the bump steer and skittering is due to the shocks and springs, in combination with the RF's. There was a noticeable improvement when I installed TSW springs and Koni's, even with the rf's... BMW/MINI tuned the suspension (if you can really call what they did tuning) with the stiff sidewalls as part of the system. It really didn't work out too well.