so my 12' mcs has 25k miles on it and i went to get a nail plugged from the dealer and they told me my right side tires are at 2/32nds and my left side will need to be replaced by winter, i have 195/55R16 run flats and i thought that new tires at 25k miles was a little ridiculous, i don't drive hard, i have been rotating my tires every 5k miles since i've had the car. i'm just curious how long are peoples run flats lasting them? also has anybody been able to ditch the run flats, get tires from tirerack or somewhere and keep the tire warranty through mini?

 

A lot of people have ditched the run flats. Also any place will sell you road hazard for new tires just go to the place that give you the best price.

 

Interesting, I also have a '12 MCS with about 25k on the clock. I've had to replace two RFT's due to punctures, but the other two are the originals. I just had them checked, they are at 7/32 in, should last at least to 30k mi. We have the sport package so it came with 17 in wheels with Continental tires. We don't drive it hard, a lot of hiway miles. From what I've read, 30k mi is about it for these tires. One other thought, are they wearing evenly? Might be looking at an alignment, 25k mi is a bit early to wear out if you don't drive it hard.

At 2/32, you need to replace them. When I replace ours, it will be with non-RTF, something with a 40k warranty..

 

well i had the car for just over a year now and i paid around $900 for the tire and wheel warranty through mini, to me thats a lot of money wasted for no reason, never had a nail or any problem with my tire until now and they cant do anything about it just a plug

 

the insides of the tires are worn just slightly more than the outsides, but only by a hair (i completely forgot what the reading was) my car gets just all highway miles on it as well, i had an alignment about a month ago it was all in specs, i should say about a month ago i lowered my car on NM springs and put my car on the alignment rack and everything was within spec, but the springs are not the cause of my tires wearing out so fast i did put about 24k miles on the tires without the NM springs

 

My front run flats, after a Dragon, and a year were like slicks....

 

My runflats in the same size didn't even last that long and I, too, do mostly highway miles. The manager of the tire store where I bought (non-runflat) replacements said I did better than average for that tire.

Had I known I would have sold them when new. Dollars per mile cost on the OEM tires was worse than a sticky, high performance summer tire, not to mention a whole lot less fun.

 

Oh... sorry I was drinking. That was after only 10,000 miles. I have Kumho's now and love em.

 

does any one know if minis tire warranty will cover tires not purchased from mini then? im just extremely upset with this situation.

 

Most companies don't warranty items not purchased from them, why wouldn't you go to the person you bought them from. And I don't believe tire warranties cover mileage only defects and are prorated for mileage. And road hazard coverage is something else in addition. But one call to the dealer will answer your questions.

BTW, I'm about to up grade my wheels/tires and will be selling the ones on it. They are 195/55/16 Conti Pro Contacts all seasons with 3200 miles if your interested.

 

25k from the stock tires isn't bad. Here are mine after 19k miles. The first 9k were from an old lady that I know for a fact didn't drive the car hard as the tires were almost brand new when I got the car.




Got replaced with some Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

 

well hopefully the tires will last me until snow fall so i can put my winters on, then after winter i think ill be looking into some non-runflats

 

Just a couple of thoughts.

25K on MINI tires is actually a lot. (at least for me...)

Just because your car is in spec wrt an alignment, doesn't mean it's good or optimal. The spec is a wide range of measurements, and can result in a lot of wear. It all depends on the tech.

 

I replaced two RFT's due to punctures, was told by both discount tire and the mini dealer that they couldn't be repaired. Basically, the story I got was some RFT tires are repairable, some aren't. Apparently, mine fell in the later category. I stopped at Discount Tire, they sold me the road hazard warranty on all my tires for about $140, even though I hadn't bought them from them.

 

since i got the tire warranty from mini instead of plugging the tire they just replace it unlessthe tread is too low which happened in my case

 

my tires dont look anything as bad as these haha

 

Yeah, not super proud that I was driving on tires that dangerous, but hey I hope others can learn from my mistakes.

 

you misunderstood what he meant. the OP wants to buy tires from say tirerack and have them covered by the warranty he bought from Mini. that's not going to happen. you can't replace a product from another source and have it covered by a warranty for a different product from a different company. Mini isn't going to warranty tires bought from tirerack on the existing warranty, unless he buys a new warranty.

and yes, tire warranties only cover road hazards and production defects, not being worn out from use. you got 25k out of your tires, i'm not sure what else you want really. 25k in one year is a LOT of driving. most tires only last 25-30k, which is 2-3 years for most people. i've never had a tire last more than 25k, and plenty that went a lot less.

 

I went back and re-read the post. Right you are, I misunderstood..

 

Exactly.

And $900 for a wheel/tire warranty is a bit outrageous o begin with.

Sounds to me like a hell of a money maker to me. They warranty the run flats until the tread is too low. you get a puncture, new tire. They warranty the wheels because with the super stiff run flat tires, the chances of damaging the wheel is GREATLY minimized as a puncture now will not deflate the tire enough for it to get damaged. And with that logic, they absolutely would not warranty non-run flat tires from a 3rd party. I would bet the warranty on wheels would also be void as non-run flat tires would allow wheel damage if you get a flat.

 

yes i did a lot of driving this past year, im from boston took the trip to the dragon, put almost 6k miles that whole trip, but the runflats from mini go for $268 a tire, i dont see why they would not cover a tire for half that price, the SA at the dealership said he's had winter tires not from mini covered under MINIs tire warranty.

 

i agree $900 is a lot for a tire/wheel warranty, my previous car i had a huge problem with getting flat tires, the NE roads are not the best and there is a ton of potholes so i thought it would be a smart idea to go with the tire warranty, i just dont want to be locked into purchasing the same tires again and have them last 25k miles, i normally get around 40k from my tires on previous vehicles.

 

16,500 on MCS and front Contii RF tires are near wear limit. Rears are much better. Advised no rotation? Comments? Got tire/rim warranty for $490 mostly for rim issues. Any experience with Mini challenging suspension, etc. warranty repairs where non- OEM, not RF tires installed?

 

mini doesnt do rotations as part of warranty so i rotated the tires myself every 5k miles, mini didnt even mention the springs, im going to run these tires until winter so i can put my winter tires on and im going to look at new tires in the spring, but im really hoping that MINI will cover nonrun flats since theyre almost half the price

 

I doubt that they can challenge rim damage on suspension mods. Now if you install so ridiculously low profile super stretched tires, that might be a different story.

After I did all my suspension mods, I took it to the dealer and had them align and check torque specs on all bolts. They liked it.