I have a 07 S with 17" and no run flats. I'm thinking of getting the mini spare donut, but read you can't put them on the front. why is this? guess I would have to jack the car up twice to move tires around. I could get a full size tire and not have to deal with swapping tires around.

what are you guys using in case of a flat? I got my car used and its missing the lug wrench and jack so I'll have to find those.

The reason you can't use the donut on the front is the fact it will not fit over the front brakes. You can safely carry the donut standing behind the passenger seat. Carrying a full sized wheel & tire can be safe if secured properly. If not in a crash it can come forward & cause big problems if it hits you.

My 2011 MCS R56 has run-flats...for now. I do not plan on running them again. I have no place to mount a spare under the rear of the car, as a Justa has, because the exhaust runs down the middle of the undercarriage. I do not like the idea of compromising the small interior space in the rear hatch area with a full-size spare, so I bought a "MINI Mobility Kit" from a MINI dealer off eBay for around $65.00. It consists of a can of "tire slime", an air compressor with a 12v outlet plug-in, and a pair of nifty gloves! I figure if I have the stock MINI jack and lug wrench, which I do under the compartment in the rear hatch, I am good-to-go for all but a catastrophic tire blowout. As always, time (and luck!) will tell!

Mobility kits and plugs are other options. Search for the many threads on this subject.

the spare on detroit tuned says it fits over most front brakes. i think the reason they say not to use it on the front is cause of the transmission due to the smaller wheel turning faster than the other.

the non S comes with a spare. so does mini say not to use it on the front?

A full size 16" wheel will fit perfectly (snug) in the boot. Think of the restrictions a donut or tire repair kit can present when you're out and about.

Diffrent sized tires will not hurt most differentials...as long as it's not over an extended period of time. Limited-slip and full-posi units would likely be an exception to this.

Most flats come in the flavor of a slow leak. Just having a portable air compressor will usually get you to a tire shop to have it repaired. For added peace of mind, you can carry a set of tire plugs, but be sure you know how to use them. That's all I carry and I don't have any worries about being stranded.

A shot of high quality serviceable sealant in each tire and one of these:
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks

www.tyreshield.com may have saved our bacon yesterday when a valve stem failed. For some unkown reason the stem was cut just below the threads. The tire held enough pressure (after two stops to add air from our portable pump) for us to limp to a repair station. There's no way that tire should have held any air but it did. So credit goes to Tyreshield and I will always use their products. Also want to again thank Fly'n Brick and his charming bride for flying our wing during that adventure.

I think the limit is either 50 miles or 80 miles before you cook the diff, so about the same as runflats. However, I'm wondering if the eLSD in the R56 does not play nice with this. If it senses the diameter and thus rotational difference, would it try to apply the brake to the full size wheel? Not sure, just wondering.

This ^^^

My MINI has an LSD. If I'm in a bad spot I'll put the dount on the front drive to a safe place & move it to the rear. I drive an 06 MCS & the MINI donut will clear the front brakes on my car. The MINI donut will not clear R56 MCS front brakes. Possibly Detroit tuned has sourced some other donut with more clearance. Call them & ask.

I'm gonna call up the junk yard and hopefully I can get a donut spare. would one from any mini work or does it have to be a hardtop like mine?

I think I'll get an air compressor and plug kit as well.

I just bought the spare tire off of a Cobalt on ebay for 65 bux and it fits perfectly. Only had to use it once so far. To me it gives me the ultimate confidence in the case I get a flat or a blow out.

what year cobalt?

Honda Fit spare will work also. Bought a never used one from a 2012 for $45.00 from a local junk yard.

A couple years ago I posted some info. A new spare wheel and new tire at that time was around $100.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3509947

http://www.waymotorworks.com/mini-spare-tire-wheel.html. Just purchased one on the chance of a catastrophic failure that no goo or plug can repair.

I'll go with the, "I haven't had a real flat in 20+ years" option, so I'll just keep the mobility kit, and my AAA card. No runflats for me...Except for the winter snow tires... Winter might be REALLY inconvenient.

I bought a never used chevy cobalt spare donut on ebay for $45 shipped. now I'll probably get a plug kit and compressor or just fix a flat.

Same here, I tried a Honda Accord donut, but it did not fit. Went with the Cobalt, got the tire bag from Detroit Tuned, this fits nicely behind the passenger seat. I also have the compressor/slime kit hidden in the rear panel.

I have a little yellow bag, I have a valve stem tool, bottle of Slime, and a compressor.

My understanding is products like "Fix a Flat" mess up the TPS units however Slime does not.

in over 1 million+ miles driving cars and another 500,000+ miles driving motorcycles, I have never changed a tire on the side of the road

I do examine my tires weekly and have found nails, screws, glass etc that would have eventually caused a flat but had the tires plug/patched before it happened

I do carry plugs and a CO2 inflator kit, but no spare and no worries with either my summer or winter tires/wheels, neither of which are run flats

I carry a donut spare in my MINI, and saw a couple flats on MTTS so I really think it's the best solution.

I have had my share of nails/screws etc. that were slow leaks so I could get to a shop and get them repaired, but there was one time on I-495 when I ran over a 10mm allen wrench, it went right through and ended up rattling around inside the tire leaving a catastrophic hole. I was glad I had a spare for that.

However when I put new tires on they will be non-RFTs, backed up by a plug kit, compressor, and AAA card.