I recently picked up an r56 and discovered they have run flats. I was wondering if i changed it out would i feel a difference in ride quality?

At the moment my lady and I thinks its a bit harsh than some of the other minis i tested. The other mini's had 16" wheels.

The r56 i bought has the r98 webspoke 17" wheels with bridgestone runflats on it.

If i switched to regular performance tires would it ride softer?

 

YES! Do a search.

 

Without a doubt!

 

Absolutely. I use the Hankook V12's, but there are so many tires to choose from that are better than RF's.
Pick the brand you're comfortable with, find a nice performance tire in their lineup, and you won't regret it.

 

It will ride softer with non RFs. Non RFs are about half the price of RFs and last at least 50% longer. I'd wait until you wore them out before switching, they go maybe 30k miles or less. You need a pump and some goo in case of a flat. They store under the passenger seat.

 

17" rides harder than 16" guaranteed with same tires, and RF's run harder than non run flats. So put those together and you feel every pebble. I had a loaner with 19" run flats, I could feel running over cig butts.

 

Thank you, my car has 12k miles and looks like a pretty good amount of treads left

It was a certified preowned. Love the car but from test driving a few I remember the 16"s were softer vividly.

Anyone have suggestions for a good tire?

It's also 205/45/17

I am able to increase it to 215/45/17 right?

 

i have the same wheel and tire combo you are mentioning. I tried 215/45R17 no run flats off a buddies for a couple weeks and it was infinitely better. can't wait to swap mine over, but i'm also not a "throw away tires with 50% tread" kinda guy either.

 

I ditched my run flats right about 30k for some Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3's. Couldn't be happier with the ride quality and handling. Did pick up a goo-n-pump set for the boot just in case, and made sure my road side assistance was active on the ol' insurance. There are a lot of great tires out there, and a lot of helpful people here to help sort out the choices.

 

I got rid of my runflats at 25k and went with Continential DWS in the 215 size. A lot more comfortable and quieter.

 

More comfort ,better roadholding.I had Michelin Pillote Sport and Continental premium contact.
A 45 has a lot less comfort then a 55.

 

Ditto to all of the above. When my Continental run-flats were worn out, I replaced them with Kumho Ecstas, and the difference was quite noticeable. You may lose the razor-sharp response in the steering, but overall they're much better for everyday driving.

You may know that if you actually have to drive on a "flat" run-flat, you're required to replace it. So they're something of a mixed blessing - they're mainly intended to get you to a garage, and that's it... they're dead :-( Just my opinion, but you pay a lot for that convenience, both in price and driveability.

Spridget

 

In Belgium we get a set to fix and inflate punctured tires and a warning system for the tire pressure.

 

I was running Pirelli fun flats for almost a year since I bought my MCS and boy are they a hard ride, fun flats are among the worst tires on the planet! The only feature they offer is the ability to run flat, they wear out pretty fast. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are the high-end tires for performance and for the enthusiast, if you want a little more bang for your buck the Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3's are great also and have 15,000 miles more tread.

After ditching those Pirelli runflats for the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires it felt like I had just upgraded to wider wheels with a wider tire, what a difference! I thought I would lose that go-cart like cornering do to the softer sidewalls, I was wrong and was rewarded with excellent traction. I feel glued to the road.

 

I have an 08 MCS and I just swapped out my stock RF tires (205/40-17) and installed the Bridgestone Drivegaurds in 215/45-17. The ride is much better and handling didn't suffer, I still have a run flat tire and it didn't break the bank. Also get a mileage warranty, best of both worlds. Bridgestone is also giving a 70 rebate and another 70 if you open a Firestone credit card. So that's 140 bucks back in my pocket and I don't have to worry about getting a flat and have to get it towed to repair a tire.
These may not be the best for a track day, but I don't track it anyway.
I work for Firestone in south Florida and if I can help you out, drop me a line.

 

I also changed over to Michelin A/S 3s and what a difference! Some of the rattles that had been driving me nuts just disappeared, and the ride is so much better. No loss in handling either. I also got a tire warrantee that covers tire damage if I get a flat and drive on the tire and damage the sidewall etc. It was only about $10 per tire.

 

thank you all for the information.

Please feel free to keep adding tire information for others to have an more informed decision if they decide to take on the same path and swap over.

 

Ride quality is much improved for a non-rigid ride, improved handling/cornering and better wet traction handling. You also get longer tread wear life, RFs have always had terrible tread life. That pretty much covers the changeover from RFs, not much else to say.

 

You will also need to consider where you live. You probably noticed that some people have suggested all season tires while others have suggested summer tires. If you want to reply back with the region that you live and your driving needs, you will likely get a more applicable recommendation.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Is it worth buying the $1250 tire protection plan for my run flats (just got a 2014 mini-countryman s. I figure the tires cost $350 each -- so I would have to puncture/ruin four of them in 5 years to make it pay out. Doesn't seem to make sense....have never done that with any of my cars ... 1 or 2 in five years but never 4.

 

After replacing 2 RFT's for about $300 each, I stopped at Discount Tire and got a warranty on all 4 for about $25 each. For $1250, I assume this is the dealer price?

 

In Belgium we have a free star tires guaranty : for flat tires ,punctures, board stones, theft,vandalism .