If I get the run flats, do have have to stay with run flats when they wear. The manual says the rims are special for the run flats, I think. I would like to try the run flats but I don't want to pay $1,000 when they need replacing. Thanks as always and haven't pulled the trigger yet. Pepper White MCS or Night Fire MC. Can't decide.

 

The all-season tires option are also run-flats.

 

The MCS doesn't come with a spare so staying with runflats becomes pretty important.

 

MINI owners have been debating this issue for the past five years. I can relate my own experience with runflats to illustrate potential problems. My left front tire picked up a nail while driving through the California redwoods in 2006. I stopped at the nearest Goodyear tire store. A technician removed the nail and then the manager told me there were no runflats in Northern California. I asked him to patch the tire and the manager said the shop would not do it. He telephoned San Francisco and Los Angeles, no luck there. He said that Goodyear would fly out a replacement from New Jersey. I spent two days waiting for the tire to arrive.

The other option is to buy non runflats and carry a can of some gook. This works if you get a flat, but a blowout would mean a tow job.

The long and short of it. You take your poison no matter what you do.

 

I had the same concern. I had originally ordered the 16" wheels and tires but found that those very expensive tires had lousy treadwear. So .. I researched every MINI Cooper tire and discovered that the 17" Goodyear Eagle RS-A EMT (high performance all season runflats) had considerably better tread life than the others (~double). For that matter, that tire got better grades in just about every Tirerack category.

So, to make a long story short, my dealer, Sandia MINI, was kind enough to sell me a set of 17" wheels (wheels of a style I had wanted in the first place - last year's S-Lites - one of the few earlier wheels okay for the 2007) that were wearing a set of those Goodyear RS-A EMT tires. He charged me the 17" upgrade price plus $200 for the labor. This definitely represented a good deal from my perspective.

Now .. One final note: All my research had been done on last year's tires. I've since learned that this year's tires are of a different breed (some refer to them as Gen 2). It also looks like they cost less than last year's. I tried to research them but there's not enough history available to tell anything about them. But .. On reading what R56 owners have to say, there have been no negative comments whatsoever that I could find.

There's a picture of my car with the S-Lites and Goodyears on the following forum page:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=93550&page=7

P.S. With regard to flat tire repair, the word I've read on the runflats is that as long as a puncture doesn't occur right at the outer edge of the tread, they can be repaired. Check these forums. You'll find several instances of repairs on runflats.

 

So a run flat is built different and If a get a screw right in the middle of the tire and the tire is brand new, I have to get a new tire. That seems crazy.

 

No .. Read the P.S. edit to my above post.

 

See also:

SFGate article about class action lawsuit

This is a different tire, but as the gov't is going to be mandating runflats, the market's going to have to adjust.

 

Functionally the only difference between a runflat and a normal tire is a stiffer sidewall... this allows the tire to support the full weight of the car (Most of it anyway) with minimal or no air in it. Most shops just don't want to deal with headaches, that's why they don't repair these tires. They're no more or less difficult to repair/plug/patch than a normal tire.

 

Having runflats would make this situation no less annoying. If your tire blows out, runflat or not, you're calling a tow truck.

 

What about the tire pressure sensors in the MINI?

This is from The Tire Rack description of the ContiComfortKit replacement parts:

"Note: This product cannot be used on vehicles equipped with direct tire pressure monitoring sensors in the wheels. Use of this product on these vehicles could result in damage to the sensor inside the wheel. Please contact your sales specialist at The Tire Rack for more information."

 

Hey, just wondering, could you put some of that "Slime" in the tires??

 

Thanks Dwdyer. Great article. It seems like run flats, although have some value are just not worth the overall head aches and price. Because of the tire sensor monitor, I have to have run flats?. Can I order a MC or MCS without run flat and get traditional and proven tire. One a side note, it seems like the cooper is so much lighter than most cars and smaller, there is less of a chance of a blow out? or no

 

The types TireRack is talking about mount to the inside of the wheel and transmit data via RF. Aftermarket versions, for example, mount to the wheel:



or the valvestem:



MINI doesn't have sensors in/on the wheel, and measures the rotation of the tire instead. See page 55 of your owner's manual.

 

Reality is that with a low profile tire and the reinforced sidewall of the runflats, the odds of a catastrophic failure (blowout) are extremely small.
When is the last time anyone here experienced a 'blowout'?


The MINI does not have tire pressure sensors - it uses the ABS sensors to measure wheel rotation and shows the light when it senses one wheel spinning faster than the others.


You could, but there are issues with the slime (gunks up the tire and wheel, possible balance issues.) I prefer tire plugs (and a compressor) - there are several options.

 

The MC has a spare. The MCS does not (and has no space for one), hence the runflats.
You don't have runflats because of the sensor, you have the sensor because of the runflats, because the MCS doesn't have a spare.
You can run conventional tires on the car with no ill effects (and many do), you just need to be ready if you get a flat, to get a tow or a patch kit/compressor or slime to get back on the road.
Runflats are becoming more common, but they are not quite mainstream yet.

 

I have had two puncture repairs on my 03. 1st at the dealer and second at a gas station. Gas station guy didn't know they we're run flats and said he would have charged more if he was aware. Repair looked the same as a non run flat tire.

 

Some shops refuse to repair runflats. My local Goodyear shop manager said that it had to do with liability.

 

I'll probably change to non-run flats when the orig. equpt. tires need to be replaced. The Tire Rack has some very inexpesive tires that are getting good customer reviews. Anyone know anything about:

Kumho Ecsta AST 205/45HR17 $70.00 ea.
Avon Tech M550 A/S 205/45ZR17 $101.00 ea.
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 205/45ZR17 $123.00 ea.

I have Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S (different tread design) on my Integra and I'm quite happy with them.

 

The Kumho's are an outstanding bargain. Very good reviews by MINI owners.

 

Found this pretty good Edmund's article on run-flats. Just thought I'd share:

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/tir...8/article.html

Although it says sealant-in-a-can leak repair products shouldn't be used because of the tire pressure sensors, it would seem to me to be okay on our cars because there's nothing actually on the wheels or tires that's related to the pressure sensors.

 

I ordered my MC (not MCS) with Sport Package and run-flat tires. Do I still get the spare and the toolbox?

 

MC non-S and Sports package and 16" runflats. Has toolbox and spare. Stiff ride with the run-flats. Plan to change them within the year (watching the Costco tire sale).

MMM

 

Interesting. Less than 15% of tire deflations are sudden. Sounds like Run flat tires are designed more to alleviate fears than to solve a problem. I'm definitely going to switch to non-run flats. The question is, will I wait until I wear out the factory tires?

The only sudden deflation I can recall having was in a 1967 Citroen. Michelin had a defective batch of tires in the early '70s. They not only replaced the tire, but paid for repair to the fender -- damaged when the tread separated from the tire at 60 mph. Because it was a Citroen, I heard it more than felt it. The car just tucked its hurt paw up out of the way and proceeded on three wheels.

 

Run flats are a safety feature, in that they prevent you from getting run over and killed while changing a tire on the side of the highway, or rearended while waiting for a tow.

They let you take the exit, find a gas station with air, plug the tire yourself with your own kit (a lot faster than waiting for someone else to do it) and be on your way without even having to jack up the car.

I fail to see the "headache" in that.

The spare tire itself is a safety feature because it reduces the likelihood you may be stranded on a deserted road. Some people consider cell phones or OnStar to have replaced this functionality. There are cars, including some Porsches, that do not have spare tires and also do not come equipped with runflats, as there is no requirement for automakers to provide either. If I had a MC and used it for long-distance travel, it'd have runflats and a spare. You may of course choose to purchase whatever optional safety equipment you desire.

Tires used to blow out all of the time until the '70s so it just became convention to include a spare. Since sidewalls have been shrinking recently, it's reasonable to expect the number of impact blowouts to increase again. I've actually blown out a Eufori@ sidewall at speed, and besides the loud bang and tire pressure light, there was no indication anything was wrong and the car drove just like the tire was normally inflated. No way to patch that, so I just drove home on it...