Yo. Well, runflat sensor went off this morning on the interstate, I got to work, and one of my back tires was 15 lbs under spec. Now, I'm not all that interested in getting the runflat repaired or replaced, I wouldn't mind getting a complete set of new meats. Um, does anyone have a good recommendation for some higher-quality tire shops in the STL area? (Not Dobbs, Sam's, etc.)

Also, any recommendations on brands/models for someone who wants a little performance, but realizes that this is a daily driver and is in rain, snow, downtown roads, etc.?

Thanks in advance!

 

Go with Metta and my suggestions, Tire Rack and Zisser install.

And don't listen to Metta, go with the Yoko's

 

I recommended Tire Rack also. Just put the Yoko's on Sunnie They're great Dobb's (Chris) in South County Mall (recommended by Tire Rack) did a great job on the mounting & helped us sort out a few problems

Lois

 

For All-Seasons, go with P-Zero's or something else that Alex would recommend. The Yoko AVS100's are great three-seasons but are tricky in the winter, to say the least. I will not use them in the snow again, but they are my new track tires!

I used Wheel Image for my last set on FLASH, but just used Tire Rack for my track wheels/tires. Alex at Tire Rack is the best! He'll get you what you want.

Zisser, Wheel Image, and Reid Vann have good mounting equipment for large rims. Dobbs, etc, seems to be good and bad, depending on who you talk to. I have heard both great experiences and also bad ones with scratched wheels.
Aaron

 

Fortunately, I still have my 15 in wheels with the all seasons on them. They will go back on next winter. But then we may never see any snow again in St Louis I am, however, ready for the Dragon with my new Yoko's I personally had a good experience with Dobb's but we are regular customers & they treat us great

Lois

 

got my tires from tire rack. pirelli pzeros. had miller brothers in ucity put them on. they did a great job.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Ended up going to Zisser. Set of Kumho 711's on Felix. VERY happy.

Runflats suck.

 

You know what they say about "new shoes".....they make you run fast. I guess you'll have to test that theory out on the 9th, eh?

 

Oh, the theory has already been tested, trust me!

 

See Keith Emery who is the manager at Autotire in Ballwin. He enjoys helping people who want more performance and if you are a member of our club he will give you a discounted price. He is also recommended by Tire Rack as an installer of their tires.
From what I've heard from people with the tires the BF Goodrich G-force KDW-2 is a great tire for the MINI. That will be my next choice.
Mick (Killerbee)

 

Mick, was Keith the guy we met at the Viking Focus Group meeting that one evening?

Brad

 

Yes he is...they have put tires on the Killerbee, Miata, and Jag so far. It is a bit out of the way but they take care of you and I haven't yet had to go back to have something redone.
Mick

 

Got new shoes for Checkers on Wednesday from Wheel Image. :smile:

I sure am glad to be rid of those run flats, even though they did save my butt a week ago. The sensor had went off and I stopped to put some air in the tires before seeing the nail. I was driving on 0.5 lbs. of air.

Still glad to have the new shoes as two of the old tires were wearing. I decided to go with TOYO tyres, and I am satisfied.

 

The sensor is not in the wheels or the tires so it will still work with whatever wheel/tire set up that you run...so no worry about the new tires. The new tires should feel a lot better than the runflats and your handling will improve as well.
Mick

 

[QUOTE=Killerbee]The sensor is not in the wheels or the tires so it will still work with whatever wheel/tire set up that you run...so no worry about the new tires. The new tires should feel a lot better than the runflats and your handling will improve as well.
Mick[/QUOTE

But you do have to reset the flat tire monitor(follow instructions in your owner's manual) after you have had a flat tire and/or changed tires. Just an FYI.

Lois

 

Hey guys,

Can anyone recommend a place that can balance 10in tyres here in st. louis?

please let me know.


cheers,

 

miller brothers in ucity.

(314) 863-1222

 

I second the recommendation: Keith at AutoTire on Manchester
in Ballwin.

I've had TireRack ship directly to him, and I've bought Falkens
(not sold by TireRack) there. Always satisfactory, got mounting
and balancing right first time, never had to return for a fix.

 

Hi all,

I have my MCS on order and I'm already wondering how to avoid paying an arm and a leg to make a smooth transition from the run-flats.
I want to both a) get some mileage out of them since I already have em, and b) swap them out for improved ride and cheaper repair/replace costs long term.

Autotire Ballwin sounds like a good thing to me, though I'll check with my local Dobbs too on how they handle run-flats. Are we basically sunk from the start to someday have to decide --'replace this one runflat now for $$, or order 2 or 4 new tires right now for $$$$' ? Do I need to get 2 of them before anything ever goes wrong and just keep em in the garage and waiting?

I'm just being proactive--I would like to hope I get 6-10k miles out of the OEM run-flats, but I'm reading a lot of reality checks from people who didn't get near 6k miles per tire. Also a lot of folks seem to favor tire sealant and a compressor in the boot once they switch off run-flats. Sound right?

This seems like a perfect discussion for the next happy hour and some beer.
Thanks,
Mike
St. Louis

 

Well I can't afford the new tires before the dragon, but this will definitely help when I'm ready to put out the $$$ for it.

Thanks guys
Shannah

 

Milke,
I do almost all my tire business with Zisser Tire on West Florissant just off highway 270. (They are not even close to where I live but I make the trek there without hesitation) They have excellent equipment and I use them specifically because they treat my wheels with such care. (I always remind them that I am uber-picky, of course) They are also a dealer with Tire Rack so you can get tires cheap and ship them right to Zisser and just have them mounted or you can negotiate a tire price based on what you see on Tire Rack if Zisser has it. I get there at opening on Saturday mornings and am always the first served. They have a big ad in the phone book.

I swap tires a lot during track season, winter, etc and they now give me a discount on such things because I am a regular.

 

Hi All, Just had new tires bought and installed by Autotire on Manchester Road - Keith Emery. Man, what a difference non-runflats make. I highly recommend this place. Keith is a wealth of knowledge. I was in the shop area watching the whole process and they did an A-1 job. Discount given for MINI owners. Motor On. Dan

 

Just had AutoTire in Baldwin do my new tires, Keith really knows his stuff, and the discount helped, not to mention the tender love and car they gave my car while it was there.
Motoring Down Live's Ever Changing Road, it seems a lot smoother now,

 

Ok, looks like I need to get some new tires. One of my tires is very messed up. It looks like an unbalance/alignment issue on the tire. When I talked to the guys at autohouse the said it was form taking too many turns. Basiclly I don't think a tire with only 14,000 miles so be this bad this soon.

So the question is, should I get all 4 tires replaced or just 2? The other two don't look too bad, but I am worried. Also these are stock tires. Also I see a lot of you talk about ordering tires and having them shipped, what is the turn around time on that? I need to get new tires before my trip the end of this month. And what tires should I get? I like my run flats, but you all seem unhappy with them. I am very lost. This is the first car where it mattered. Anyhelp would be great.

 

First...runflats give a harsh ride.
Second...runflats are expensive.
Third...runflats don't grip as well as performance tires.
Why would you not want a more comfortable ride that grips better and is much less expensive to replace? For the price of 1 1/2 or 2 runflats you can have 4 new performance tires.
The downside is that on long trips you should carry a small spare on the floor behind a front seat. In town a runlat repair kit will do.
Your alignment is probably off from hitting a pothole and therefore you wore out the tire that is not in alignment. Get an alignment, new performance tires....maybe some lighter rims, and a road force balance on those new treads. You will be thankful when you feel the difference.
Try one of the shops mentioned earlier in this thread and they will take good care of you.
Mick