Hello everyone I purchased my 2009 Mini Cooper S on May 31st brand new with only 3 miles. I didnt get the tire package offered because it was a bit more expensive so I declined the offer. But this has been my FIRST car that has given me the most tire problems. Ive had to get about 6-7 nails/screws already on these run-flats, they seem to just pick up everything on the road. And not only that but my front tires look like there down to about 30%-40% thread already!!! Mind you it just passed 8,100 miles... do you think I should ask the dealer whats up or theyll just rip my head saying I should of got the tire deal. Thanks!

 

Mine at 10,500 don't even look like they're wearing at all. I have Pirelli PZero Runflats...

 

I got 21,000 out of my Stock Run Flats and because Winter was coming I decided to replace them at 1.5yrs. But 8,100 miles seems like an issue you should take up with the Dealer, check out www.tirerack.com and see what other people are saying about the tires on your MINI, it could be that they are just that bad!!

 

What's the "tire deal"? Almost certainly some sort of ripoff.. good thing you avoided it.

How on earth are you picking up so many nails/screws? Are you driving through construction zones or something? That sounds WAY crazy. I doubt it has anything to do with the tires themselves.

Ditch those runflats when they're toast and get a quality non-runflat tire. You'll be 100x happier with how your car rides & handles.

 

That sounds like the tire extended service contract that my dealer offered to me when I bought my car. It's not really worth it.

BTW: I've got the stock Dunlop 17" RF's at 32,000 miles and they're still healthy with lots of tread.

 

I got ~30k miles out of 2 of my Dunlop Runflats. (The other two were replaced when 1 got a massive chunk taken out of the sidewall somehow...)

I drive pretty aggressively too. I was amazed at how long they lasted. Rotated about every 5k.

 

I got 22K+ out of my Dunlop run flats and that was driving somewhat agressively but not overly so.

As for the OP getting only 8-9K that sounds like an alignment or suspension problem. Take it to the dealer and have it checked. Even the most aggressive driving should not wear them out that fast.

 

Did you do any tire rotations? Are the tires wearing evenly?

 

I never drive through construction sites or areas that look like they'll harm the tires. Even on my 86 Buick grand national with front runners and drag radials I haven't had any issues in over a year. Ima try and take it tommorrow and see what they say. I could easily change the tires but the hell they are only 8k miles old! It's not like they gave me the car, I'm paying for a new car catch my drift?

 

Two questions
Were the tires rotated ever and was the tire pressure ever checked?
Low tire pressure and no rotation can destroy a tire.

 

tires have had nail/wierd objects into them id say about 6 times so yes tire pressure has almost been right on, besides thats what the tpms is for. And no the tires havent been rotated, im not due for my first maintence till another 3,900 miles so it would seem that would be the right time to do the tire rotation, but this thread on the front tires is way to bald for the mileage

 

Have you made any enemys lately ? Are you a schoolteacher or soemthing ? Nobody gets those kind of tire punctures.

Rotate your tires often and ditch the runflats as soon as they are totally worn out.

And quit driving around those industrial / construction sites.

 

Most auto companies recommend to check and rotate your tires every 3-5k miles. Since this type of service is not covered under your maintenance warranty the consumer (you) are responsible for this. I rotated my runflats every 3k miles and they still only lasted 9k :( I blame my driving style. LOL

 

Consider yourself blessed. The closer you get to the opportunity to replace the runflats the better you are. As much as you may enjoy your MINI now, it will be transformed upon replacement of the stock runflats with real tires.

 

Tires should be rotated every 3-5k miles, like ALTA Jarid said, but I would do it every 3,000 miles. I've noticed that the MINI tears up the front tires probably due to the high torque on such skinny tires.

TPMS is only for severely deflated tires. Check them regularly. If you wait for the light to come on, then you're wrong. But might as well take it to the dealer to see if there is anything wrong with the suspension.

BTW, the type of tire you have isn't going to affect how many nails you run over. Just pure and simple luck.

 

I had the Dunlap RFs, rotated at 15k replaced at 26k. I could have gone a couple thousand more maybe. The Mini is tough on the fronts. My new ones had noticeably less tread at 10k when I just rotated them.

 

hey guys, this is my first car, so im not too sure, but when should someone rotate these stock runflats? I have around 2k on mine right now.

 

Rotate your tires about every 5-7K miles and you'll be fine. If you wait until 10K miles, you'll probably be able to see that the fronts are worn more than the rears. The goal is to rotate before they look noticeably different.

Of course, if you have runflats, you might not want to rotate at all. That way they will wear out quicker and you'll have a reason to get good regular tires!

 

My wife's car has 15240 miles on it and mine has just over 13 K. We have the Conti run flats on them both. I rotate the tires myself in the garage every 5K miles like clockwork. At the same time I clean the inside of the wheel of brake dust, of which there is a lot. I wax the inside of the wheel with Wheel Armour along with the outside. It's much easier to clean the next time around. (Don't forget to reset the TPMS after you rotate the tires.)

I check the tire pressure every Sunday without fail. I always seem to add a pound of two of air now and again. Tire pressure is critical to long life of tires. Check it frequently.

Anyway, the tires on both of our cars look brand new. I just can't see much wear. But it's an eyeball check not a measurement of tread depth. (But they sure look new.)

As for changing to non-run flats I have heard varying stories regarding this. I think our cars ride just fine from my perspective. I will buy them again. I like the fact that I don't have to carry repair kits and other things to fix a tire.

Anyway, you have my experience.

Rotate and check the tire pressure with a cold tire frequently.

Regards,

Pat

 

I rotate my tires every 4000 thousand miles. I have about 22,500 on them now. They are getting close to needing to be replace. Any good suggestions for the 195 45 R16's?
O yeah the reason I'm posting. My TPS seems to go off if my tire pressure drops two PSI. Hell, some mornings when it is cold they will go off until the tires warm up on my drive.

 

You are probably not running enough pressure in them to start with and that will cause the TPMS to flake out on you.

If my memory serves me correctly you should be running like 37-38 PSI. My car runs larger tires so the pressures are different.

Check you drivers door frame for the correct pressure to run in you tires. There should also be a tag there for what pressure to run when going 100MPH or more, these will be different numbers (usually higher).

Do NOT go by what the manual says only go by the tag on the drivers door frame.

 

Yeah the manual in my car says 36 and the door plate 38 psi. I try to do 38, lots better with the non-RFs than the RFs vas for the ride goes lol. It got a little HARSH with RFs at 38 lol.

 

I just rotated my non-runlats at with 8k on them and they seem fine and they have a pretty low treadwear rating of 200 (Star Specs).

 

Yeah, I run 37 and check them pretty religiously. I guess my TPS is just oddly sensitive.

 

about 18000miles on my OEM continental run-flats.
still have about 30% life left. I'm dying to get rid of them and get some decent replacements.
btw, I find the fronts wear roughly twice as quickly as the rears. I suppose wear pattern will differ with driving habits as well.