Those of you running non runflat aftermarket tires. What's your plan if you have a flat tire? I'd like to change to something other than the Perelli but I'm a bit hesitant. I drive forty miles to work and I can't afford to be stranded on the side of the road. Your thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

First question I asked myself: When were the last times I had a flat tire on radial tires in good condition? Answer: Once in a construction zone in the black hills of South Dakota, ten years ago. Once three years ago on I-25 north of Denver, total blowout in my Audi, ran over a piece of highway shrapnel. So basically two flats (other than slow manageable leaks) in the last ten years.

My solution: AAA card, a small air compressor and tire goop. I'll also keep my tires in good shape.

But YRMV (your results may vary). I don't use the MCS as a daily driver, if I did I might consider keeping the runflats and having another set of wheels and tires for autocrossing.

 

I use my MCS as a daily driver usually putting in anywhere from 20 to 100 miles a day. I have a cell phone and AAA plus for towing and the MINI program as well. Tire inspection is a must before and after driving. In the last few times of flats I have picked them up when parked and the leaks were all slow and I just drove to costco for repairs.
I also still have my runflats at home in storage-reserve.

 

Me and the wife had a rash of flats one year, so i'm keeping my runflats.. but there are flat tire kits out there that I would pick up if i was running non-runflats... (fix a flat, small air compressor, etc..)

Rocketboy_X

 

So if you have a puncture in the tread of runflat it can't be patched but has to be replaced, right? There has to be a better way!!!

 

Apparently, run-flats can be "plugged". I don't know if this is a temporary or permanent fix tho'....

 

Yeah. If I understand correctly, only punctures under a certain size and only those occuring in a very narrow band right down the middle of the tire are fully repairable. I know I read this somewhere...I just don't remember where!

 

I had a roofing nail in my runflat. It was located in the 1st row of tread. After visiting/calling 4 or 5 local tire shops ("runflats?, nah... we can't work on those&quot I called Discount Tire. The guy I spoke said, "Sure we can patch runflats, as long as the nail isn't in the tire's shoulder".

I was in and out in 20 minutes with a patched runflat.

No problem.

 

>>I had a roofing nail in my runflat. It was located in the 1st row of tread. After visiting/calling 4 or 5 local tire shops ("runflats?, nah... we can't work on those&quot I called Discount Tire. The guy I spoke said, "Sure we can patch runflats, as long as the nail isn't in the tire's shoulder".
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>>I was in and out in 20 minutes with a patched runflat.
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>>No problem.
>>
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Ditto that. I had only 1/5 tire folks that said that could plug my runflat. No prob since!!!!!!!!! OH...AND...when when you get your tires rotated...AND...IF....you have brake dust shields in your wheels...make sure the installer manually rotates the tires to hear of ANY noises....he/she may need to 'beat' the dust shield to make it flush so that it doesn't rub against the caliper(s)...(happened to me today). Otherwise...the tire was in good stead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :smile: :smile: (Praise dust shields)

 

As one who does not own his MCS yet I am still trying to figure all these options out. I too will use my Mini as a daily driver and appreciate the suggestions of using AAA, as well as a compressor and a tire fix kit. Should I decide to store the run flats and the factory wheels....

How much should I expect to spend on a set of good looking, quality wheels and tires (17) that are suited for daily driving amounting to about 18K a year?

Thanks for all you can offer.

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Soon to be owner MCS... trying to figure my ride out.

 

>>As one who does not own his MCS yet I am still trying to figure all these options out. I too will use my Mini as a daily driver and appreciate the suggestions of using AAA, as well as a compressor and a tire fix kit. Should I decide to store the run flats and the factory wheels....
>>
>>How much should I expect to spend on a set of good looking, quality wheels and tires (17) that are suited for daily driving amounting to about 18K a year?
>>
>>Thanks for all you can offer.
>>
>>_________________
>>Soon to be owner MCS... trying to figure my ride out.

I question whether AAA will be any help if you have a flat tire and there's no spare. My wife once had two flats on the same day in different places. AAA helped her with the first but she had to argue with them to get them to help her get the 2nd fixed. My guess is they will not help someone who clearly made a decision not to carry a spare.

I had a nail in my runflats and ran into the problem of few dealers being able to work on them. It was 6:30pm and the tire stores that were willing to take a new customer couldn't get the tire off the rim. I would have been in much better position with regular tires so the runflats have gone. I got some great looking Kazera KZ-V rims and Yokohoma ES100 rubber from TireRack for under $1000 complete. The rims are also just 17.5lbs. I am carrying an old wheel behind the seats until I decide what to do about a compact spare. - Yes, a full size 17" wheel fits behind the back seats if you put a board under it to raise it about 1/2 inch and turn it so the bulge for the wiper motor fits in the space in the middle of the wheel.

 

I just came back form Costco and they have a kit that includes Fix A Flat and a compressor, flares, wrenchs, towels, and some other misc. stuff in a nice compact soft case for $30. I was about to buy it but I realized that impulse buy would not make sense, like many purchases there, since I still have the runflats.

 

While I haven't put them on yet (still getting my money's worth from the runflats), I have 4 Yokos in the garage and an extra S-Lite. When it comes time to switch tires, I'm keeping the runflat that's in the best condition and using that as a spare. So, when I'm around town I'll just get towed home and I'll change the tire. On road trips I'll bring the tire with me.