I am stunned having learned that my 06 MCS wouldn't pass my state inspection due to worn tires. I barely have 16,000 on my Dunlop factory runcraps. Can you run standard tires on run flat rims? If not, can anyone recommend a decent runflat that won't bankrupt me? If I buy new wheels and switch to standard tires, are there any concerns or is it a standard change over? Thanks!

 

you can put regular tires on your rims

 

No problem with running regular tires just buy a can of Fix-a-Flat since you have no spare.

 

'Runcraps' is right. Mine balded ridiculously fast on my '06 too.
As of now I have runflats on the front and reg tires on the back.
Those last 2 runflats will also be replaced soon enough...

 

It may be a little late but the only way to get the most mileage from your tires is to maintain the correct air pressure and to rotate the tires every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

Yes, yes, I know. BMW/MINI does not recommend tire rotation but it is the only way to get the most out of the tires. On both my 2002 and 2006 MCS with the 16" Dunlop run flats I got 24,000 miles on the OEM tires.

The "correct" tire pressure may not be the pressure recommended in the owners manual. Correct pressures can only be determined by monitoring tread wear and understanding how changes in pressure effect tire wear patterns and making the changes accordingly.

I am currently running BFGoodrich non-runflats and enjoy the new compliance and ride. They have a 400 treadwear rating and hopefully will yield more mileage than the 280 treadwear OEM Dunlops. For those of you that selected the "performance" tire option you also selected the fast tire wear option. Performance tires just don't wear very long and that is an unfortunate fact of life. It is certainly not the fault of the tire maker if you chose a performance tire and the tires didn't last 20,000 miles. Nor are they to blame if you didn't maintain them correctly.

If you want more tread life, buy tires with higher treadwear numbers, maintain the correct air pressure and rotate them regularly.

 

Bilbo-Baggins got it all right in regards to wear and tires. The "performance" run-flats are often Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSSTs and according to most reviews on the Tire Rack website have them replaced as early as 10k miles due to harsh noise/vibrations, most last until 14-16 and a very few have got over 20k miles. The sticky rubber, likes to do just that, stick to the road instead of on the tire. The trade-off for greater grip and performance (whether or not you use it) is shorter life. Just as Bilbo said, when looking for a non-runflat make sure you get one that has a longer treadlife rating as a non-runflat does not automatically mean longer life. And as OXYBLUECOOP said, either a can of fix-a-flat or if you want to go all out BMW's Mobility Kit is essential.

 

... and, if you decide to stay with runflats, stay on top of your tire pressures. I've noticed that (a) the runflats seem to lose pressure more rapidly than my non-runflats of similar size and (b) you can drive around on a runflat that's 15psi low and not know it, due to the stiff sidewalls - but that's eating through the edges of your tread...

I've pointed this out to a number of MINI friends who, when finally putting a tire gauge on their tires, were shocked to find that they were driving around on 15-20psi of pressure.

 

I had runflats on my 03, on the 08 non run flats what a awesome differance

 

What about the TPMS??? I thought it activated after a fairly small loss in tire pressure. What good is it if it lets your tire get down to 15-20 PSI? I'm pretty sure all runflats come with a TPMS system, was it defective on your friends' cars?

 

My "low tire" light activated when one of my RunCraps was 10 PSI down. I also thought that a slight loss in pressure would activate the TPMS system but I guess not. Runcraps and cool weather don't mix!

 

Mine came on for low pressure tonight. All tires looked fine. Checked them out when returned from a 20 mile drive. All were 30 psi on my 09 JCW. Must be colder weather but driving didn't change the warning light. Should I run these run flats at the 38 psi suggested?
thanks

 

Pump up your tires, then reset the monitoring system to shut the light off. (If it doesn't shut off, then it needs service) I pumped mine up to the suggested 38 PSI, did a reset of the monitoring system, and the light went off. Some people run their tires at slightly lower pressures ... personal preference I guess. Run-flats will loose air faster in cooler weather so I think we'll be doing a lot of pumping!

 

My tire pressure light came on tonight after Mini had been sitting in a cold parking lot for 5 hours. I looked through the book, but how do you reset the gauge? I couldn't find out how.

 

Press the OBC button until set/info appears,press and hold until the tpms symbol comes on then press and hold until "resetting" appears and your finished.

Nice checkers BTW!

 

Pretty sure it's on page 61:

Resetting the TPM system:

1. Start the engine, but do not start driving
2. Briefly press the button in the turn indicator lever (left-hand-side of steering wheel) repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is displayed.
3. Press and hold the button until the display changes
4. Repeatedly press the button briefly until the symbol for the TPM and "ACTIVE" are displayed.
5. The TPM can be reset using "RESET"
6. Press and hold the button until "RESETING" appears.
7. Start driving, after a few minutes the system should complete the reset which is indicated by the lamp going out

Wow, you R56 owners have it bad. I'd have to get out my manual too! Maybe it just sounds harder than it is.

 

Oxybluecoop and LovetheCorners,

Thanks so much for your help! I'm going to check my tire pressure and reset first thing tomorrow. Right now he's warming himself up in the garage!

 

I'm one of the few who likes the runflats. The firm sidewalls help the "go-cart" handling feel of the MINI and I have no problem with their ride comfort. Yes, they are expensive, but other than that, (and having also ran non-runflats), I see no problem with runflats, and believe they are about to become more common, and hopefully, a bit less expensive.

Granted, this is an unlikely scenerio, but while visiting San Antonio recently I was told of someone who had a flat on one of the many "overpass" freeways and was trying to fix it without being able to get very far from the traffic flow. His car was hit by another car and he was thrown over the guardrail to his death on the concrete below. Not saying this means everyone should have runflats, but I did think to myself that he could have easily driven to a safe place if he had been running them.

 

I have a 2006 convertible that came with the run-flats and they went 60,000 miles before i had to replace them. Plus they really do add to the gocart feel. So when they wore out, i replaced with dunlop run-flats. They cost a lot, but if I get another 60,000 out of them it will be very much worth it.

 

Yokahoma has a nice RF tire, 205/45R17 88W, part# 01131 for ~ $120 bucks each. Nice tire

 

sounds like someone saw the runflat commercial. something like that happened in the commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcd__BpkopA

 

I dont know, if I was in that situation I would just let my rim bite the dust and just limp along till I get till an exit. I remember a series of PSAs that had the tag line "it is better to risk your rim than your life". Seriously would you rather have to drop an extra $200 on a rim or get hit by a truck?

 

LoL, run flat rims Amazing the stuff inspectors will say.

Reminds me of the time when I kiddingly told my gf one mid October to replace the air in her tires with "winter air" soon......The poor lasse, that very day I caught her with Toyota parked in a filling station, dispatching the air from her tires and filling them up again.....

 

LOL thats pretty evil.. but great.

 

Well I bit the bullet and replaced 2 front tires on my mini with new Pirelli's, filled with nitrogen, so far ~ 200 miles they seem fine. I bought mine used it's a '04 S model decked out with leather, harmon kardon sound, seems like 'the works'. It's electric blue color & I wondered why it had green valve stem tops on , now I know, nitrogen in the tires. Happy Motoring

 

i'm in the same boat. Exchange Continental for Dunlop RF's. I've got about 25K on mine and feel fortunate

If you go non-RF's (which is what I think is my solution) make sure you get a AAA membership in the event you get a fullblown blowout/tire shred.

Helpful decision point for me was a blurb I read that 85% of blowouts are due to low tire pressure. If you keep the TPMS's you should be getting a warning at about 25psi (at least thats what mine does).

Also keep in mind that if you are under the initial 3 yr maint warranty road side assistance is included. AAA after

For me AAA is peace of mind for the occasional times the wife drives Augie