Hi All,

I don't have my MCS yet...due for a Dec finish (guess I should start a Can't wait for December post) ....but I am thinking about having the dealer change out the runflats on my car before I go pick her up. I will be driving her over 1200 miles to get her home and the runflats would be used then and harder to sell. This car will be my daily driver and will have about 70 miles per day put on her shoes. I can not afford to put new shoes on every year or so....so I am wondering since most of you seem to do track and other performace things with your car and talk about tires that seem pretty soft and wear fast....if there are any here who don't do that and have found a tire that can get around 40,000 miles and still have some performace qualities...all season for the So Cal area...so no, snow or harsh conditions except rain a few times per year so I do need them to be ok in rain. Am I just asking too much of a hunk of rubber...I realize to get great performace they must be softer and will wear faster, but are there any that are a compromise between wearing out at 20,000 miles and driving with rocks on the wheels? I have gone through 20 pages of the Tire forum and have not seen anything yet asking a question like this...but sorry if I have not gotten to it yet. I just don't have time right now to get through the other 8 pages.

Thanks

 

I have Dunlop 9000 runflats, with 18K on them, and the thread looks like it can do another 20K. Almost no wear. Good in wet conditions too....

 

Opps, guess I didn't say I wanted to change the runflats for NON runflats...runflats are just too expensive to replace and I have read many more posts about runflats wearing out really fast (less that 20,000). I am looking at spending around $100 tire and have them last me about 3 years or so. Here is So Cal the roads are mostly cement with all those groves....I would like a tire that rides well on the freeways here....I know, I know...I am asking alot :smile:

thanks

>>I have Dunlop 9000 runflats, with 18K on them, and the thread looks like it can do another 20K. Almost no wear. Good in wet conditions too....

 

>>Opps, guess I didn't say I wanted to change the runflats for NON runflats...runflats are just too expensive to replace and I have read many more posts about runflats wearing out really fast (less that 20,000). I am looking at spending around $100 tire and have them last me about 3 years or so. Here is So Cal the roads are mostly cement with all those groves....I would like a tire that rides well on the freeways here....I know, I know...I am asking alot :smile:
>>
>>thanks
>>
>>>>I have Dunlop 9000 runflats, with 18K on them, and the thread looks like it can do another 20K. Almost no wear. Good in wet conditions too....
>>

keep in mind that people who are running out their tires at <20K are driving hard. if you drive this car spiritedly (not a word) you will wear out the tires. if you're doing mainly highway miles everyday, i think the runflats will do 30K easily.

now your request of no tires changes in 3 years while still being 'fun' tires is a little tough. your mileage estimate puts you at around 50K miles in 3 years. Granted that would be 50K highway miles, but that's still a lot of miles!

 

Yeah, but from what I have read about the runflats, they are pretty harsh on the cement freeways here and tramline pretty bad...so I am pretty sure I just want to ditch them fast. Ok, I guess you are right....I didn't think that my mileage would be that high but that is about right. So what about tires that might make it 2 years....non ruflats...I am just freaking thinking I might have to replace tires every year...I don't currently drive spirited much since my car is nothing like a MINI so I can not say how I willl drive when I get my MINI but I can guess it will be more peppy than I drive now.

Thanks


>>keep in mind that people who are running out their tires at <20K are driving hard. if you drive this car spiritedly (not a word) you will wear out the tires. if you're doing mainly highway miles everyday, i think the runflats will do 30K easily.
>>
>>now your request of no tires changes in 3 years while still being 'fun' tires is a little tough. your mileage estimate puts you at around 50K miles in 3 years. Granted that would be 50K highway miles, but that's still a lot of miles!

 

I don't think anyone will pay enough for your runflats to make it worth changing them, until they wear out. You may also have trouble getting a MINI dealer to change the tires, although tire store will. Get the all-season runflats, not the performance runflats. They will last longer and they shouldn't tramline as bad.

My .02

 

<<I don't currently drive spirited much since my car is nothing like a MINI so I can not say how I willl drive when I get my MINI but I can guess it will be more peppy than I drive now.>>

Skinny, you WILL definitely drive more "spirited". I went from a Jeep Wrangler to my Cooper S. Can you imagine?

But to your point...Two days ago I put Yokohama AVS ES 100's on. If you want to pm me in a few weeks I'll let you know how they appear to be doing. I drive "spiritedly" and the run flats that came with my car were certainly showing quite a bit of wear (fronts anyway) after only 5,500 miles.

As I say, pm me later on and I'll give you some feedback.

Ken

 

I’m not sure many people have had their MINI long enough to say how long the tires will actually last. I drove a Probe for 12 years and had lots of fun with it, but most was just typical driving on highway to and from work or around town. It came with Z rated Eagles on it, a very soft hi performance tire. I would average 40 to 50K between sets. I know the tires will last longer if your not racing or driving at performance conditions all the time.

 

I sold my all-season runflats and got almost enough $ to buy a set of Yokos. I think you have the right idea, and furthermore, I hear you saying that you want all-season non-runflats, but you live in SoCal. I think you ought to just go for some good summer tires. Good summer tires should perform better in the rain than most all-seasons. Go get some Yokos from Tire Rack and have them put on the day you buy the car, or see if the dealer will do it for cheap (unlikely). Then sell your original fun-flat tires either here or on EBay.

 

>>Opps, guess I didn't say I wanted to change the runflats for NON runflats...runflats are just too expensive to replace and I have read many more posts about runflats wearing out really fast (less that 20,000). >>

The run flats should last a while as long as you don't drive hard. I had runflats on my 95 corvette and I got about 40,000 miles on the front and 20,000 on the rear. When I took the car to the track, I changed to race tires.

It's true that run flats are more expensive to replace but you probably won't be able to sell the new stock run flats for much.

RaceCarDriver

 

>>Hi All,
>>
>>I don't have my MCS yet...due for a Dec finish (guess I should start a Can't wait for December post) ....but I am thinking about having the dealer change out the runflats on my car before I go pick her up. I will be driving her over 1200 miles to get her home and the runflats would be used then and harder to sell. This car will be my daily driver and will have about 70 miles per day put on her shoes. I can not afford to put new shoes on every year or so....so I am wondering since most of you seem to do track and other performace things with your car and talk about tires that seem pretty soft and wear fast....if there are any here who don't do that and have found a tire that can get around 40,000 miles and still have some performace qualities...all season for the So Cal area...so no, snow or harsh conditions except rain a few times per year so I do need them to be ok in rain. Am I just asking too much of a hunk of rubber...I realize to get great performace they must be softer and will wear faster, but are there any that are a compromise between wearing out at 20,000 miles and driving with rocks on the wheels? I have gone through 20 pages of the Tire forum and have not seen anything yet asking a question like this...but sorry if I have not gotten to it yet. I just don't have time right now to get through the other 8 pages.

If you are interested in All-season and High mileage (you do lots of miles) then talk to Alex@tirerack and read this

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...mp;topic=14269

Consider the Bridgestone RE 950 45k $142 ea!
High Performance All season tires
215/45-17 and other sizes.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Potenza+RE950




The Bridgestone Potenza RE950 is a high performance all-season tire that was developed to meet the needs of the drivers of sports cars, coupes and sedans by blending dry, wet and year-round traction, even in light snow. The Potenza RE950 is Bridgestone’s first tire in America to feature UNI-T AQ II technology which uses advanced compound and construction features to enhance and preserve wet traction through the tire’s life. The Potenza RE950 handles wet … even as it wears.

On the outside, the Potenza RE950 molds a Super Long Link Carbon Black, Dual Layer Tread II compound into a directional tread design that features large tread blocks for quick response and sporty handling with turbine effect grooves that help scoop water toward the sides of the tire to resist hydroplaning. A continuous center rib helps reduce noise while providing constant road contact to enhance straight-line stability. Internally, the Potenza RE950 features a Computer Optimized Component System which blends twin, high tensile, steel belts with spiral-wrapped, jointless belt edge strips to stabilize the tread area to enhance handling, high-speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight.Bridgestone Potenza RE950 tires feature black sidewall styling with subtle black letters reversed out of a circumferential serrated band. They are H-speed rated and available in 65-, 60-, 55-, 50-, 45- and 40-series sizes for 14" to 17" wheel diameters.


UTQG 400 AA
------------------------
That would be my first choice if I were driving like you do. If you don't have the funds yet then use up your runflats first and save up. If you have the funds then buy these and sell your runflats for cheap or best offer.

Good luck.

_________________
ALOHA

 

I LOVE 950's, but unfortunatly Bridgestone does not make a size that would make sense for the mini for 16's.

Alex

 

Skinny,

Why bother changing them out now!!!! I have 10,000 miles on a very hard driven Cooper S and I don't mind them enough to change them out! Sure I will go to a Yolk when they do wear out but as I see it I am rolling on the free rubber from the factory. I would suggest putting the several hundred you will put into changing the tires out into an intake an wear the run-flats out. I would bet you will get 20K plus out of them if you rotate them every 5,000 miles.

Good Luck!!

Chili Red / White Cooper S: Madness Intake w/ Randy Webb Airbox Mod, Magnaflow, 15% Reduction Pulley, Evotech ECU, H&R's, Madness Adjustable Rear Bar. Next: Cryo, Larger Air to Air, London Stainless, Throttle Body, 18" Volk GT-7's

 

Hi All,

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas....I guess to make things simple for myself, I will just stick with the factory runflats and stop being paranoid until I actually see if they bother me. I thought maybe the dealer (what a silly thought) would just do an even swap and I would not lose money....but from talking to a few people who did the swap with the dealer they lost money....so I might as well just try the runflats.

Hope I can stand the wait till December....I don't even have my production number so it does not feel real.

Thanks again

 

UTQG 400 AA


That "400" number is a linear rating of the wear rating of a tire, under similar conditions a 400 will last twice as long as a 200. The runflats "sport" version had a rating of around 160, so yup they wear out real fast. Find the highest UTQG you can and you will be getting the longest life theoretically possible. Personal I have never had a set of tire goes more than 20K, but I drive spiritably.


Ben

 

>>UTQG 400 AA
>>
>>
>>That "400" number is a linear rating of the wear rating of a tire, under similar conditions a 400 will last twice as long as a 200. The runflats "sport" version had a rating of around 160, so yup they wear out real fast. Find the highest UTQG you can and you will be getting the longest life theoretically possible. Personal I have never had a set of tire goes more than 20K, but I drive spiritably.
>>
>>
>>Ben
>>

This comparison on UTQG wear #'s - is only valid in a brand between a brand, ere go continental to continental - but not across brands. The temperature and traction rating are universal national standards.

Alex

 

>>Hi All,
>>
>>I don't have my MCS yet...due for a Dec finish (guess I should start a Can't wait for December post) ....

Don't mean to hijack your thread but here is the link to Can't Wait for December 2003 Club !.

 

skinnybonedog, good idea to stay with the current tires until they need to be changed, you should be able to get 30 to 35k on them even if you are a little spirited. I got about 25k on the front tires, never rotated them. Would have gotten about another 5k if it were not for the piece of cement in the road, the runflats did great but took out a chunk of the sidewall so I changed them. The tires may have lasted longer if I didn’t move to Colorado; tires get eaten up here, so I am told. Spin more cuz of the crap they put on the road.

You will track on some of the freeways but not as badly as in Northern California. I drove the MINI on most of the freeways in both North and South Cali before moving. The Yoko’s were mentioned before, I have them and like them a lot, I did 350 miles yesterday in the mountains and they were great!