Only if your MINI is *that* loaded.

You paint a valid hypothetical, but in practice folks would shift stuff around, repack, move some stuff to the passenger's footwell or passenger's lap until they got to somewhere they could get the full sized tire patched and remounted.

Hypotheticals are fine - but show me a story of an actual human who has actually had to leave something on the roadside because they didn't have room for their wheel once they put their donut on. On a MINI.

I'll bet $1 that you can't find one.

 

I'm with you but show me a story of an actual human who has removed run flats, carried a donut, had a flat/changed tire and stowed the flat tire in the MINI? As I said flat tire are rare events. I'm just playing devil's advocate.

 

I'm confident I can find one - anybody here ever used their donut?

 

There are only going to be a limited number of situations where a runflat will be very useful. In several situations, it will be of little benefit.

1. If you have a slow leak, carrying an air pump will be sufficient to get you to a to a tire shop. I've carried a foot actuated air pump in my cars for decades and it has saved me the hassle of changing the tire several times. Actually, I don't recall the last time I had to change a tire on the road. For example, I was driving a Dodge van up Hwy 101 and the handling started to get more squirrely than usual. I stopped and found that a rear tire had gone flat. Pumped air into it, and watched for a little while. No noticeable drop in pressure readings, so I was on my way. Stopped to check it periodically, and made it home. Took it to a tire shop later to have the leak fixed.

2. If you have a catastrophic failure where the tire comes apart, a runflat isn't going to be much more use than a non-runflat. You would need a spare or a flat-bed truck.

3. If there is a nail or screw in the tread that you can plainly see you could pull it with pliers and patch it with a Dynaplug.

So, when is a runflat a significantly better option?

1. You have a sudden leak that is so fast, pumping air into the tire wont get you to a tire store.

2. The weather is foul and you really don't want to get out and deal with a flat.

3. You are in an unsafe neighborhood, and stopping to change a flat tire could get you shot.

4. You are hopeless at mechanical things and just can't cope.

5. You are lazy and don't want to be bothered.

So, one has to choose whether these reasons are sufficient to justify the added expense and harsh ride of a runflat. The choice is yours.

I have aftermarket wheels on my car. Each cost around $175. If I got a flat in a place I didn't want to stop, I'd probably decide to sacrifice the wheel and tire to just limp out of there. If you consider that a runflat should be replaced after driving on it flat, my cost wouldn't be much greater than the cost of replacing the runflat.

 

Even a wiser and more aggressive move is to spend $25-$35 at your local junk yard for a Honda Civic donut. Works

 

So far, no flats for me with my runflats. I have a Clubman so stowing a flat in the rear wouldn't be too difficult after a flat and installing the donut. I did have a flat in one of our Kia Souls while on the road while carrying a lot of luggage. If I thought the tire was not able to be repaired, I would probably cut it from the rim and toss the rubber....if I had no room for the whole tire/rim. For you coupe owners and/or vehicles with no cargo space, carry something that will cut the worthless tire from the rim.

 

.

 

That sounds like a tough job. What would you use, a chain saw?

 

Exactly

 

A plasma cutter would be a more elegant solution.

But... wouldn't a chain saw or a plasma cutter take up the trunk space that could be used to carry a "donut" spare? I guess you could remove the rear seat, put the chainsaw there, then you could... uh... hmmm...


Oh never mind.


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Not to mention the portable generator needed to power the plasma cutter.

Here's an idea for a product, instead of a can of sealant, a can of nitroglycerin that could be injected into the tire. It would blow the tire off the rim. A quick, painfull solution. Why waste time chewing up your legs with a chainsaw when you can blow them off instantly?

With a little more thought, we might be able to come up with something the Mythbusters would want to try.

 

Or... what about a collapsible wheel? It could have a kind of center locking mechanism, like an umbrella. Unlock it and collapse the wheel, remove the tire, and then re-inflate it - like unfolding the umbrella.

Oh, wait - - I had a wire wheel on one of my MG's collapse like that many years ago, after "gently" nudging a curb at about 30 mph. So maybe the British have already invented that. Like the TV that leaks oil, or intermittent headlights, or the convertible top that leaks water on sunny days...

I fear that this thread has gotten seriously off-topic.


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Interesting thread, thanks for your input. I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A's non run-flat, and the difference is immense. Secondary ride comfort is vastly improved, as is wet weather traction. Road noise is reduced as a bonus. Dry weather outright grip is marginally better, but the Dunlops RFs were not bad in the dry. Of course, the financial savings were huge too. So far I'm running around with a can of fix-a-flat mouse in the boot. Hope that sorts me out if the worst happens.

 

Robin, it would be no problem after removing the wheel from the vehicle. A little cutting on the sidewalls and you would be able to remove the tire without having to cut through the tread/belted area. But you know, a chainsaw would work too.

 

I don't know about that cutting of the sidewalls....and I'll guarantee a chainsaw will not work. I tried using the jaws of life to get the tire off and still had trouble.

 

LOL !!!

That is awesome. I do have a question though...

Whatever made you want to do that? No tire shops near you? Where do you live, Bora Bora?

Just kidding

The steel cable running around the tire bead would, I think, cause the most heartache. I can't imagine cutting through that without seriously damaging your wheel.

I can't help thinking... isn't the internet wonderful? A post on this forum degenerates into a silly, tongue-in-cheek discussion about how best to cut a tire off a car rim - - and someone has a video of just that very ridiculous thing.

If only this power could be used for good...


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To be honest I just wanted to get the TPMS sensors off and didn't feel like paying a shop to do it. In retrospect, the $10 a tire fee to dismount would have been well worth it.

 

What a thread, I think the best solution I read here is to hit the junk yards and pick up a Civic donut for $30.

 

For what it's worth I replaced my RF's the day I got the MCS with winter tires and bought aftermarket 17" with Non RF Bridgestones for the rest of the time. I added the same setup as Robin with the Conti kit and a Dyna plug tool. I did get a tire warning indicator once and as it turned out I had a nail in the tire. I could see no indication it was going flat so the TPMS did their job. I have the system that uses the ABS to do the work. I went home, plugged the hole and all has been fine since then. I've never had to use the Conti kit with the latex and hope not to but it's there just in case.

 

After just finding out the joys of having run flats $$$ needing a new set after a year, the tire kit sounds good to me. I haven't had a flat in 25 years and also have a AAA card. Sounds like many people carry the tire kits but has anyone ever used one and how well did it work? I also read something about the latex in the can screwing up the tire sensors. Anyone?

 

Answering your second question: consensus, such as it is on an internet forum, is that Fix-A-Flat (aerosol) is detrimental to sensors whereas Slime (water soluable) is not. Either way, there are anecdotes suggesting that the tire repair shop may still balk at attempting a permanent repair as the cleanup is messy and less than fun.

 

FWIW....

I'm sure I posted this in another thread somewhere here...

When considering which tire sealant stuff to buy for my winter (non-RF) tires, I checked with several different tire shops in my immediate area. My question to them was - - if you had to fix a flat tire, which kind of "tire fixin'" stuff would you rather deal with? All of them said that the aerosol fix-a-flat stuff leaves behind a sticky mess that they would rather NOT have to clean up. Some of those aerosols also have a flammable propellant in them that makes removing the tire more dangerous in some situations (like if anyone nearby is smoking). The tire tech guys all preferred the water-based stuff (Slime is one, but there are others) that you put in the tire first and then use a compressor to re-inflate. Easy and quick to clean, no problem dealing with that, according to them.

I bought a bottle of slime and a $10 compressor. I keep both in the compartment in the right side panel of my trunk (the panel just pops out and back in, lots of room for the Slime and compressor inside out of the way and hidden from view).

Haven't had to use it, hope I never do. But it's there just in case.


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