am just curious guys, ive never had runflats before but am considering getting some, they are used and are being sold at what i think is a good deal. Your input will be appreciated.

 

I just got rid of my runflats conti's 195 55 16 the harshest ride I've ever experienced. Felt every nook and cranny.Shopped around and researched Michelin Sport A/S 205 50 16 what a difference in the ride.I had to give up not having a spare (MCS) but I'm getting the compressor etc that fits in the boot.Although I've never had a flat ever in any of my other vehicles,just a precaution.Use Tire Rack for suggestions I just like Michelin and Sears was running a sale 120/ea and free install.

 

It depends on who you are. For many of us, the benefits of runflats versus the drawbacks isn't great enough to keep them. They are a harsher ride than non runflats and replacement is several times the cost.

If you're the type of person that doesn't know how or want to change their tires or use a variety of fix it methods when you get a flat, including calling AAA, then runflats might be for you.

It's true you can get them for a good deal since there are so many of us that don't want them, so if you can take advantage of that..that's great!

 

thank you so much for the input guys, kinda short of money right now, would have loved some regular tires but the runflats i found seem to fit my budget best at the moment.

 

When you eventually ditch the run flats and experience a good performance tire, you will kick yourself for not having done it sooner.

 

I was on my way to the VA hospital for my cancer treatments after spending a weekend at home. I left Sunday night from Daytona and my flat tire light came on. Stopped in the rest area east of Orlando and called "AAA". The guy was there within ten minuites and informed me that they are not allowed to put a plug in a runflat tire at all. He did put the air hose on it to find the puncture. He did get on his computer and told me where I could buy a can of Fix-A-Flat. Informed me to make certain the hole was on the bottom when filling with the Fix-A-Flat and to be sure if I stopped to be sure the hole was at the bottom of my tire.I put it in and statrted looking for an air pump. Not one working air pump to be found on I-4 at all. Drove the 125 miles to Tampa. Tried to get the tire patched or pluged in Tampa and none of the tire shops would do it. Filled the tire to 38psi and drove home the next weekend. Went to my tire guy and found out a replacement tire was $324.00 plus tax and any shipping because they do not carry Dunlops. I asked about Michelin and could replace all four for $829.00 installed with a $70.00 rebate.One of the tire guys put in a plug and I was on my way until I could get my Michelins.

I now have non-runflat tires and carry two cans of aerasol "SLIME a can of regular "Slime" and a 12 volt air compressor with me. I probably won't need any of that stuff because "AAA" or any other tire place will patch or plug a non-runflat tire.

The Fix-A-Flat ruined a $116.00 +tax tire sensor so that is why I will carry "Slime" it will not harm the sensors.

I don't know why they won't plug a runflat but I don't have to worry about that any more.

 

TPMS light came on last night going home...I was on highway going about 70mph...I figure maybe air is little low so I kept going about 70mph(for 10 more miles)...no vibration. I get home check the pressure, my driver rear says 10 psi!!! I check the tire and there was little plastic stuck to the tire so I pulled it out and put air. I check this morning and it was still at 38 psi so I figure I was OK to drive it. After half a mile, TPMS light comes on again. Stopped at Kauffman tire and they were like "Sure, we'll fix that for you. NO problem". It turns out that the valve was broken and leaking air. Cost me $30. Without the run flats, I don't know what I would have done....

 

We MINI types LOVE to drive, LOVE to motor, LOVE to rally, and LOVE to take unecessary trips for bread and milk and almost always take the long way home on nice days especially if it has some twists and turns.

That said.....We tend to go through a **** load of tires, and those funflats ain't cheap


On a side note. Rims tend to get pretty chewed up 90% of the time when tire shops remove and install them due to the really stiff side walls....a pretty ugly site if you like to keep your MINI looking nice.

 

I've had my run flats repaired 2 times! can't watt to get rid of then tho

 

Besides the price, the limited amount of sizes available,the terrible ride, the noise,the fact that most places wont plug or patch them, there a great way to make sure you can go that extra 50 miles if you get a flat.

Cell phone, AAA,Slime,fix a flat, air compressor,tire plugs. and on long trips I carry a full size spare in the booty, I loose the parcel shelf but no big deal. Those are my choices, but as I said what works for me may not work for others,

 

"Without the run flats, I don't know what I would have done...."
The time honored solution is to mount the spare and motor on.

"I don't know why they won't plug a runflat..."
Unless I misundertood your story they wouldn't plug your runflat if you were just going to drive away but were quite happy to do so once you agreed to spend $829.

 

My MINI has Continental Contiprocontact ssr 205/45 R17 run flats, it doesn't ride any rougher than any of my other cars without run flats.

Carry a tire plug kit and plug them yourself, though there is no reason that a tire repair place would have to not plug them, they are just as repairable as any other tire.

They are available for less than $200 retail all over the Internet

I just think the arguments against them just boil down to personal preference. There really isn't anything at all worng with them at all.


Dave

 

+1 on the Conti's. My MINI dealer sells a ton of them. A good buy and good reviews. Not sure but I think they only came out a few years ago, so most MINI drivers never had much of a chance to try them.

 

I guess it is their policy as is all Tire stores not to plug a runflat. The kid put a plug in my tire on his own. I gave him a tip. I did not order the tires that day. I got the tires a month or so afterwords. I just priced them.
The plug did not hold and I still had a very slow air leak.

They could not put a patch plug inside of my tire due to the Fix-A-Flat had turned to a big hard glob of plastic where the puncture was. I eventually got the Fix-A-Flat glob out of the tire. It is like hard plastic. It ruined my sensor so I had that replaced.

My guess is they won't plug a run-flat probably due to liability because they really don't know how long or how fast you drove on the tire with no air pressure in it.

AAA would not plug it either.

 

 

Ive had two sets of runflats, Good Year and Dunlop, that Ive been interchanging for the last 5 years. The ride is not harsh. They handle well enough for anything the road has thrown at them (I dont race). Ive gotten some punctures, and they plug just like any other tire.

Would I buy another set as replacements? No, simply because of their initial expense. But are they horrible? Absolutely not.

 

"I just think the arguments against them just boil down to personal preference. There really isn't anything at all worng with them at all."

There's nothing inherently and fatally wrong with the tires but it is dead wrong to equip a car with them and provide no spare. If you blow out a sidewall it won't run flat.

 

Dave, I strongly disagree about the ride quality. While it's true that the Conti's on your car have a far less punishing ride than the OEM Pirellis and the Goodyear run flats, about two weeks ago I dumped the same tires you have in favor of the Conti DWS's (non run flat) OMG, what a difference! Even a non-car enthusiast who thinks of their car as an appliance would notice how much less punishing the ride is. IMO the far more tolerable ride is easily worth the small tradeoff in slightly less precise handling...although some other owners are not happy about how the tires make the Mini handle (see the seperate thread on Conti DWS tires). But everyone (or virtually everyone) agrees that non run flats uniformly offer a far better ride. EVERY tire is a compromise between dry handling versus tread life, and ride quality versus handling.

 

I am on my third run flat on my third car. They are expensive (twice in price) and loud on the road usually. (Repair shops don't want to fix them either) I probably will not get run flats once the ones I am on wears out.

I am going with the slime / pump 4 cars ago even though I had a spare on those cars.

 

you most likely have a bad connection and need to clean up ur connectors. there is a simple way u can do it to. get a small bowl if u hav any baking soda poor it into the bowl and add water. put it on the terminals of the battery and on the connectors. it will take away any crude or any corrosion. now the second problem might be that ur cables are worn out or you have a bad ground. you can also take a multimeter and test the batteries voltage and u can check ur ground wire voltage to. maybe u might have to consider buying a better brand battery

 

First time Mini owner trying to get as much info as possible on the tires. I have a few questions:
1. I saw in a thread somewhere that if you change from run flats to non runflats that you cannot use the same rims? Is that true? I have 17 inch Dunlops (OEM) with the Flame wheels
2. My wife drives the car to work during the week 9miles one way, no highway. Early indications are that I am getting 20.2 mpg, does that sound right?
3. I have seen different opinions about the proper time to rotate the tires. Is there a consensus as to the mileage figure such as every 5 thousand or 7500 miles?

thanks for your answers

 

You can use your stock rims (Wheels) They are no different then any other wheels. You still use the sensors that are in the wheels. The only thing you need is the tire of your choice. Of course they do have to be 17 inch tires. I believe you probably have 205/45/17 size tires now. You can either keep that size or go to 215/45/17 which are the next size up with no rubbing problems at all and a much better ride.

20.2 MPG does not sound good at all. Are you checking using a pencil & paper? If you are just looking at what the computer is telling you, I don't think you should believe what it says.

You need to fill it up: run it for a couple hundred miles and fill up again. Take the amount of gas it took and Davide it into the actual miles you drove. Then you will have the correct MPG. Just be sure you fill both times all the way up.

--------Then : Of Course your wife may be driving all 9 miles each way at 4,000+ RPM. She may not really like shifting gears.

 

20.2 MPG is really on the low side for a MINI. It will depend on many factors like driving style and continuity of the drive. You mentioned no hiway, but also, are there many stops signs or traffic lights? I recently put a ScanGauge in my truck and I am all too familiar with how these can affect MPG along with driving style. By simply changing my route to work to take advantage of more continuous hiway roads I have gone from 15MPG to about 20MPG in a full size pickup truck. I go about 4 miles out of my way, but end up using less fuel and I get there a few minutes earlier. Go figure. One other question, are you running premium fuel?

 

Let's see. What's wrong with run flats? How about noisy, very hard riding, heavy, hard or impossible to repair, expensive...

 

depends on how sensitive you are to bumpy rides.
If you're use to driving sports (or modded) cars, run-flats on a mini aren't too bad.

If you've been driving your parents cadillac all your life, it feels horrible. I had one girl sitting in the back seat asking if my suspension was broken on the mini.

I've recently ditched my runflats for summer tires. Ride is smoother, road noise is reduced, grip is better, price is cheaper. At the cost of having to carry slime and an air pump with me all the time, I think it was a worthwhile trade-off.