Hello,

I am new to the forum. Recently bought a 09 Clubman Works. I am looking to replace the OEM Dunlop Run Flats.

I am thinking of swapping them to either Continental ExtremeContact DWS OR Yokohama AVID ENVigor (Size: 205/45R17).

I need the All Season tires with the best handling in both DRY & SNOW. Also, less road noise.

Would the handling be any different with the NON Run Flats? - Better? Worse?
Any noticeable difference in body roll?

Any feedback you could provide will be much appreciated.

 

Both of the tires being non runflats they will not handle as sporty for cornering feel. The DWS is the better of the 2 in snow, in fact its exceptional in the snow. The Envigor will be the quieter and smoother riding of the 2. Both tires not having as stiff of sidewalls as runflats will feel as if they do increase body roll.

 

FWIW I have the DWS on my 09 Clubbie S and I am exteremely happy with them. I haven't really noticed any poorer cornering (I have added a larger rear sway bar) and they are a lot quieter than the OEM run flats. All in all a great improvement over the run flats

 

I've done about 3,000 miles so far on a new set of DWS on my '09 Clubby and I also do not understand what all the consternation was with the handling - mine feels just as good as it did with the Kumho UHP all seasons I had before, and I really liked those tires!

As to snow, we'll see in a few months, but so far I'm completely happy with them, enough so that I bought a set for my wife's Audi Allroad too. She's only done a few hundred miles on hers (she only drives about 5k a year) but so far she's very happy with them on her bigger, heavier car too.

 

FWIW, I have gone through a couple of sets of the DWS tires on my BMW and Volvo & have found them to be the best compromise in terms of price / dry / wet & some winter performance. I stated 'some' winter performance since these are clearly a compromise. They are designed for lazy Americans who don't wish to have a dedicated set of winter tires.

We purchased a set of the Avid EnVigors last summer on the Volvo and have been sorely disappointed in their performance. Where we could easily get up our steep driveway with an inch of snow with the DWS, with the Envigors, the car barely got any traction.

My vote / 2 cents would be to pick the DWS over the EnVigors. I vigorously dissuade you for picking the Yokohamas

 

I have had no less then 8 sets of tires on my 04 MCS, the Conti's DWS have been the best for everyday driving. I just would not Autocross or track them, but for daily use and driving in the rain, they have been excellant

 

Any experience with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus?

 

^^bump^^

 

I have never run the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on the mini, I did have them on my Porsche at one time, and also on my Lincoln LS, they were ok, but in my opinion not worth the extra coin, just my opinion, other's I am sure will disagree

 

I haven't experienced any of those three (Conti DWS, Yoko ENVigor, and MPS A/S Plus), but have compared them using all the Tire Rack data I could find. Thus, I'm using the experience of many others; including TR tests. Which is best depends partly on your preferred compromises.

If performance in snow is the major criterion, the Conti rules the snow, at least among A/S tires. It's also very good in the wet. It seems to give up significant amounts of dry handling performance to the other two tires, however.

The Yoko apparently provides the weakest snow performance by far, but its dry performance is similar to that of the MPS, and better than the Conti.

If I were to buy now, I think I'd go with the MPS because it provides good performance in the snow (although not in the same league as the Conti), and also good dry performance.

Ride comfort, wear, and cost are other considerations. The obvious stand-out number here is that the MPS costs a lot more than the other two.

 

I'm using the Yokohama AVID Envigors on my MINI. They are quiet and extremely durable. Especially compared to the runflats. I'm quite happy with them.

I use dedicated snowtires in the winter so I can't vouch for their snow performance, but in a pinch, when it did unexpectedly snow, they worked fine. I live in a fairly wet area and have found the Envigors to be great in wet. I don't think I've managed to hydroplane with them.

Dry cornering is not quite up to standards of dedicated high performance summer tires. At the limits, I felt a lack of grip, but that might be a good thing for normal driving as the give was gradual so I know when I'm approaching the limits.

I have Conti's on my other car, a BMW 5 series. I got stuck in the snow a few times and have since switched to using dedicated snowtires in the winter for that car also. The BMW being a rear drive car, the handling characteristics are quite different so I would not try to dissuade you from considering the Continental DWS for your MINI in the winter.

I do feel the Conti's are a quality tire for the BMW. I would have considered the Conti's more seriously if lived in the USA. But Canadian pricing of Continentals are way out of line compared with the Yokohama Avid Envigors here.

Here I am "testing out the hydroplaning characteristics through a flood" on the Malahat Highway on Vancouver Island.

 

Thanks Beken. I just put the Yoko's on my MCCS. I've only had them on about a week, but I really like them so far....The ride is much better and quieter too!

 

Hi all,
FWIW, I just purchased my '06 MCS about 3 weeks ago (my 1st after lusting for one for 25 years!), and I do not like the Eagle RS-A run flats that came on it. They are horribly harsh even over small bumps, and they are in brand new condition. After reading lots of opinions here, and getting some other opinions locally, I opted for the Conti DWS's, which I am having installed tomorrow. I am pretty aggressive driving, but do not plan on x-crossing or dragging in the MINI (at least not yet!); I have a highly modified Triumph TR8 for that fun.
I will drive on these for a while and report back on my experiences. I am sure they HAVE to be better for ride comfort, I feel like I have no springs or shocks with the Eagle RS-A's .

 

Give the Conti's at least 500 Miles before you report back, mine were a bit on the mushy side at first, but did improve, but as i said, i would not Autocross or track on them,