Hello, my wife's clubman has 23,000 miles. Just had it at the dealer for bs service. Got a call saying front tires are almost gone with threads showing and i can get new ones for $250 each (btw, these same bicycles tires are available at tirerack for $70 or townfare tire for $110).

i am just curious how long do these factory tires suppose to last for? I have had close to 20 cars over the years and never ever had to change tires at 23,000. Plus my wife drives very carefully, never racing

 

Run flat tires just don't last very long. I hear the 3rd gen tires are better but I am not going to be testing that out myself and will be getting traditional tires for the summer. I am surprised the dealer is "only" asking $250 each... I remember my previous MINI would have been C$300+ per 16" all-season and my current JCW is quoted at C$450-500 per tire (!!!).

I remember when I could get a quote from my SVT Ford dealership for performance tires that was CHEAPER than other tire stores. Man that was a while ago.

 

I removed the OEM RF tires on my Clubby and replaced them with 16" Michelin AS traditional tires...my back, wife and friends all enjoy the much softer ride!

 

what kind of cars have you owned b4? The MINI comes with performance tires; if up the wheel size to 17's (or up) you typically end up with yet a lower profile .... performance tires are not the best wearing tire. there's a tradeoff... {p.s. not all MINI come with the same tires, size or brand, which did you get?}

Take a look at the wear: first, is the dealer telling the truth? Perhaps you will be the first person the dealer has tried to pull a fast one on

Does the wear suggest the tires have been under inflated .... over .... or an alignment issue ... or hard edge wear from harder cornering (exit ramps can be lots of fun in your first sporty car .. at the cost of tires)

I got around 25,000 out of each set of tires on my 02 with 17" S lites - Pir' runflats, Yokohama, Kumho and Goodyears by the time I was done. On my 07 the original Dunlop RF's gave me nearly 35,000 b4 I picked up a big nail and ruined one prompting a change. On other cars I've often gone nearly 50,000 on a set of tires.

Others have had your same 'complaint' .... look for a longer wearing tire - at the possible expense of some grip . .

 

What OEM tires can you get for $70?