So soon, I'll be picking up a 2013 Clubman S. Car is on order.

I got it with the 16" Summer run flats. I'm not new to swapping tires and wheels each season.. so that's not my question.

My question is I plan to run the spare tire kit from Detroit Tuned. So I really don't need to keep the run flats for summer/winter. Which also means I don't really need a functional TPMS system. (Yes, I know federal law, nanny state, etc..).

So for the winter tire set, I'd like to save $250 from having to get TPMS sensors..

How bad is the TPMS warning in the Mini? Is it a constant chime? Just a light? Can I still use the center postage stamp speedo in the tach? Or is the light on all the time?

Thanks if anyone can help. If its just a light on the dash, I think I can live with that.. but if its a constant dinging or flashing light in my face I might spend the $250...

 

On my '10 it only beeps at start up and the little light in the center does not bother me - don't even notice it.

 

Thanks so much! Looks like I just saved $250!

 

I have a 2011 Cooper S and had a slow leak in of my tires, so every few weeks the "Warning Light" would come on. To me it was a PIA as it used the postage stamp in the middle to tell me the pressure was low and I could not "Clear it" for more than a couple of minutes before it came back on...

 

I must be **** retentive, because it drives me insane to have any warning lights illuminated in my cars.

 

+1.

I have a set of wheels+tires w/out RFT sensors on both MCS and 335xi. Both blip at you when you start the car. Then you press the control stalk and the warning light stays lit in the instrument cluster. Repeat as necessary.

I found it more annoying on the Bimmer as the instrument cluster is in the line of sight of the driver. A bit less annoying on the MCS as the warning light is just a tiny circle lost in the stupid large speedo, but sooner or later you spot it and it becomes distracting. Just another incentive to change from the winter to summer tires as soon as practical.

a

 

Wait, so does the warning happen once per startup or does it activate cyclically while driving?

 

At engine start-up you get "in your face" warning with chimes going off and large warning in the tachometer / OBC display. You push the stalk <in> to dismiss it and get back to your usual default readouts.
THEN the orange warning light lights up and stays ON all the time in the center speedometer cluster.

More details can be gleaned from here: http://libraryofmotoring.info/reference/manuals/

a

 

Thanks, that clears it up.

 

You can get TPMS sensors for about $170... Thats what I'll be doing, I don't want to fuss with an alarm every time I start the Cooper.

TPMS on Ebay

 

No worries, picked up a set of used cooper (2010) wheels (16"s) Bridgespokes...annnnd they came with good TPMS units.. well. at least good enough that our TPMS tester found signals from them... so hopefully I'll be ok..

Thanks for the replies.