I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping you'all can give some advice: I have every intention of getting those rock hard riding, noisy run flats off! The article I found here on fabricating a spare mount underneath is great and I will make one for mine soon.

Has anyone found a compact spare that clears stock brakes that I can run on front or rear without interfering with the calipers? What a pain it would be to have to swap tires on the side of the road to get the compact spare on the rear because it won't clear on the front!

Also, does anyone know how to disable the low tire dash warning system when I make the switch?

 

If you scroll thru the tire section, I'm sure there are many threads there.
Or maybe just hit up your model specific section, many , many threads on run flats.
From what I've gleaned from these forums so far it goes something like this.

Run flats suck
Run flats are hard riding
Run flats are noisy
The compact spare can be found from:
Way motor works
Detroit tuned
Out motoring
Junk yards
Non run flats are the best thing since sliced bread.
There are 12,371 opinions about best size, best ride, best handling, lowest cost, rim selection, offset numbers, TPMS, no TPMS, and even a few DIY videos on how to change a MINI/mini tire!

These forums are FULL of these threads........
Teach a man to SEEK and he'll seek for a lifetime
Hand a man what he SEEKS, and he'll sit in recliner forever

My grandpa Moses told me that one day........

 

Bubba, I appreciate your reply. It sent me to a thread search where I put in many different key words such as run flat, removal, compact spare, etc. and nothing came up.

I thought I was somewhat computer literate, but this one got me.

 

You won't need to disable the TPMS. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System comes in two types on a MINI: You either have TPMS sensors in the wheels or you don't. Neither system cares whether the tires are run-flat. Your owner's manual should describe how to reset the warning, but the tire shop should do it when they install the tires.
I don't use run-flats and I don't have a spare either. I carry a compact compressor and a plug kit. Have never needed the plug kit because usually when a tire doesn't hold air, it is a nail or something similar. The compressor can be used to inflate it enough to get to the nearest tire store. I have catastrophic failures of tires rarely enough (never in 30 years of owning cars) that if that happens, I will just have the car towed.
Wrecking yards have some very nice compact compressors. The nicest ones I have seen were found in Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars in a salvage yard.
As far as a compact spare clearing brakes, if you are set on carrying one, I would get one from a local wrecking yard and try it to see if it clears. If it's from a MINI, it will almost certainly clear stock brakes.

 

I think that time has improved the quality of runflats. . .
I ran mine for 30K - they were ok... not horible... probably depends on the quality of the roads too...

Now I have Michelin A/S 3's ...

 

To each his own, but I'm not sure a donut (aka compact spare) is a significant improvement on run-flops: both will disintegrate within 50 mils of the puncture. I would not want either "solution" in place for anything resembling a serious road trip.

What I had done in all my cars is buy one of each of the following:
1). High quality tire sealant and compressor kit (OEM for BMW): http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/...Tire+Inflation
2). Dynaplug kit to quickly plug large nail or screw holes:
The only thing better than the above pair is a full-size spare!


You can't.
Your R56 car uses RF sensors attached to the tire vale stem (transferable between wheels and tires) . You can buy another compatible TPMS sensor and have it installed into your spare.

a

 

Another reason you don't want to run a donut on the front, even if it would clear the brake rotors: most donuts have a smaller outside rolling diameter than the regular tire. This will result in a different rpm on donut vs regular tire, and will strain the differential. A friend of mine drove the donut for 150+ miles coming back from Alaska on the powered axle and fried the differential:(

 

Carry a compact spare and join AAA club for the roadside assistance service.

At least you can have help with moving the good wheel to the front and putting the spare on the rear where it belongs.

Put the compact spare in a clean bag or cover before putting in your boot.

 

Runflats suc. Get a plug kit and cheap compressor and run some good tires. You will be amazed how much better it is.

 

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