Bought my 2012 MCS this last Jan., I'm running new run flats that came on the car (dealership put them on), let me get this out of the way, I don't like them, from what I understand the walls on RF's are very stiff, (correct me if I'm wrong) they make for a rough ride and going around sweeping turns that are uneven and it kind of feels unstable, just so you know I have new Koni shocks and Struts. What I want to know is if I lower the tire pressure a bit will that help any, or are the sidewalls of the RF's just to stiff to make a difference.

Note: I really don't have the funds to go out and buy a new set of tires (couldn't get that past my wife), just trying to wear them out as fast as I can so I have to buy new ones.

 

Yes, Run flat tires are stiff and ride firmly and are noisy. They are for cars with no spare tire and offer some safety for not having to stop in traffic or bad weather for a flat tire. They also allow driving at lower speeds to get to a safe area. If you don't need them then change to non runflats and have a plan for any tire problems.

Which runflat tire did you get? Not all are good for cornering

Do not deflate run flats thinking you can make them softer riding, the sidewalls are stiff and do not look flat if you let out all of the air. It is sometimes hard to tell you have a flat tire and need the TPMS system to warn you of low air pressure. Upgrading suspension may help a little for ride quality but probably not enough. When you switch to non runflats be sure to choose a street tire with good ride comfort, not all tires are built for comfort.

Dealerships will install runflat tires for used cars because that is what came on the MINIs from the factory is many cases. They do charge more for runflats but they don't usually switch the tires even when replacing.

Another possible option is to find a buyer that wants runflats, you can dismount and sell them as newish. Some dealerships don't even want to dismount runflats but many tire shops will do it, call around and ask.

You can wear out the front tires faster than the rear, if you rotate front and rear tires every 4000 miles you will get better wear for the life of the set.

 

minihune has the right idea. You may well get enough from the sale of the slightly used runflats to purchase a good set of normal tires for no more net outlay than the price of mounting and balancing. Study various brands and sizes to select potential choices, then lurk on Tire Rack, Discount Tire Direct or Simple Tire for sales.

 

Thanks for the info, as in my original post I stated that I have new Koni struts and shocks so that's covered, as for witch RF's the dealership stuck on the car I would have to look when I get home from work, to tell you the truth if I knew that there were RF's on my car when I bought it I would have asked them to change to a non RF tire, I've started doing autocross so hopefully that will help wear them down a little faster.

 

What class are you in autocross? Street Touring X or D Street Prepared? Usually you can change one swaybar, and that would be to get an adjustable rear bar.

Runflats will be difficult in autocross, simply lack the grip needed.

Check which runflats you have, anything less than Max Summer tires will be too hard to offer much grip.

In that case you might want to find a buyer for your runflats and just take them off.

 

I'm in STX, still have to upgrade my swaybar and tires.
Checked my tires and their Bridgestone 195/55RF16, Grand Touring All-weather, a funny thing about autocross, I did my first outing a few months ago and I had one goal and because I had no elusions about my skill level, all I wanted was not to have the slowest time around the coarse and when it was all over and done with I had the second slowest time, I had a giggle over that one.

 

OK, you have Bridgestone Driveguard Grand Touring All Season runflats in 195/55-16. Treadwear 500, these are good street use daily driver runflats. Not a good match for autocross but OK on learn on as you mentioned. Even with an experienced driver run times would be expected to be in slowest one third of event race times.

This alone is not a reason to exclude the Driveguards but it really limits what you can do and will make it a little more challenging. All season tires in general are meant for street use and don't have good grip when pushed hard during autocross. The basic skill being used for racing is to find the traction limit of the car at any given time so you won't be able to have much of a limit. However if you are more patient and smooth you can still find the good driving line and not exceed the limits of the car and learn car control and improve.

Your next set of tires if you want to use them for street and autocross would be Max Summer tires (not for cold weather under 38 degrees).

Using all season runflats it would be difficult to wear them out with street driving, they are built to be durable. Sliding around will wear them faster but no traction will be a slow way around the course.

By comparison when I autocross my MCS I use Bridgestone RE-71R Extreme Summer tires treadwear 200. They are noisy, fast wearing and firm riding for street use.

 

Just a question on my tires, where did you find the info on treadware, didn't see it?, and your right about traction limit, after my first run I ran into a guy who teaches professional driving for vet owner out at Las Vegas motor speedway and he took me on a ride along and gave me some pointers, and after 6 runs I shaved about 5 seconds of my times.

And as for cold weather, as you see I live in Vegas so there's not many of them.