I've just bought an '04 MCS that has the 16" Dunlop runflats. With winter (what there is of it in TN, anyway), I need a 'lil guidance. The tires are in great shape. Are these tires OK for "winter" use ? I know where I can get a other set of the SAME wheels/tires for 70 bucks each (slightly more worn), which I could get different tires for. Or just keep 'em as a spare set of runflats. What do you of higher Cooper knowledge think ?

Is mounting/remounting runflats require specialized equipment, or just the knowledge of how to do it? Is the potential problem trashing the wheel, the tire, or both ?

Thanks !

 

I think its a bit of both, they need the right machine and need to know how to do it correctly. Call around your local tire shops, or your dealer, but they will charge at least an hour to mount and balance tires.

I highly suggest you get dedicated winter tires, even though the car is FWD. Makes the biggest difference, grips a lot better then all seasons. After all, all seasons are no seasons, the suck in the dry and in snow/ice.

 

I have the Dunlop all season runflats and if you only have to deal with 1 - 2" of snow and no hills they will work, sort of. Anything more and you really need dedicated snow tires.

I purchased a set of "take-off" 15" 7-hole MINI Cooper wheels for my snow tires. They are narrower which improves traction in snow, slush, ice and rain. You could also just get some steel wheels from tirerack.com with tires mounted on them for easy swapover every fall and spring.

 

Do a search for winter tires and things like that, there are numerous opinions on this.

My .02$ - You don't NEED dedicated winter tires, your runflats will be OK, but if you want the piece of mind that comes with real winter tires (as well as the performance in the snow) then you just answered your own question.

mb