What kind of milage did you get (can I expect) out of your 17" runflat tires with your Mini S? Would you or did you, put runflats back on it.

 

And how expensive is it to replace the runflats?

 

New RFs can get pricey, about $250 each, tirerack is a great place to find and price, and get replacements.

I ran mine down and replaced them at about 28,000. That was with rotating about every 8,000 miles or so. I think that does make a big dfiference.

Lots of posts in the tire section about replacement options.

 

My cabrio has about 18K miles on the original RFs. They're not worn out but they are loud and harsh. Can't wait to get rid of them for non RFs. Will be doing that soon.

 

My '05 MCS hardtop came with the standard 16" Dunlop SP5000 DSST runflat tires (195/55/R16) and R-84 "V-spokes".

My car will be 2 years old in March. I have rotated the tires every 5K miles and currently the car has 21K+ miles. I would gather these tires will last me another 5K-6K miles and that is pushing it. They are not noisy but the ride is noticeably harsher as these tires wear down.

I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with standard radials, but not having a spare in the trunk really bothers me and I often wonder if taking the risk of a total blowout (Which can perfectly happen on any radial tire) out in the road is really worth the improved ride quality, handling and overall savings?

Regardless of the outcome, I have to buy a new set of tires by early summer and I will probably stick to Runflats, either Dunlop or Goodyear, but this time increase the footprint from 195 to 205, which is the maximum the 16" factory rim can take.

Tire rotation is what makes tire durability possible. These cars eat up the front tires fairly quickly, so rotation is absolutely essential. Based on my experience, 5K mile rotation intervals are a little too long. Once I get a new set, I will have a more quasi-obsessive approach to rotation and do it every 3K-4K miles, MAX. I am confident I can squeeze out between 30K-40K miles following this schedule, we'll see.

Finally, the OEM 16" Runflat replacement tires are like $160 a piece at TireRack.com. The bigger the tire (and lower the profile), the more expensive it will be to replace. If you like the big tire/low profile "bling" is gonna cost you money buddy! It is just the way it is!

 

I got about 12k miles on my dunlop runflats. Replaced with non-RF pirelli p-zero nero. With the 17" web spoke wheels 245/45 it was 280 for run flat and 120 for the pirellis - I bought a slime tire kit with compressor and if that fails theres always AAA. Non-RF run better and smoother with little give in performance.

 

Again, my concern about going "radial"on a MCS is the possibility of a total blowout and no spare. The can of GOO is ok for the ocassional nail or two, but if you have a tire shredded to pieces the goo is not gonna cut it. I am not sure if that is such a wise tradeoff. I guess for some the risk is worth it and I am not saying that going Radial is not the better way to deal with the issues of runflat tire technology.

What I like about RF's is the "safety"aspect. Even if you have a total flat no air tire, you can still drive to safety, instead of pulling to the road's shoulder and risking it there.

 

I know this is a forum about MINI's, but great signature Camminich. Go Colts! There's probably a good pun about tires and beating the Bears, but I can't seem to find it. . .

 

I replaced my 17" Pirelli RF at 17.5K miles but they could have gone longer. I didn't rotate til 12K (like an idiot). When I replaced them the 2 tires that spent most of their life on the front were worn but not to the wear bar & the 2 that spent most of their life on the rear looked practically new.

I ditched the RF's & went with regular tires. I regret it & am 99% sure I will go back to RF when my new tires wear out

 

Why did you regret going "radial"?

 

How about "even if the Bears had RFs the Colts will still flatten them on Sunday ."

Ok, back to your normally scheduled RF discussion...

I have no regrets dumping my RFs for "normal" tyres.

 

I know I am in the minority around here but....when I went radial I felt that my Mini lost some of it's GoKart-like handling due to sidewall flex in the radials. Also I preferred the feeling that I was "on" the road with RF & I feel like I am "floating" on the road with radials (hard to express that one in words). Plus I do miss the safety aspect that when trucking on down the Interstate on my RFs I wouldn't have had a blow out

 

I'm @ 29500 on my good year runflats... They are getting fairly lean but i'll prob leave them on the rims and use them for long road trips so I don't have to worry about flats.

But yeah 30k

 

I agree with your comments. I have the same concerns with going radial. I think I am staying with my runflats.

 

What rotation frequency have you followed?

 

I wonder why these tires wear out so fast, knowing it's not the go cart manner we drive our toys. Is it soft compound? As light as the Mini's are, I would have thought 40k or so on the tires.

 

Low profile, high performance tires always wear out quicker (RF or non-RF). I don't consider getting well over 20K on a low profile, performance tire to be too bad. Get you some 15" high sidewall radials if you want them to last longer

 

The lower the profile, the higher rate of wear.

You play, you pay.

 

Didn't remember the tires on my Corvette or Porsche having that short a life span. Maybe they did?

 

3 full rotations thus far... every 10k about.

 

Sheesh I had an '85 Honda CRX-si with low profile, performance tires on it. It was an $11K car that req'd $110 tires on it which was quite a gasp for me back then I could never even get 15K miles on those tires. I guess they have improved tire technology since the '80s because we are getting much better mileage on like tires now.

 

My expereince has always been performance tyres just do not last beyond about 35,000 miles. And to be honest, you really do not want them too. I love the sound and feel of new tyres, or lightly worn. I have never understood a 60,000+ tyre. Why would you want them that long? They must be hard as a rock to last that many miles.

But then on the flip side, I had a 750iL that would eat tyres (aside from other things). A new set of Dunlops about every 12,000miles.

 

I have gotten 43K out of my stock pirelli Eufori@ run flats.
I rotated them about every 5K.
The front pair was pretty worn down when I got the new tires put on because they stayed on the front too long.

 

WOW that's gotta be a record.

 

Hey bamatt... What size, brand, and model of non RFs did you put on?