[JohnR]

The Mini is due for new tyres on the front. I guess 40,000k is OK life - ? Anyway, one recommendation I had was to get runflats, since I don't have a spare. I believe they had a bad rep but I was thinking they must have improved in recent years. Anyone with hands-on experience?

The tires that came with the car are Michelin "Energy Saver" tires. I quite like/d them but they're on the expensive side to say the least.

[BobC]

Never owned them, but the last time I was shopping for a car the dealer told me they'll get fewer miles and cost more to replace.

When I asked for a model minus the run flats, he then told me that I'd need to change the wheels too, because of the special pressure sensors.

Maybe things have changed, but if you have a pressure sensor, perhaps you should check to make sure it's compatible with run flat tires.

[srb]

No experience with them, but here is a Run-Flat Tire Primer from edmunds.com.  Other sources say expect 50% - 100% more cost for equivalent quality/performance.
 
Steve

[ratso]

i always get my mini's without them. every road test i have ever read about improving the s' ride recommends ditching them. (what is it with bmw and the run flats BTW?).

[srb]

(what is it with bmw and the run flats BTW?)

BMW has to compete toe to toe with Mercedes, and both companies are all about passive and active safety systems first, followed by performance and luxury.
 
Steve

[acresm22]

We have an '05 Toyota Sienna AWD that came with run-flats because there was no room for a spare. After running through numerous sets, we have now switched to regular tires and are running without a spare. The run-flats were noisy, didn't wear well, and were expensive.

[HAITIMAN]

I've got run flat tires on my 535i and I would not recommend them. They are noisy and harsh. As soon as can, I am going to swap all four for regular tires. On the BMW forums you will find many who agree. They also wear quicker than regular tires.
Must say, however, they stick like glue

[JohnR]

Thanks for info guys. Maybe I should have just asked for prices on the tire [Edit - I mean size e.g 195/55R16], without saying the car. I'll call a couple more places tomorrow.

[walkern]

I replaced the run flats on my Mini with Nokian (may not be spelled right) all season radials and was thrilled with their performance (handling, and traction in rain or snow).  I carried around a can of 'fix a flat' and never looked back.  The new tires were 1/2 the cost of the run flats, lasted twice as long, and provided better handling, lower noise on the highway, and a smoother ride.  If I had it to do all over again, no doubt I'd make the same choice again.

Neil

[bside123]

We've have two Minis in our family. My sister kept her Run Flats. The car runs hard, and she's had problems with the tires to boot. Me... I immediately replaced the Run Flats with performance rated Pirellis. I'm thrilled with the ride and handling. If I get into trouble, I'll either call AAA or my sister! 

[CIAudio]

My M5 came with run flats (due to no room for a spare).
Much happier with Michelin PS2's and AAA 

[jackman]

I have friends who have replaced run flats with standard tires.  Similar to others in this thread, the rf's were hard riding and wore out faster.  They are also usually more expensive than their non rf counterparts.

One areas in which a run flat is superior to standard is police chases.  If police chase you and shoot out your tires or throw those spiked strips across the road, you can just smile and keep going.  It would improve a person's chances of escaping from the law.  Just sayin...

[Elizabeth]

Run flats are a waste of money. A sop to create an ease of mind, when in fact cheap tires go flat, high quality tires take a huge amount of punishment and never go flat.
I had a $130. tir with four nails all the way through, and it never even leaked!!. I only found out when i had it replaced (worn out) and the tire guy showed it to me.
That was a OE style BF Goodrich 'Z' (186mph)speed rated for a Ford Contour SVT. (and I was at 140mph on those tires a LOT.)

[TheChairGuy]

John,

Run-flats have thick, stiff sidewalls....so when air runs out, they still run. The downside is the ride - when you hit a bump it's generally jarring - especially with a light car with short wheelbase like the Mini.

I drove a Clubman with run flats and I thought the ride was awful. Ditto for a 3 series wagon - jarring.  Not comfy for our increasing aging behinds 

Michies are always well made, but pricey - often the best you can buy from many standpoints, but always terribly pricey.  That's just the way they market themselves.

Check out TireRack.com in the US for hundreds of reviews and road tests in hundreds of tires. Check out your size to see what's available.

My pick? If available in your size is the Continental SportContact DW.  They are tops for dry and wet, nicely quiet and will make your Mini handle much better than the Touring-style Michies you have now.  You might lose a few tenths of KM in mileage, but the initial savings in cost will generally outweigh the slight loss in mileage over the life of the tire.

There is a Continental SportContact DWS that allows for good handling in snow, too....not much of an issue down in Oz . Hopefully they have one or both there and at decent prices.

EDIT: ooops, it's Continental ExtremeContact DW I mean.  My wife had a quartet of those energy saver tires on them and we lost a couple tenths of a mileage in fuel efficiency when we changed over - but the car handles entirely better now refitted with these Conti's 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DW

[JohnR]

Thanks John/TCG. In the end, a couple of things happened. First was that the CFO/SO said "why spend more money on tires than you have to" and the tire guys said "the left rear tire is rooted, you will have to replace the rears as well."

So here we are driving around on a new set of cheap non-runflats, Achilles Sport-something. I did some research and they all have to meet AU standards which as a general rule are a bit stricter than the rest of the world. And you know what, having new cheap tires with tread on them is a lot better than old nice tires without much tread. They feel a little different but I guess it's like audio memory, can you really be sure? Given that it's coming into winter here I've had a good amount of opportunity to "test" them in wet conditions and in all honesty I'm quite pleased with the handling, and I'm thinking the Mini D is intrinsically pretty well behaved anyway (low unsprung weight etc). SO said the other day how nicely the car goes around corners now. So it's good on all accounts!

You can laugh at me if I have a prang (which I never have) because of the tires  If we get stranded in the middle of nowhere I'll blame you guys 

[jtwrace]

The Mini is due for new tyres on the front. I guess 40,000k is OK life - ? Anyway, one recommendation I had was to get runflats, since I don't have a spare. I believe they had a bad rep but I was thinking they must have improved in recent years. Anyone with hands-on experience?

The tires that came with the car are Michelin "Energy Saver" tires. I quite like/d them but they're on the expensive side to say the least.

Run-flats have their pros though.  The really nice thing about them is that if you were to get a flat you'll almost never know it (other then the TPS light) as the sidewall is so stiff that the car will track straight.  So, if you go on really long drives at night it might not be a bad idea.  If you are into better performance and want to save a little money and am willing to take the risk, then go with regular rubber.  The one thing I would recommend is a can of foam fill just in case.  As long as you don't have a major blowout you can fill the tire with this and it will get you going to a safe location.  On the flip side, run-flats are safer without a doubt.  Short of a complete failure, as mentioned above, the car will still track straight.  This can be a huge deal if you're mid corner...

I had run-flats on my 335 and got about 20k out of them.  Keep in mind if you lease the car you must return the car with the approved tires.  This list can be provided to you from the dealer.  What I found with BMW is that the tires on lease return are $250 instead of the ~$400 that you pay on your own.  I did it twice and brought the cars back with bald tires.   

My wife's Porsche on the other hand has regular tires and a can of fill.