What's the deal with run-flat tires? July 25, 2013   Subscribe I just bought a new 2013 Mini Cooper S. I researched the car beforehand but didn't put much thought into the tires. Well, the financing guy told me that the tires are run-flats, adding that if I were to get a flat, I'd have to have the whole tire replaced as "they can't be fixed." He also told me they're $400 each. Now, he was trying to sell me an extended warranty at the time, so I let this go in one ear and out the other, but now I have some questions. Keep one, drop one - Part Three Any ideas for dinner? Keep one, drop one - Part Two Best Wings in Atlanta Yelp is deleting Reviews I'm getting a new car that comes with the run flat tires. Does anyone have experience with these tires? I'm reading awful things about the run flat tires on the internet and might try and get the dealer to swap them out for all season. I'm reading that they greatly effect the car's performance and comfort.

That they make for quite a jarring ride. The Mini I am getting comes with a space saver spare tire, jack and wrench. So the whole you have to have run flats you have no spare shouldn't apply. I have a mini cooper S convertible with run flats (no place for a spare, though). They do make for a harsh ride, but the biggest problem is they are easily punctured and shops won't patch run flat tires (and they aren't cheap to replace, although I have been able to patch them myself). So buy the full extra tire insurance when offered if you stick with these. Honestly, though, I'd just get normal tires. My tires are bald (not even 18000 miles on them) and I'll be replacing with normal tires when these are done, and in my case, invest in a can of fix a flat!  Minis are awesome, though, so enjoy! PS -- I had 4 punctures in less than 2 years. Maybe bad luck or just ATL construction... but no warranty comes standard with the run flat tires. RFT aka run-flats are becoming the way of the world.

They're expensive and hard to patch. Buddy of mind had a nail in a RFT in the tread. He had it repaired but it kept losing air so he replaced the tires. I had RFTs but have since replaced them. Now I keep a can of Slime in the car. It should suffice until I can get somewhere and get the tire replaced. Caution though about these canned, flat repairs. 2 Bedroom House For Sale In Hayes MiddlesexYou need to make sure they are TPMS safe. Discount Tires In Rochester MinnesotaIn other words, they won't damage the TPMS unit in the tire. Frenchton Puppies For Sale In WiBecause if it does, tack on another $100 +/-. And you're quite lucky to have a temporary spare and jack kit. So you should be okay. dealer is saying they can't swap them out as they don't have the all season in that size so I guess I am stuck with them.

I've been reading these things puncture like crazy so first puncture I'll get regular tires. Thanks for the responses! Is this a MINI dealer? If so, they cannot swap them out by obligation...even if he had the correct size. I asked my BMW service advisor if he could replace my rear tires with non RFTs. He said he could not. BMW will not allow that. So you're in the same boat since BMW owns MINI. But worry about this. RFTs aren't more susceptible to punctures than any other tire. Problem is they are difficult to patch. Patches, for some reason, do not hold which is why most RFT flats are replaced. Now Butler tire will attempt a repair. And you might have success with that. But as for being stuck with RFTs, you have a jack which is a huge advantage over me. Second, run flats will not collapse like regular tires when they lose air. The give you the advantage of driving up to fifty miles at 50MPH. So you're not going to be stranded around the metro area with a flat tire. I would advise you to stop fretting and go enjoy the handling that MINIs are legendary for.

I think you're going to love that car. I meant to say DONT worry about RFTs... I'll chime in here too, run flats are a little stiffer in ride quality due to the harder sidewalls, but they're not that much worse over a good low profile performance tire. On a Mini you won't notice too much difference since they don't come with big balloon tires stock, so that's not a major issue. The cost though is off putting, as is the repair issues as mentioned. You might want to straddle the fence and look into tires like Continental's ContiSport Contact with Contiseal, it's a regular high performance tire but with an assymetrical pattern so you can rotate and a puncture sealant inside for instant small puncture repair. I'm running a set on my Lexus and love them. I just bought a 2009 Mini Cooper Convertible with only 6,000 miles on it back in January. I was so excited to be able to enjoy the handeling of a MINI, however I was very wrong. After driving it for about a month I kep noticing my wheel jerk whenever I would hit a bump which would then cause the whole car to jerk in which ever direction.

After I came extremely close to hitting a median on a highway because of the car jerking, I was convinced this was not normal. The first trip into the shop left me with no explination. Then while in Manhattan my top got stuck int he down position and I had to bring it in again. I told them to look into the wheel jerking issue again. This time they told me it was my run flat tires and that it's just how the car runs. (They also have no explination as to why the top was stuck) Quite frankly, if this is how the car run, I don't want it anymore. I'm extremely upset because it completely ruins the drive of the car. I'm not sure why MINI would put 17" run flat tires on a convertible and give it an extremely bumpy ride. A convertible has a few more loose ends compared to a hard top and now I'm worried this bumpy ride is going to cause even more problems. Email me about updates Report conversation as inappropriate This conversation is older than 2 months and has been closed to new posts.