Hi everyone, I am new here so thank you in advance for any advice you can give me. I have a 2005 Mini Cooper which came equipped with 16" runflats which I now have to replace (with 52,000 miles on the odometer). Can I just replace the tires with regular ones (much cheaper) and will that do anything to my system that lets me know if I have a flat tire?

 

Go with regular tires better ride & better mpg !
ElTiger

 

I had the dealer remove my runflats and install Michelin Pilot Sport PLUS non runflats before I drove the car off the lot. I sold the new run flats to someone that does not mind the noise, rough ride and "tramlining" (car chases imperfections in the road).

I have no regrets and almost 12,000 quiet, smooth, great handling miles on my non-runflats.

 

52K out of runflats - you must have rotated them like a religion. See my sig for some sweet tires that gained us 3.5 MPG and a comfy ride.....

 

you need to replace it before anything happen..

 

Most people do not replace run flats with run flats. You will be better off with normal tires cost wise, comfort wise, performance wise and wear wise. You will probably want to get a tire emergency repair kit, several are available. Your warning of low or flat tires will continue to function as always.

 

regualr tires for me... but i have full size tire as spare

 

It really depends on what you are comfortable with if you do get a flat. Like most others I switched from run flats to non-run flats but I now carry a plug kit, tire slime, air compressor, and AAA card. If you do not want to deal with a flat tire, run flats are a good thing but they have their negative points as people have noted. In 100,000 miles of driving a Mini, I have only had a coulple slow leaks due to nails/screws that were easy to deal with by putting air in the tire and driving to a tire repair shop to get the hole plugged. So I take the risk.

 

If you put non-runflats on the car, the warning system will not be affected. You'll just (potentially) have less time to react when a warning pops up.

The warning system on older MINI's is based on the rotation speed of each wheel. On newer MINIs (since 2008), the system is based on sensors in the tire. In either case, it doesn't matter if you have run flats or regular tires.

 

I never understood the purpose of runflats. If you get a flat you aren't supposed to plug them for safety issues. So, instead you need to get a new tire completely. They are expensive and horrible performance/comfort wise.

I carry a plug kit (with sticky worms and rubber cement) and a DC air compressor. Both are small enough to squeeze into one of the side pockets of the trunk, all for about $30. I can fix a flat in less time than it takes to change a spare and can drive hundreds of miles before I need to get it "professionally" plugged. It's not as hard as most think it is. You don't even have to remove the wheel if you don't want to, and in about 5 minutes, you're back on the road without having to worry about driving extra slow or careful.

For the less mechanically inclined, you can by a $5 can of fix-a-flat. Your tire guy will hate you for it though.

Safe some money and get rid of them. All things considered, runflats are more inconvenient than convenient.

 

I got rid of the run flats as soon as I possibly could, I hate them. just pay the extra $8 a month on your insurance and get towing coverage just in case!

 

Ditch the run flats. You'll get a better ride, less noise. They are awful tires.