Hi Everyone,


Got a question regarding tire rotation on a clubman, or any mini for that matter...


I have an 08 clubman that I bought about 9 months ago. Although the owners manual states the car comes with run-flats, I don't think my 08 clubman has run-flats. They're probably not the original tires anyway, as the car has 50K on it. I can't find any indication on the tires that they are run-flats anyway. That being said - and with regard to the manual stating "not to place the rear tires on the front and vice versa" - basically not rotating the tires - has me confused?! I'm a firm believer in tire rotation increasing the "life" of tires.


Let me explain. We just picked up an 07 Mini Cooper S convertible for my wife, and the tires on that car "are" run-flats. The tires still have plenty of tread on them, but they are cupped so bad, they sound like a light duty truck, with all terrain tires! Obviously they will need to be replaced!


So... if they're cupped that bad, it seems that they "should have" been rotated - even if they "are" run-flats - and they obviously were not! And that's probably contributed to, if not actually caused, the premature "cupping"! Since the wife's convertible doesn't come with a spare, I can understand the purpose for the run-flats on her car, but I do NOT want to plunk down that kind of money for these tires, and follow the owner's manual suggestion, when from everything I can tell - no tire rotation = bad tires!


My clubman has a smooth ride (at present) and the tires are not cupped - at least not yet. And obviously, I want to "keep" them that way!


So... can anyone PLEASE tell me what the rule of thumb is with rotating tires for both run-flats and non run-flat tires on these cars?! Or "why" you're not suppose to rotate them?!


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

I don't know why MINI said not to rotate the tires.

I ignored that and rotate them every 5,000 miles. That was the case with the OEM run flats and all subsequent non-run flats since then.

 

Rotate every 5-6k. At least 10k..

I'm sure Mini saying "don't rotate" = trying to sell you tires.

 

I tend to go with what the dealer says. 5-7K unless you are real close to an oil change and do it then. Been doing mine every 5K.

I have run flats and I assume they rotate front to rear? Anything special about run flats please let me know.

I like the run flats. I know most do not. Three shot today on the way to work. I drive in some very unsafe places. Well, that is most of Atlanta. Pull over and change a tire. Better with a friend holding a gun while I change the tire. I'll keep the run flats for now.

Anyone rotate them at home? What kind of jack do you use and process. The dealer recommends balance when I rotate. Not sure if that is needed? What would I need to do this at home?

Thoughts?

 

I do mine at home. Just a floor jack under the front lift point. at 12" it will easily lift the entire side of the car up. I add a safety stand under the rear jack point, and slide another one under the mount for the lower control arm near the subframe.

I generally go front to rear.

No need to balance unless you get some high speed wobble action going on. Nothing magical here, just tires and wheels.

 

Front to back rotation is normal for directional tires although with non directional tires you can cross back to front and front straight back. The Tire Rack website has a reference page with diagrams and such. BTW, +1 on 5K here too and I also change oil at the same time. An easy reminder is to do those jobs when the odometer turns a multiple of 5K. Without rotating, the 2 to 3 degree negative camber in the rear member will wear the inside of the tires rapidly.

From one cabrio person to another, ditch the runflats for ordinary all season tires and carry a plug kit, and pump. Griot's Garage has a slick kit that comes with a good carry all bag with room for an extra qt of oil and other goodies, windshield cleaner, bug remover, etc.

 

I have a pump jack I bought from Harbor Freight. Cheap, but it gets the job done. Put a board under the car and lift one side at a time. I just rotate back to front only so I can avoid having to jack the whole car up to do the zig zag pattern.

I never bother re-balancing tires unless I start to feel a shake or something.

I get my tires from Discount Tire and they will do the rotations and re-balance for free. However, I like doing my own rotations so I can get tread measurements and inspect the brake pads. And if I'm not being totally lazy, I'll wash off the insides of the rims.

 

No way 50K is original tires. 20-30K max on these cars . I plan to rotate every oil change atleast.

 

Thanks for all the replies! I thought I was right.

Anyway, can anyone tell me if a "standard rotation" would apply for these cars? (i.e. rear tires to the front - on the same side and the front tires crossed to the rear) or is it a straight (front to rear/rear to front), on the same side like I've read?!

Thanks again Gents!

 

Again, it depends entirely on the type of tire. Non direction tires vs. directional tires. They have arrow shaped designs on the sidewall indicating proper tire direction, better yet, when the guy mounts new rubber ask if they are directional or not. Directional tires rotate same side front to back/back to front only. Non directional CAN BE rotated rear to front crossed front to rear straight back.

 

I've used the straight front-back rotation. I read somewhere that BMW/MINI doesn't recommend tire rotation because they were getting complaints about increased road noise following tire rotations. More frequent rotations should avoid that problem - 5K should be fine.

 

+1

 

Interesting. I would say even at 5k intervals I get a small increase in road noise right after a rotation. I guess since I understand it may take the tires a few miles to get used to their new location I give it a little time as it will go away quickly.

Maybe understanding how things work is something slowly disappearing from our world.

 

A profound insight worthy of consideration.

 

Will the Mini dealer also align the wheels at the time of tire rotation?

 

Alignment is another animal.

Rotating may or may not need balancing which is just checking or adding little weights to the wheels to balance them.

Alignment is much more extensive. Often takes much longer like about an hour and the dealer may only have one bay to perform this task.

Others here can offer insight as how to know if you need an alignment. Miles? Does car drive in a straight line? Hit any major pot holes lately? Sometimes it is not apparent how bad you need an alignment.

But at 5K rotations I should not need an alignment even every 10K. But I am sure where you drive and how you drive plays into this scenario.

And yes the Mini dealer should be able to recommend when and if you need an alignment. Often by looking at tire wear patterns.

 

And to be real clear. The dealer at least mine will balance and rotate only. Alignment is something else. The dealer might recommend it after looking at the car or some may think you should have an alignment done every "X" miles.

Pretty standard to do an alignment if you get new tires as well.

Hope that helps.

 

Any good reliable, been in business quite a while with good reputation, independent tire/alignment neighborhood shop can do the job for you and often for less than a dealer.