Hi Forum,

I was configuring Minis on the web site and it seems that no matter which vehicle you build, whether it's a Justa or MCS, the moment you add the Sport Package on a base Cooper, the wheels default up to 16" and become run-flats?

On the S it doesn't seem like there's any other tire option but run-flats?

I see the All-Season tire option for both cars, but they're still run-flats.

Living in No-Snow South Florida, performance tires are acceptable year-round, but coming from my BMW 128i I always found its run-flats to be pretty noisy/harsh on the pavement, and hella-expensive to replace if punctured.

Ultimately I test drove a car equipped with sport package and was plenty happy with the ride, I was just wondering if you could configure non run-flat performance tires or not? To me, a can of sealant in the trunk is preferable with conventional rubber.

 

If you get a base Cooper with 15" wheels, you can get standard tires. ANYTHING in an S is runflats, and anything with wheels over 15" is runflats. Mostly because with the S, the twin tail pipes run through the area where the spare would be.. so they can't sell you a car with no spare and no runflats.

Base Coopers have a side tail pipe and a spare. But if you buy larger than 15" wheels, you get a spare... and runflats on the car. Go figure. That's how it works.

Some people swap them out and sell the runflats, which are more expensive than regular tires.

 

Thanks so much for the clarification. That was perfect!

 

Yes, you get runflats with 16" or larger wheels, no option.

For the last three MINIs the first thing I did was drive to the tire shop and swap the tires for good regular tires, then sold off the resultant spares. You can recoup most of the cost of real tires by selling your runflats. For the last set from the JCW, I got $500 selling the tires, and a set of Conti DW cost me $600 + mounting.