short answer: non runflats in sport mode feel like runflats in normal mode

i recently made the switch from the stock runflats (bridgestone turanza) to non runflats (conti extremecontact dw) and before that i was really apprehensive because i loved the responsiveness of the rfs. i searched the forums for opinions on the difference and none of them said anything but more grip, more comfort, less noise. thats to be expected. as a person who's driven in sport mode since day 1, the easiest way to explain or qualify the change from runflats vs non runflats is that when youre turning, the nonrunflats in sport mode feels like runflats in normal mode. and consequently in normal mode it feels camry like. i kind of miss my runflats because it loss some of that go kart feeling. for reference, i have 16 in wheels, stock suspension, ran my turanzas at 33-34 psi and my contis at 39 psi

 

Where's that popcorn emoticon when I need it...

 

you must have finished all of yours waiting for that 2013 that you just picked up yesterday according to your sig.

what i said was an opinion or an observation that no one else talked about when i did my own search. pretty easy to replicate to. have fun with your new mini, i just got back from tennessee a day ago, hopefully the rain wont deter you from some fun

 

I've done the switch with my old MCS before I got into my GP2. I noticed an immediate change in responsiveness and feedback when I went to non runflats.

Question. What does Sport mode have to do with anything? I'd be more concerned with weather and road conditions being similar enough to make a solid comparison.

 

Interesting - where were you searching? The effect of the decreased sidewall stiffness of non-runflats on the crispness of turn-in has been fairly widely discussed.

One thing you can do to bring back some of that "go-kart-like" feeling is to increase the tire pressure on your non-runflats. What is your tire pressure currently?

EDIT: Reading is fundamental. You've already increased your tire pressure in the non-runflats. I would say drive it for a few hundred miles on the new tires and you'll forget what run flats felt like. I ran through three sets of tires after ditching the runflats in my '06 MCS and never missed them.

 

yeah i saw threads that talked about crispness and everything like that, but without being able to drive another persons car with non run flats i still didnt understand what that meant exactly. call me a noob, but i got my mini at 23 (paying it for myself) and the previous car before that was a maxima i got at 17 that i wouldnt dare do anything sporty in. terms like crispness, less responsive i just couldnt translate what it would feel like or rather how much it would affect it. and after making the switch, i really think for people who dont know, and more importantly doesnt have the money to be experimenting with tires that could and will mess up the gokart feeling you get from the factory, its a very good comparison. sport and non sport.

as for TimB's comment. i used regular mode with runflats just as a comparison to sport mode with non runflats. with sport mode, as you know it tightens up the steering ratio, effectively making it require more effort to turn. and in sport mode with non runflats it requires much less effort than turning with runflats in sport mode and consequently is very similar to what i remembered driving in normal mode with the runflats.

but i agree wholeheartedly, i probably will have forgotten what runflats feel like soon enough. id rather spend the money difference on paying off this thing and saving for future autocross and track days.

 

I made the same switch, the the same tires you did. Loved it.

Live in the start of the foothills here in WV.

First thing I noticed, and loved, is they are quieter than the OEM bricks on the car. In the rain, I am able to drive on the road, not hydroplane to where I want to go. I have been in a mini loaner for a 8 days, got my car back yesterday, and so the diffs are still very fresh again.

Yes the sidewalls on the non's are not as stiff, but if you follow the sticker in the door you will ger the same feel, if I recall it is way up there, 39 - 41 psi (again don't quote me, but I know when I get the oil changed the tech almost always says, "wow, that's higher than most")

At the end of the day, have 40k miles on my 2012, 24k on RF and the rest not, I WOULD NEVER GO BACK. Quieter ride, far less bump steer, smoother ride, and in the hills here, stuck to the road like glue.

 

And I appreciate you posting your experience!

 

Sport mode decreases the electric power assist to the steering. This results in a tauter feel. Handling doesn't change, but the feel does.

 

I see your point. I just don't see it as much a comparison of tires as it is a comparison to turn-in, which are two different things. I could make any tire, runflat or not, feel quite different with a toe adjustment. What one may think is a better feeling tire is just a race set-up in the front end of the car. Apropos of nothing, I am constantly comparing tires, compounds, aspect ratios and the effect of heat cycles on performance. When I am noting any differences, I try to eliminate as many other variables such as temperature and road/track conditions. Otherwise, it's just unscientific. But that's for another day and another forum...

 

other issue....
folks are always comparing their OLD worn out tires to NEW...which have MORE rubber..so folks that say they had a change of feel...they did..any NEW tire with more rubber will have a different feeling....

 

i get the feeling you track your car lol, 95% of us here wll never make toe or camber adjustments, or heat cycle a tire. but your points are valid. and i wish i had the money to compare these contis with the newest generation of runflat, as ive heard theyve improved quite a bit

but if everything else is the same except for the tires, and disregarding sport mode, how can you not compare the tires as it would affect turn in among other things?

 

Guilty.

I don't know if this answers your last question but let me try. If I disregard the sport settings and am comparing apples to apples, I prefer the predictability of non runflats. With the harder sidewalls I felt I was getting less grip and couldn't carry as much lateral load. That was comparing two new sets of runflats and nons in my old MCS on the street.

I run non runflats without any spare and commute in my GP2. I run runflats in my wife's car, though, since she doesn't routinely walk around her car like I do mine every day.

 

i agree about the predictability. road imperfections on runflats were scary but sometimes fun. felt like it was going to breakaway at times. but with these regular tires, it just soaks it up.

but since youve experienced new runflats. and to sort of give an answer to your question in your first post on this thread "What does Sport mode have to do with anything" In terms of turn in and responsiveness, with everything else but the type of tire equal, can you remember if runflats in normal mode felt like regular tires in sport mode. This is normal day to day driving also without regards to comfort. mainly just that experience when I created this thread with the intention of giving people who are considering the switch a way that they can replicate the feeling that run flats and non would give doing something as simple as pushing a button. and it would be nice to have someone agree or disagree on that aspect alone.

 

I don't think I can opine. I rarely ever drive in sport mode. While it's a nifty feature that can make it seem like the car is more powerful, the throttle-by-wire feature annoys me. I prefer a fully modulating pedal to an on/off switch when it comes to controlling engine throttle. I've found it actually costs me time on the race track because of small corrections I need to make on exiting turns when, in rear-wheel drive cars, I inadvertently cause oversteer when the throttle surges. If I'm alone, that's one thing. But if I'm in traffic, it's downright dangerous.

I'm sorry if I hijacked the thread and steered (pun intended) the conversation from its intended topic.