I currently have some 17 dunlop tires on my 2002 mini but I already had to change 2 tires because they were too damaged and a third one is close to it. Are the Pirellis less fragile or is it the same deal? I live in a country were the roads are quite bad. Thank you.

 

"damaged" do you mean just normal wear and tear, or are you getting sidewall bubbling and/or delamination?

Runflats tend to be more fragile when it comes to potholes and road hazard, in my experience.

 

We've replaced a lot of runflats due to impact breaks and pothole damage.

Keep in mind that the stiffer casing of the runflat flexes less and is more prone to damage when impacting a pothole, 2x4, the couch that flew off the F150 in front of you, etc.......

Runflats only work to get you to a shop to have the tire replaced or repaired, they're not going to stave off every type of hazard out there.

Later

 

I've been impressed so far (10,000 miles) with my run flats. There have been two instances where my stomach went into my throat. One involved running over a LARGE chunk of concrete with my right/front wheel on the interstate one morning on my way to work. The other time I nailed a LARGE pothole (again on a local interstate) that caused the piece of my dashboard under the steering wheel to "fall down" - it was a pretty jarring blow. I continued to drive after both incidents but I was just waiting for the run-flat warning lamp to turn on. Fortunately, it never did - and visual inspections of the tires and wheels look good, too, and the alignment wasn't affected. For what it's worth, mine came with the Pirellis.

 

UnMini,
Both Dunlop and Pirelli runflat tires are suseptible to damage and also transmit damage to the rim, suspension and front strut towers (better check for damage).

Non runflat tires do a better job at soaking up the force of road hazzards as long as there is enough sidewall to help out- 55 series or 60 series would be nice. 40 series would be pretty stiff.

2 damaged tires is nothing new if you live in an area with lots of potholes. I think you might want to consider some nice non runflats. Search for 205/45-17 if you like the stock size (Yokohama AVS ES100) or consider 215/45-17.

As for rims, you need strong rims that can take punishment so don't invest in light weight rims. Forged rims of medium weight would work best if you ever replace the stock rims (super heavy!).

 

Thank you for your replies. I had considered changing the 17 rims for some 16 but I just like the look of this big wheels too much (also I payed for them). I guess I will have to move to germany or something .

 

I'm on my second set of 16-inch Dunlop Performance Runflats and I love them! I have them mounted on the v-spokes and find the ride smooth and the tires have been great.

I got a super deal on the second set, so replaced the original set at about 26K miles. The originals definitely had a few thousand miles left on them, but as I was on the opposite side of the country from home on my roadtrip, I chose to have the new tires mounted.

Clover

 

No one seems to have answered your question so I’ll give you my opinion about the Pirellis. I can’t compare them to the Dunlop’s because I’ve never used those, but I had the Pirellis on my MCS 1 ½ years and thought they were excellent as far as the run flats go. My gas mileage was good, I had very good tread wear and the MINI handled well. Everyone will tell you the draw back is stiff ride and road noise, but because you use the Dunlop’s I’m guessing that is not a problem with you. I didn’t mind the stiffness at all when I used them, but have gone on to a more suitable tire I can use for both road and track.

I don’t drive in the same type terrain you do so I can’t say if one is better in your type driving, but while I used them I thought they were great. My first trip to the Dragon was on the Pirellis and they performed outstanding for the type tire it is.