I've been slowly losing air in one my Goodyear Eagle runflat tires (205/45R17 RSA EMT) at a rate of abot 1 - 2 lbs. per day. At first I had the Mini dealer check the tire when I had the car in for service and they told me the tire seemed to be OK. Since I was concerned about the air loss, I had the local Goodyear dealer checkout the tire and thay informed me that the liner of the tire was split and I needed a new tire at a price of $365 per tire and that it was recommended to replace not just a single tire but to do the replacement as a pair of tires! Ouch! I didn't get a good vibe from this dealer and think they were more interested in selling me tires than doing a repair.
As a favor for me, a friend of mine called his local Goodyear dealer, described the problems I was having with my tire and the explanation I was given about my tire. The second Goodyear dealer said the run flat tires do not have a liner and that run flats do not have to be replaced in pairs like normal radial tires. Who to believe?
Since the rate of leaking is so slow, I'm inclinded to think I may have a bad seal or valve stem leak. I plan to have another tire dealer look at it soon.
I figure the Goodyears may have a year's worth of driving left, so I've been looking at replacement tires and have heard good things about the Kumho and Avon brands. The Goodyears are nearly twice the cost and produce alot of road noise to boot. If anyone has replaced the OE tires with the Kumho or Avon Brands (or others) I would be interested in hearing your opinions.
Thanks,
Rob

 

While I do not have either of the brands you mention, I have friends who have both sets of tires and speak highly of them. They use the Avons for road use and the Kumhos for on the track at HPDEs.

You might try Tirerack for a replacement runflat, too, as their prices seem to be quite a bit lower than local dealers.

 

I have checked out the Tire Rack and they have very good prices on the Avon and Kumho Tires. I have talked with a regional tire dealer (Dunn Tire, a Tire Rack preferred installer) and they will accept deliveries of customer tires from Tire Rack and install the tires for $45 per tire. So when it comes time to buy new tires, I think the Tire Rack will be the way to go. I'm looking for recomendations and opinions on good quality and reasonably priced tires for a spirited Mini Cooper S driver.
Rob

 

If you want to attempt to prove to yourself where the leak is, remove the wheel from the car and submerge it in a bathtub or similar sized vessel. The bubbles will be the giveaway. A bad valve is easy.

I've had tires plugged many times, and have never had one fail. But, as always, proceed at your own risk.

Zip