In considering doing a long trip in our '06 MCSa I have been concerned about the lack of spare tire - even though I am running the original runflats on the factory 16" wheels.

Question: Will the factory space saver spare fit on my car? How many safe miles would I get out of the spare?
Note that I would expect to carry the spare behind the front seat.

Thanks for any info.

Martin

 

At least one NAM member carries his spacesaver behind the front passenger seat. i'm not sure how many safe miles you can get from the tire, but, since it IS a spare [and a 15" at that], I wouldn't plan to run at high speeds [like over 50 mph] or for very long, at that.

If you are looking for one, some guy in CA has one up on eBay.

 

Thanks for the info.
I would still like to know details about the performance of the spares. Also I am curious about the inflated size of the spare. Wouldn't it be the same size as my 16" wheel? Just as the 15, 16, 17 and 18" wheel/tire combinations are all about the same overall diameter?

 

Not sure exactly what details your looking for, but as the previous poster said, the manual recommends staying under 50mph with the spare on and they give a little spiel about being careful about handling changes the skinny little spare will cause. Having driven on a compact spare on another vehicle, I can say I wouldn't want to go much faster than 50mph on one, but have been forced to briefly in rush hour traffic in order to try to avoid causing an accident by being pasted from behind. You also generally want to only use the spare on the non-drive wheels, especially if your car is equipped with an LSD.

As far as the size, I am not sure about the exact difference in the overall diameter compared to the "normal" wheel/tire combos, but the tire size is listed as 115/70/15 if that helps.

 

I have an '06 and a full size (16 inch) tire fits in the boot with the parcel shelf removed. The plastic casing aroung the wiper motor goes into the wheel so the wheel doesn't roll back and forth. I just made a 1200 mile round trip with this.

 

I've asked a MINI-certified mechanic friend about the size of the spacesaver, and his response was that, since the bolt pattern is 4x100, and since the wheel WAS made for the MINI, the difference between 15" and 16" should not cause any problems as long as the user knows it is an evergency spare, and NOT a day-to-day tire. The car might lean a bit, but as long as slow speeds were used, it should drive OK.

If I were ever to get a spacesaver tire then, I'd use it for that purpose only...and peace of mind in case I ever did get a flat with my runflats. Of course, there IS a slight problem with the spare being underinflated or flat,too... ...which calls for a can of Flat Fix or a small compressor to be kept on hand, too. Now THAT could start being a real PITA, what with having to find new places to store them, too.

On the otherhand, a Slime kit [with the small compressor] will also provide a temporary "fix", AND, ya don't have to worry so much about where to store these items.

 

The life span and limitations of the compact spare are disappointing. Sounds like the Slime and compressor method suggested will get you just as far down the road - hopefully without compromising the structure of the runflat so that it can be repaired. I guess that would work with a normal small puncture problem.

However the idea of carrying a 16" regular wheel in the back of the trunk area is very appealing.

rhawth99 - Did you keep your spare wheel upright by keeping the rear seats up? Or is there some way to keep the spare up and the rear seats folded down?

Thanks,

Martin

 

i've seen a clever set up where a rear strut tower brace was installed (in trunk, just behind the rear seats, installed over the seat anchors; forgot who makes these) and a space-saver spare was mounted onto the brace. it sacrifices about half of the trunk space but looks pretty cool and works

 

Yes, I had both rear seats in the full up position so that the tire was pinned between the rear wiper casing and the back of the seats. There was still a bit of room for small items (like shoes for instance) on each side of the tire.

 

Be careful carrying a full sized tire like that. It weighs a lot & in an accident may well go right through through those seats with grave consequences. I'd recommend using a nylon tie strap & tieing it in for some added security.

 

I'm good with a compressor, slime and a plug kit. In the rare and never happened to me in 40 years of driving case that I destroy a tire, I've got the cell phone and the radio. I also carry a water filter and a towel. I'm pretty sure I could get by with just the towel. Oh, this is after ditching the runflats. With the runflats I'd be burdoned with having to wait for the replacement runflat . . . so I'd have to carry a tent and sleeping bag as well.