Worth ditching run flats on 16 inch alloys

[Dolf Stoppard]

Morning All,

I have an F56 Cooper which I love other than the rather crashy ride. Everyone seems to say ditching run flats transforms the way a Mini rides, but am I going to notice a difference given I'm already running fairly small wheels?

Current Hankooks are 195/55/16 - 87W

Michelin Energy Savers seem to match the current spec of tyre, but I'm obviously reluctant to spend £400 only to find the ride is exactly the same!

Look forward to hearing what you think.

[Goatex]

Replaced 17" runflats with non runflats in our Cooper S and noticed a marked improvement in not just ride but also steering feel, handling and refinement. Car is currently running non run flat 16" winter tyres and ride quality improvement is less noticeable than it was when ditching the run flats. You could always try and get a test drive in a non run flat equipped car before taking the plunge but my sense it that it would be money well spent.

[a11y_m]

Not an F56, but on my R56 I've ditched the 17" RFTs for 16" with non-RFTs and the difference is night and day. Far less trashy, less torque steer (although that could be the particular tyre design), better on broken surfaces, better steering feel (again could be the tyre model). Just got so fed up of the crashing over the crap roads up my way.

I swapped from 17" with 205/45 R17 Bridgestone Blizzak RFTs to 16" with 205/55 R16 Conti WinterContact TS860.

Doing the same with my summer wheels, awaiting delivery of 16" wheels and 205/55 R16 Hankook Ventus Prime 3's.

[kayzee]

Same here albeit in an R53... went from 17" runflats to 16" non-runflats and it made a world of difference

[mikeyscott]

Were any Mini Cooper S cars (F56) sold not on RFT? Our approved used car came with the sealant kit, but Hankook Evo2 RFT, which are just nasty

[Biggriff]

Fairly certain they were an option. If car has a jack and a can of goo then it was originally on normal tyres. We have switched from RFT to normal and its night and day difference.