The End of Run Flats?

[shoestring7]

Posted this in the 'lsd?' thread here, but the title is a bit misleading.

However:

I had an email from someone in MINI's product marketing department.

It says that from the September, run-flats will be an option; "From September production, all MINI wheels will come with non Run-flat tyres as standard, with the option to upgrade to Run-flat tyres".

Interesting change in policy; I'll be looking forward to trying one on proper tyres.

SS7

[sad61t]

I had a test drive in a ONE on 16" rf & then a Cooper on 17" rfs. The steering on the 17" was far less communicative, and I'd picked up that the wheels were 17" from the steering before the salesman confirmed it. A popular choice on renewing the boots is to go for normal side-walls, e.g. Toyo Proxi TR1 or Avon ZZ3 (note however that, up until now, the dealer had to put on rfs for the Cherished resale).

I opted for the 15" normals in the Rotator design as, to me, the default 5 stars are (deliberately?) ugly. Slightly less ultimate grip, but better handling and able to cope with commuter kerbs.

I also included the Sport button for an improved throttle response & reduced servo on the steering. Without the former the throttle almost seems to be run through a low-pass filter, so any sudden input is smoothed out; good for town & eco trips up the m-way, but on open roads I prefer the more direct feel of Sport mode.

[sad61t]

Since few PHers will be considering 15", I would say from my test drives that the 16" with run-flats is OK and probably worth keeping for convenience given the number of screws, etc., that litter our roads these days. If specifying the 17", normal tyres are the '8/10 previous owners prefer them' choice; I guess that is, in part, why Mini are making them the OE choice from September.

[Wilburo]

I'm running 17" with run-flats so am intrigued by what Mini will do for the Cooper S. I wouldn't be able to convince the GF to get an aftermarket tyre-foam and inflator, but if I can pick up an official one, I might be on to normal tyres

[900T-R]

sad61t said:

Since few PHers will be considering 15"

That would be a sad conclusion - I thought PH'ers would be more inclined to go for driving satisfaction over fashion than the average punter. A MINI is a much more fluid and adjustable drive with a purer steering feel on the standard 15s with narrow tyres, and it generates more than enough grip on the tiny 175s to cope with the output of the N/A engines.

[Wilburo]

Agreed - I would prefer some 16" X-Lites for my R53, purely because they're spposed to drive better.

22" chrome spinners aren't for me.

[sad61t]

Glad you folks agree with me! I had a test drive in a 147 Collezione while considering the Mini and it came with 17" rims. While very attractive, the ride was nervous & heavy at the same time and I thought it was 'over-tired'.