Tyre Pressure for Mini Cooper R56

[Mulch]

Hi
I have Continental Contiprocontact SSR 205/45 R17 tyres on my R56 Cooper S. They have healthy amounts of tread left.
The Mini car door guide recommends pressures of 250 - 280 kPa (35-39 lb/in^2).
The maximum inflation according to Continental is 350 kPa (48.5 ib/in^2).
I have them currently at 320kPa (45ib/in^2).
I am finding it hard to get away quick without wheel spin and seem to be getting quite a bit of wheel spin (DSC triangle light flashes in dash) when the turbo starts to pull in 2nd gear.
I was wondering what experience people had with these tyres and what pressure they should be at for best traction.
I was also wondering what tyres people recommend for the Mini.
Finally, has anyone out there ditched the run flats and run conventional tyres?
Cheers
Mulch

[PK5]

try them at 36 psi should but more rubber on the ground

[Mike Clarke]

Hi Mulch
Lots of clubMINI WA members have ditched the runflats for normal tyres.

[07BPB]

Yeah its better around the mid thirties, and ditch the run flats. They are expensive to replace and the ride is very hard.

[pw4]

I run Pirelli P Zero Nero non-run-flats on 17" rims. (They were standard on the XR4 I had before.) Work brilliantly. Not cheap though. Shortly to come out in a run-flat version too FWIW.

My main concern with non-run-flats is getting a flat that is beyond what the MINI tyre goo can fix. I actually broke a wheel once (BIG pothole) and wondered why the goo wasn't working.

I run 270KPa front and 240 rear - promotes a bit of roll-oversteer to counteract the MINI's understeer. Plus negative camber kits on the front (which is the proper way to reduce understeer!)

[Mulch]

Thanks everyone, I dropped the pressure to 37lbin^2/255kPa and got a slightly smoother ride and a tad more traction.
Cheers