[Richard Crofts]

I get my cooper soon but have a bit of a question over spare wheels etc. Mine has the option fitted of 17" S spokes and runflats as standard on the S. I dont particularaly like the run flats (they are expensive, high road noise and for the same money I could buy some nice Toyo's or Goodyear's!) However I recently saw a comment about the cooper if fitted (and the S) not having a spare wheel??!!! This is OK if it has run flats...a bit of a pain in the ass but livable with. What happens when I change to normal tyres....is it true I have no spare?!...if so what do people do?....is there somewhere to fit a spare???....I though UK cars had to have a spare wheel by law?!


This was a US comment...from someone who appears to be a complete K N o B! (see the post in the on this board on epinions.com)...but it still worries me this might be one thing he got right in his MINI review.

Please help...any advice is welcome..especially from those who are having this problem...or have dealt with it alrerady.

The answer to my prayer might be as simle as someone saying they do have a spare on the UK coopers no matter what wheels you run!

[duncanbanana]

Some normal minis have no spare wheel . They have a punture repair kit that comes with the car . One of my friends has a mini one with 15" alloys and that has a punture repair kit . Maybe if you get one of those you can run normal tyres on your S. Im sure mini dealers sell them.

[nickworld]

Happy to put your mind at rest. The Mini isn't required to have a spare because it has the tyre pressure sensor to let you know if your tyres are going down and also a can of some crappy tyre filler sponge to get you to your nearest garage - if you don't have runflats. If you do - you don't even need that.

The down side with the foam spray means that if you use it, you have a bugger of a time cleaning it all out and will need to buy a new tyre.

However, you can order a space-saver actual spare wheel which fits under the boot - which I have done - and it only costs something like 35 squid. Doesn't take up any space in the boot and for the extra peace of mind, I'd get it again!

[Paul]

You cant get a spare on the 'S' - The battery stuck in/under the boot sees to that.

A can of 'gloop' that seals most punctures is the easy answer. MINI sell it with some other bits and bobs as the 'MINI mobility system' I believe.

[Tonyt3]

Under UK law, NO car HAS to have a spare tire, some maufacturers don't fit them, as many performance cars don't have the room for them and they weigh too much. However the law does state that if a spare tire is carried, then it must be in a LEGAL state, ie tread depth, tyre pressure must be at least minimum legal requirement.


Think about it this way - how many times have you had a puncture? Most people will drive for years without having one. OK, if you drive some old banger with barely legal tread depths, then you may get one now and then. But people who do have well maintained cars rarely have punctures - and when they do, a growing number of people simply call out the AA etc now, so it then becomes their problem if there is no spare wheel.

I personally have covered about 400,000 miles since I learn't to drive, and have only once had a puncture on the road... I've had a few 'slow' punctures overnight caused by air seeping out of a hole with a screw in it or similar, but these you can sort out with the compressor thats supplied in the non-runflat tire kit....

Whats a spare tire weigh? 50lbs? thats a lot of weight to carry around for 400,000 miles....

That said, i'll probably get a puncture on the way home now...

[teeman]

Hi..

Last March me and my girlfriend decided to drive to the south of france to go snowboarding.
4am in the morning down the motorway to dover and I managed to not avoid an umbrella in the road. This punctured my sidewall and that goop stuff was useless. We had to call out Mini Emergency and sit by the side of the motorway for over an hour till they arrived. Then no tyre shops were open till 8am! Oh and then we were apparently very lucky as he had just one tyre for the new mini in stock, apparently it's a special size for the 15inch? Typical for it to be non standard heh?

I didn't realise you could get a spacesaver for them... I'm gonna make some enquiries. Thanks

[Richard Crofts]

Cheers.

I will have to get a space saver!....theres no way I am gonna spray goop into the tyre, which I know(used this stuff before on a Yoko off my clasic cooper, ARRGGGHHH1!!!) screws the tyre, thus meaning I have to get a new tyre!(especially if I've paid out for some decent quality ones!)

I think a phone call to my BMW/MINI dealer is in order and a visit to the mini.co.uk web page to try and price the space saver wheel.

I have a cooper so presumably the S battery problem wont effect me doing this?

[Richard Crofts]

Oh No!

The price guide says you can only have the space saver fitted on ones and coopers with 15" wheels!!....Looks like I will have to keep buying runflats forever!!

So from what I can make out it goes like this.

ONE - You can have the MINI mobility system (spray gunk into the tyre and knacker it so you have to buy a new tyre every time) or you can get the space saver

COOPER - You can have the mobility system or if you have 15" wheels you can get the space saver fitted. If you have 16" wheels you have to stick with the gunk stuff and pretty much buy a new tyre every time you get a sudden flat! (You get a few if you come from round buy me, I live in a rural bit of worcestershire and a combination of **** poor roads, debris scattered everywhere, hedge timmers, and lots of sharpe metal, glass, plastic and numerous other objects from car crashes on the road mean a higher proportion of puntures than many of my mates who live in the city) If you have 17's then just keep running runflats or you have to use gunk on your loverly new EXPENSIVE performance tyres if you change them.

COOPER S - You use runflats or face the cost of new EXPENSIVE tyres evrytime if you change them and use gunk.

I am writing this as the options available to me if I owned any of the cars, not nessesarily true for those who have better driving conditions than me.

Ho Hum!....it seems a bit of a crap design feature...pretty much the only really **** poor thing about the mini in my view (I understand the weight thing, but if your that worried i'd say just remove it if MINI supplied it!) A space saver in a 16 and 17" for the cooper would be nice though...I realise this leaves the S drivers out in the cold...but think of it this way...you lose out with the wheel but you get a faster and slightly better car than us, think of it as compensation for those of us who cant afford the S or its insurance

Cheers for the help anyhow guys

R

[moorlockx]

I use runflats and think that they're alright. In town I don't worry about having a flat. When I go on a road trip, I carry a full size spare in the back on the laid down rear seats. As pointed out in an earlier post the goop stuff doesn't work in all situations.

[mpemburn]

Once I'd heard about the expense of the run flats, I knew that option was out. I'm intrigued by the engineering problem that resulted in their use in the S (no room for battery under bonnet due to intercooler -- move it to boot. No room in boot for spare due to battery, use hi-tech run flat tires -- brilliant!).

There is no reason, IMHO to choose run flats if you have a Cooper. Oh, okay, if you get a flat while cruisin' though the 'hood and don't want to risk death or dismemberment while changing to the spare. Call roadside service on your cellphone in that case. Modern problems call for modern solutions

BTW, I can recall having our day saved once by buying a can of 'goop' to fix the flat (when we did, in fact, get a flat tire while cruisin' in one of Baltimore's many 'hoods). The spare was flat, too, so this was the choice. I think we ran on the gooped tire for quite a while after that.

Also: I thought the term for a flat tire was 'defect' in the U.K. Is this passé? (please forgive my ignorance)

[stryder]

I think the expense of the runflats is their biggest flaw, but someone needs to be a leader, and the MINI's the perfect car for them to be on. Previously, all cars with runflats were expensive, (Corvettes and presidential limos come to mind). I'm sure as runflats become more common (BMW seems to have a big runflat fetish) the price will come down, and they'll be a better deal.

Its not just crusing through the hood, especially as cars age, (in theory, I'm sure a huge amount of MINIs will be off run-flats by their 2nd birthday) they get flats at annoying times. I've been late to things because I had to change a tire, or was in a suit, or it was raining, etc, etc. Many times I'd have preffered to ignore the problem, or postpone it 5-10 miles, not because of safety but convience. Isn't that the point of a luxury car in some respects anyway?

Maybe we're just accustomed to cheap tires. $150 for a runflat's not excessive if you think about how much you spend in gas and other wear and tear items, I think its just the sticker shock. (Says I, who was quite happy US Coopers came with a spare, so I didn't need to spend that money on snow runflats, and could get cheaper 15" wheels and regular snows, for only $750...)

By the way, I don't think this has been mentioned, but even if you have 17" wheels, the 15" donut spare will fit on the car and under the boot, it just may not be a factory option in the UK. It should be able to be installed though... how difficult that is I have no idea, perhaps someone else would know.

[BennyB]

I got a flat on my runflats, so i took it in to BMW to find out if it could be repaired and what a suprise that they repair all tyres except the runflats. Well actually what they say is they should be repaired. Well i wasn't happy with that so i tried another place and they were happy to repair it. but it took them along time to find the punture and then actually remove the tyre from the wheel. They had a special machine for run flat tyres but still was a B******D to remove. But two week later the pressure light came on again. So i've now decided to get a new one and have managed to find the same make of tyre fitted and VAT inc for 75pounds which is a bargin against the 147pounds BMW charge. Not actually got round to getting the tyre yet so for the past 2months have driven on a flat runflat tyre and had to pump it up every 2weeks. Not driven on the motorway yet and not gone more than 45mph, this has been a bit annoying. But i'm planning on booking it in next week.

[rrypma]

What I don't understand is the 16" optional upgrade on the Cooper. The Cooper has room for and is equipped with a spare. So, why do these wheels come with the run-flats?! I'd be happy to swap these for some less expensive all-seasons in a heartbeat. Am I missing something here?

[Nic D]

I really don't have a problem with my Pirelli run flats, much better than the Dunlops but will probably wear a lot quicker. Toyo's don't seem to offer much more grip if anymore grip at all.

[Richard Crofts]

rrypma the 16" option in the UK doesn't have runflats...I dont think anyhow. The only wheel fitted as standard in uk with runflats is the 17" variants which cant be driven in conjunction with the spare wheel space saver thingy BMW do so they had to offer another option instead (taa daa the run flat appears)

If you have 15" or 16" you get normal tyres...but the option for a space saver and the gook stuff to fill the tyre. BMW do not believe the space saver should be run in conjunction with the 17" option due to affecting handling handlind etc...safety issues they said to me. This has meant they had to provide an alternative...and because the S (which has 17's fitted as standard) doesnt have space for a spare they had to go with runflats.

Hope that helps

[CYCO]

Order spare wheel option on ones or coopers at £35 its very cheap, if its cooper s or diesel tough there is no room for spare due to battery being in boot

[CYCO]

Did your dealer not tell you this

[Richard Crofts]

CYCo

My dealer told me s h * T about the lack of spare wheel.....but its my fault for not asking. I was so excited about driving them, loooking at them and ordering my car that I didn't worry over petty things like that at the time...but now, its a different story.

I have a cooper but my dealer when asked the other day said I cant have the space saver as its only for use on 15 and 16 wheel combos. My car has the 17" S Spoke upgrade so I have to settle with run flats as the dealer says that using the space saver is unsafe in BMWs eyes when combined on 17" setup.

If you know for sure/ other dealers have told others different then please let me know as i will go storming back to them and demand the space saver even if I have 17" wheels.

Cheers guys...even if this thread hasn't helped me out, its at least been informative and shown me i'm not the only one with a runflat tyre/spare issue

[CYCO]

YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO ORDER SPACE SAVER WITH 16" OR 17"
WHEELS HOWEVER DEALERS CAN ORDER IT FROM THE FACTORY.(WHICH DEALER HAVE YOU ORDERED FROM)AND IT IS POSSIBLE BUT VERY EXPENSIVE TO RETROFIT.

[Paul]

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard Crofts
rrypma the 16" option in the UK doesn't have runflats...I dont think anyhow. The only wheel fitted as standard in uk with runflats is the 17" variants which cant be driven in conjunction with the spare wheel space saver thingy BMW do so they had to offer another option instead (taa daa the run flat appears)

If you have 15" or 16" you get normal tyres...but the option for a space saver and the gook stuff to fill the tyre. BMW do not believe the space saver should be run in conjunction with the 17" option due to affecting handling handlind etc...safety issues they said to me. This has meant they had to provide an alternative...and because the S (which has 17's fitted as standard) doesnt have space for a spare they had to go with runflats.

Hope that helps

16" Wheels in the UK come with runflats.