[cagoldngirl]

Hi all,

Just went to get my tires on my '06 MCS rotated and have been informed they are wearing on inside (due to tight suspension on Minis and BMWs) and are in need of immediate replacement -- they have a ridge that can split? I have 45k miles on them so I guess I should be grateful mine have lasted this long?

Questions for you all -- when it came time for replacing your run flats, did you stick with run flats or decide to risk it with normal tires? Any recommendations on brand of run flats -- stock on my car are Dunlops (quoted $308/tire at America's Tire Co.) but I can get Pirelli's for $223/tire and Bridgestone for approx $10 less than Pirelli. Mini wants $378/tire for stock.

Thanks!

[MINIAC]

You can get 205/45-17 Kumho Ecsta SPT XRP run flats for $134 each at the Tire Rack

[jimskater]

Wow, an 06 with 45K miles? You're a driving machine.

Tirerack is a good resource; Discount tire is another. They both have online stores. Check around--you will be surprised at the variety of tires out there. Ecstas are a good choice--but there's also a whole slew of tires by BF Goodrich, Yokohama, Nitto, etc.. out there. It all depends on your driving style & choices.

Ditching the runflats does wonders for 1st Gen MINIs. A word of caution--if you do get rid of the 'flats, buy yourself a can of fix-a-flat & a small portable air-compressor. Just in case. I think there are some listed at tirerack & discoun t---but you can one up at any of the major discount chains. They'll run off the aux power point in the boot, too.

<---just replaced the runflats on my car after 12,500 miles. I went with some performance leaning tires--figuring I can get 2 sets for the price of 1 set of run flats.

So be careful with your selection.

[Mister]

Or...you could always go the route that I took. I replaced my 17s with 16s that I got off of eBay. A NEW set of runflats and wheels for about $650. It pays to shop around.

P.S. I still have the 17" rims in my garage. I haven't even been able to give them away.

[Ed_Gein]

I replaced my runflats on my 04 MCS with Yokahama Parada Spec-2. The difference was amazing. Yes, I'm taking a chance of being stranded somewhere, but the trade-off in ride is worth it. FWIW I first went to Costco. They refused to mount regular tires. Their 'company policy' wouldn't allow it. So I went to America's Tire Store and had them replaced there. I'm never going back to runflats.