[MiniMpi]

A friend of my recently took delivery of his R56 Cooper and swapped the Bridgespokes for a set of R90 17's in Anthracite and it came with the SP9000 DSST's.
I drove the car and I don't see any major difference between his car and my R56 with Crownspokes on SP Sport 01 DSST's.
I think it's the suspension changes that make the difference.
Fergal.

[CooperS4us]

So my friend Pete Foglia from MyMini (Now MinSpeed) just took delivery this week of a base spec 2007 R56 MCS (SS/SS) so the first thing he did was to swap the factory 16" tires and rims with some aftermarket (very nice I might add) 17" tires and custom rims. His new MINI purchase could not come at a better time since my OEM Dunlop SP5000 runflats were nearing the end of their useful life after 23K+ uneventful miles since taking delivery of my '05 MCS 2 years ago.

I was actively looking for take off runflat replacements, so as soon as Pete learned of search, he offered to sell me just the tires that came with his R56 MCS (he kept the stock rims).

Today I drove up to his shop in Pompano Beach and finally did the tire swap. The R56 MINI now comes fitted with second generation runflat tire technology which is simple a HUGE improvement over the 1st generation runflats that have been offered in new MINIs since 2002.

Well the tires went in, nicely balanced and then took out the car for a spin around the block As soon as I started motoring WOW! these tires are absolutely FANTASTIC First the ride quality in my R53 MCS improved DRAMATICALLY. I am not making this up! It went from buckboard to ...you guess it! a R56 type ride! These new 2nd gen runflats feel as good as any non-runflat radial tire....comfy and QUIET. Absolutely no comparison to the Dunlop SP5000 all season runflats that originally came with my car

The handling is improved too. Very sharp and precise steering response

I am very, very pleased so far. These second gen Goodyear Excellence Run-On-Flat tires are simply amazing We'll see how they wear in comparison to the old Dunlops, but I can tell you that my stock R53 now has the ride quality of the R56 (or very close to) with the steering sharpness of the R53.

Probably I will get some flames for saying this, but I venture to say that the improvements in ride quality in the new R56 are in great part due to the 2nd gen runflats these cars are being fitted at the factory.

So there you go. Probably my '05 R53 is one of the very first "old" MCS in the country riding on R56 MCS 16" runflat take-offs

Highly recommended. Pics to follow

[DIOJCW]

the r56 mini is fitted with newer model runflats which will definately have some improvement but it would also come down to also having a new suspension setup being designed for runflats from the start

i currently work at a tyre shop and can do my own puncture repairs on any tyre and have consulted each tyre manufacturer and as far as people in australia are concerned only dunlop and goodyear have confirmed it is possible to repair their runflats. the others say it is due to the uncertainty of how the car is driven and how many kms the car has done since the puncture that they say you cant repair their runflats. this will eventually change to a yes as runflat technology gets better. so consult your tyre manufacturer in your country to get a better opinion rather than a tyre store whose interest is to sell you the most expensive tyres and get something in writing.
if the tyre dealer refuses a puncture repair well try another one