Give me Runflat tires back!?!

[dangriffiths]

After reading several post I changed my run flats for conventional tires – very disappointed! With the runflats although the ride was hard the steering was sharp and turn in was positive. Now with the conventional tires the steering is vague and it feels like the back is moving around in the corners. Grip is still excellent but some of the fun has gone!

I changed from:
195/55/R16 Goodyear Excellence runflats, to
205/50/R16 Uniroyal Rainsport 2

They got great reviews:
tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-2

I didn’t read of this negative effect in any of the posts – has anyone else had the same experience?

Would higher tire pressures help, I have started with 31PSI. What is the safe pressure to go up to? Should I use the same pressures on front and back?

[The Eggman]

What car ? Conventional's are nearly always rated better than R/F's. I run 215/40/R17 at 32f 28r on a MCS. Are you missing the "bounce" ?

[BigShow]

I've run Parada Spec II's for 45k miles with 32 psi all round on road, track and drag strip and IMO they are the perfect tyre and perfect psi.

You can get Parada's off ebay in 215/40/17 for about £60 a tyre and I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

[flamingvictory]

Get back to runflats if you can. I just replaced my tires, after 24,000 miles. Spoke to four tire dealers, and they all said the same. Without the runflats, you will lose the feel of the road, and the handling just would not be the same. I replaced my Dunlops with Kumhos, which I had never heard of, but so far they are great.

[IanDW]

Flamingvictory your opinion is very much the minority based upon feedback on this forum....

My own experience of changing from runflats to regular tyres was similar to most.... i.e. Wow they grip well and absorb bumps much better (as the sidewalls can flex to provide absorbtion which runflats cant do well as the sidewalls are reinforced to run without air).

I remember when I had runflats on a bumpy road the traction light would often flash light a christmas tree as the wheels tended to skip more while trying to get the power down. With non-runflats (for me Toyo Proxes T1R) traction is much better and the ride has improved to boot.....

Re: feel of the road comment - yes if you want to feel ever bump and lose your fillings every time you hit a deep pothole then I agree runflats provide more feel. But then so would 18" wheels with rubber band tyres.......

Dan - I dont know the tyres you mentioned. My old experience of uniroyals was great in the wet but not brilliant in the dry (I remember lots of squealing and squirming). Also as you went wider (205s) this may make the turn in a little slower and the car feel less nimble although ultimate grip should be better in corners..........

[frashed]

I just replaced my Dunslop Sport 01's with Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31 and all I can say is wow, what a difference. Not only in comfort but handling and road noise. I'm running them at 40psi which I think is perfect.

I can somewhat understand the slight 'delay' in feedback with the conventional dan but do yourself a favor. Find a nice road with plenty of bends and give those tyres hell. Initial turn in might be not what you're used and that's probably because of the initial sidewall flex. Over time you'll realize you have made the right choice

[dangriffiths]

Thanks for your comments.

My car is a 07 reg R56 cooper. I tried 35PSI all round today which was an improvement, slightly less tire roll in the corners. I think I am starting to get used the new handling charactoristics and I deffinatly appriciate the smoother ride.

That mid corner bounce you get on bumpy roads is much improved and grip is amazing a long as you keep it smooth.

All that said if you need a quick change of direction, for instance if there is a car coming in the other direction on a narrow B road you get a delay in turn in and then a wobble at the back – just the tires flexing I think.

I will try 40PSI the same as frashed - there is hope yet.

[Angib]

Quote: Originally Posted by IanDW (original)

My old experience of uniroyals was great in the wet but not brilliant in the dry (I remember lots of squealing and squirming).

Couldn't agree more - ruddy brilliant in the wet and poor in the dry.

I used to wonder if it was intentional - make them seem so good in the wet by making them grip no better in the dry!

Andrew

[mella yella fella]

I replaced the goodyear runflats on our Clubman today with conventional falken tyres.
WOW! what a difference! the ride is so much smoother, and road noise has all but disappeared
grip is as good,if not better.
Amazed at how much heavier the runflats are,mut be at least 2-3 kilos!

[JOHN ENGLAND]

I was thinking of switching over to non run flat tyres. After seeing all the reviews on here ' alot more comfort ,better grip & save some money. I agree but changing to non runflats still cost £120 to £130 for premium tyre. For the stake of £40 more each tyre more for runflats, I decided to stick with the runflats. The front tyres lasted me 21 months(14000mls), so the cost worked out £15:23 a month. It isn't that bad when you look at the figures.(as long you don't have a punture!)
At the end of day, I am sticking with runflats & safety reasons.
Happy mini motoring!

[Geckz]

Hi Dan,

Sounds like you are going through what I went through when I changed the runflats. I've pasted my views from a couple of other threads below:

Ok so I replaced the 205/40R18 funflats with 215/35R18 Falken FK452.

So straightaway the ride was noticably softer. My spine no longer shattered when going over matchsticks or pebbles.

They are much quieter and the ride is a lot, lot softer. Dry grip under normal driving seems comparable. Not driven through the wet yet so will update later.

Edit 1-- So now done 200 miles and am starting to push them round roundabouts. I tend to agree with the review :

falken fk452 longterm test - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide

They do seem to have a double entry to corners when going in hot. You go in and the car has a single slight wobble before it settles in. Not a lot, but noticable after the runflats. But it can be adapted to.

The best or worst - depending one your point of view is the progressive grip. You can easily induce lift off oversteer - which is something I enjoyed in the MX5 but not so sure about in the mini (yet)

So my feedback is they are great as a daily tyre to replace the runflats (£86 fitted rather than £190 for the runflats) but be prepared for some sliding if pushing it.

Edit 2 -

Ok so just got back from the trip to the Nurburgring....

The Falken 452 's were faultless. Really enjoyed going round the ring on them. Yes there are tyres that grip better - but for £86 fitted per corner they were awesome (and much, much better than the runflats). And I've totally got used to the change in how the car feels

Edit 3

I had a long chat with the Falken techies about tyre pressures - they recommended starting with the same pressures as the runflats - and then tuning to taste.

[BADDWOLFF]

Quote: Originally Posted by Geckz (original)

Hi Dan,

Sounds like you are going through what I went through when I changed the runflats. I've pasted my views from a couple of other threads below:

Ok so I replaced the 205/40R18 funflats with 215/35R18 Falken FK452.

So straightaway the ride was noticably softer. My spine no longer shattered when going over matchsticks or pebbles.

They are much quieter and the ride is a lot, lot softer. Dry grip under normal driving seems comparable. Not driven through the wet yet so will update later.

Edit 1-- So now done 200 miles and am starting to push them round roundabouts. I tend to agree with the review :

falken fk452 longterm test - tyre reviews, the online tyre guide

They do seem to have a double entry to corners when going in hot. You go in and the car has a single slight wobble before it settles in. Not a lot, but noticable after the runflats. But it can be adapted to.

The best or worst - depending one your point of view is the progressive grip. You can easily induce lift off oversteer - which is something I enjoyed in the MX5 but not so sure about in the mini (yet)

So my feedback is they are great as a daily tyre to replace the runflats (£86 fitted rather than £190 for the runflats) but be prepared for some sliding if pushing it.

Edit 2 -

Ok so just got back from the trip to the Nurburgring....

The Falken 452 's were faultless. Really enjoyed going round the ring on them. Yes there are tyres that grip better - but for £86 fitted per corner they were awesome (and much, much better than the runflats). And I've totally got used to the change in how the car feels

Edit 3

I had a long chat with the Falken techies about tyre pressures - they recommended starting with the same pressures as the runflats - and then tuning to taste.

Had the 452's on my r56 Cooper S for about 9 months now. I don't regret the change at all. Yes they are more flexible but I don't really think it's a bad trade off against the awful ride quality of the run flats and the lack of tyre noise. I had a 1 series before and I replaced the runflats on that as well. Same conclusion. I think playing around with pressures is a good Idea, there are a few threads on here with reference to that. I upped my pressures slightly and it sharpened up the front end nicely. You can feel the tyres flex a little when you really throw it around but with the average daily traffic levels those moments are few and far between. Ask yourself why BMW's M division doesn't fit runflats to their cars. I can see the advantages of runflats but the price and ride quality issues outweigh them.