MINI Cooper Tire and Wheel Questions

husker03

I have a 2006 Mini Cooper with 15" wheels. Would 16" wheels from a 2008 "S" fit without modification?
Thanks

ltq

I would think so. In switching wheels, you should also be up on the situation with spares. Here's what I know about this:
Background: Just got a "S" Clubman, has 16" run-flats, no spare. I wanted a spare for 2 reasons: (1) If I get a flat, I need a wheel/tire while the run-flat is being repaired or replaced; (2) Just peace of mind to have a spare on-board anyway.
So I got a non-"S" 15" spare from MiniMania. This will fit on all 4 positions of the base Hatch & Clubman, and only on the rear of the "S" models. The "S" front brakes are too large for this spare to clear. If I get a flat on the front, I would swap around so that the 15" temp spare is on the back (should always put temp spares on the back of a front-driver anyway....).
The bolt pattern is the same, so 16" wheels should indeed clear the brakes, etc. on your 15" Hatch. The opposite isn't true.

husker03

Is there a consensus on whether 17" or 16" wheels with the same type of tires are better in light snow?
Thanks

crystaldiamond

I have a 2008 mini cooper, and went for my last service a month ago. They changed the brake pad. As soon as I got home (150 miles away), I noticed my tires were nearly bald. Are tires covered under the 4 yr/40,000 mile warranty. Can anyone tell me where I can find all that is covered in the warranty? Thanks in advance.

zgrrrl

tires are not covered under warranty.

PF_Flyer

Wear items, things like tires, brake pads, etc, are never warranty items

crystaldiamond

OK, I'm confused now. My service did include them changing my break pad though. Isn't that a wear item? I just figured because it was the tires would be included. Although you are the second person said tires are not covered, and I am inclined to believe and understand that. Thanks bunches.

capriracer

Read your warranty. It will tell you what is covered and what is not.

As previously said, typically wear items are not covered - and by wear items, it means the "wear" part is not covered. If there is a problem with the part itself, then it would be covered. But sometimes, dealers will replace wear parts under a "goodwill" type of situation.

s0j0roman

I have a 2007 Mini Cooper S, manual trans., that came with 17" wheels, 205/45/R17 Dunlop run-flat tires. The tires treads are getting down there (< 30,000 miles!), so I'm looking into replacements.

Do I have to get run-flat replacements (esp. since I do not have a spare)? The dealer recommended run-flats for handling as well as the no spare issue, but run-flats are 2X as expensive (I'm looking at at least $1000 for 4 replacements).

If I have to go run-flats, what do you recommend? I generally like the handling with the original Dunlops, but they seems to grip ridges in the road a lot, sometimes making for a real strange feel on bumpy/ridges surfaces, esp around corners.

Thanks!

violetdc

I have a 2006 MCS and got rid of the runflats after a 2nd go-round. They just wouldn't last long enough for me, so bought a set of Bridgestone Potenza G019s (from Tire Rack) and haven't looked back. They handle wonderfully, and I bought the Slime kit as a backup (haven't had to use that yet, either). :shades:

s0j0roman

Thanks violetdc. I went to Costco intending to buy the very tires you referred to (Potenza G019s). The tech there said I had to get run-flats since I don't have a spare. I didn't press him on it, since I hadn't done any homework yet.

Are there others out there who've converted from run-flats to standard tires? What's the down side? Most reviews of run-flat tires mention that they don't last long.

By the way, what's the Slime kit? Something you pump into a flat tire to "repair" it on the fly?

Thanks.

busiris

After 70k miles on RFT's, I finally convinced my wife to try a set of GFT's on her 2005 Mini convertible. Luckily, her car also has a space-saver spare, jack kit, etc...

She usually pays for her car/maintenance herself, but I told her I would pay to have the GFT's swapped out for RFT's if she didn't like them. And, I also bought her a Slime tire repair kit, just to give her more comfort in leaving RFT's behind.

That was 3 weeks ago, when she had a set of General GMAX AS-03 tires installed.

There was an immediate and quite noticeable difference in the ride. The "harshness" that used to be there when hitting bumps at low speed is completely gone. Also, tire/road noise is greatly reduced, although I would expect that with any set of new tires.

If anything, the car's responsiveness in handling seems, to me, to be improved, but I that's just my take on it.

Best of all, my wife really likes the new ride. She says its almost like having a new car, ride-wise...