November 23, 2004:

New (non-runflat) tires

Today at MINI Peabody I had new non-runflat tires fitted to the stock 16″ wheels:

After some amount of online research, and discussion with Alex at TireRack, I chose Pirelli PZero Nero M+S tires in 205/50R16 size - I was more concerned about ride comfort and wet handling than outright performance, and the TireRack survey results suggested these would be a good pick.
My old Dunlop runflats were very noisy after 20K miles, and they have never been all that great in wet weather - the new tires are definitely quieter and I will see what the wet & snow performance is like in the next few months. Disappointingly there is not much of an improvement in ride comfort.
While I was there, I met a few other MINI owners (Hi Chris! Sorry I did not get a chance to chat Paul!)
I also saw stock of the new iPod MINI interface:

There was another MINI having wheel work done while I was there - I don’t know what it hit (the owner was not around) but I could hardly believe the damage to the front wheels:

Both (17″) wheels had a massive dent and were split around the middle of the wheel! There was (not surprisingly) other damage to the car (some suspension work, I think, and a split in the bottom of the front bumper). More pics of the smashed wheels in the gallery.

Posted by GBMINI at 06:34 pm | GBMINI#2
Comments: 9 (post new comment)

  1. Jared/pezboy (2004/11/23 @ 7:33 pm)

    17″ S-Lites with runflats…worst…wheels…ever.
    I would rather carry a junky compact spare in the boot and be on non runflats ANY day. The $$ they cost to replace is ludicrous.

  2. sdiver (2004/11/23 @ 10:49 pm)

    WOW, that is one big hit those wheels must have taken. To crack and dent a wheel like that is no small task.

  3. Josh Wardell (2004/11/24 @ 7:26 am)

    Interesting, the ipod interface seems to have two mini DIN inputs, I assume a cable comes out the other end? Maybe not.

  4. Chris Kimmelshue (2004/11/24 @ 8:44 am)

    Welcome to the non-runflat world! I ditched mine @3000 miles and haven’t looked back yet.

  5. Chris (2004/11/24 @ 12:31 pm)

    hi Ian, was great to meet & chat. Yeah, I saw those iPod interfaces, I think they were $149.
    I’ll be curious to see / hear how you like your new tires, I hope to ditch my RFs when they wear out as well. Hopefully the budget will allow me to get some nice Oz wheels as well, a lot lighter!
    Boy, that organizer between the pillars we looked at is $65….think I’ll wait a bit on that one!
    cheers,
    Chris

  6. Paul Mello (2004/11/24 @ 7:13 pm)

    Sorry I missed the chat too. I was at MoP trying to decide if I liked the Cockpit Chrono pack and make sure i liked the Space cloth seats. It would be nice to have an oil pressure, oil temp and a real water temp guage for the track days?? A 2005 with LSD is on for Jan production!!! Can’t wait!!!
    paul

  7. Greg Povolny (2004/11/25 @ 7:38 am)

    Do you plan to carry a can of tire sealant and a portable compressor in case of a puncture? If so, do you have any recommendations. I just put non-runflat Hakkapelliita winter tires on my MCS. The nature of the winter tire provides a better ride and much less noise. The obvious trade off is dry road handling. The drop off is not as great as I had feared.

  8. Ian C. (2004/11/25 @ 7:47 am)

    Greg,
    I have a “skinny” tire in one of JerseyGirls bags already (the spare from an MC); I will carry it behind the passenger seat when I travel. Apart from that, the MINI roadside assistance is available.

  9. Ian C. (2004/12/27 @ 3:52 pm)

    Update: See here for my recent comments on snow performance of these tires

Post a comment:
  •  
  •  
  •