Are you one of us whose vehicle came equipped with run flat tires?  My MINI was, and they were great in the mountains on the twisty roads.  In fact, they were so sticky that you never felt any fade at all.  Because they were original equipment, I thought the ride was okay.  After all, a MINI is just a little rat with sneakers, not a luxury automobile.  Also, since the MINI does not have a spare tire, I felt it was safer to have those that would get me on down the road toward help, if, in fact, I ever did have a flat.  Well, I did, and, true to form I got where I needed to go for a replacement.  That is when the shock set in, and my doubt about the efficacy of these tires began.  The replacement tire cost me $325!!!  That would be over $1300 a set to replace!  So, I began the research.  Much to my amazement, there were many sources on the net regarding just this subject.  One of the most astounding statistics I came upon was that the average MINI driver was only getting 18-19k miles on a set of the run flat tires.  That coupled with the cost, raised my hackles.  Therefore, when my tires began to wear out (at 18,500 miles), I began another round of research to determine what my options were.  One of the best places to do this is http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp.  You can input the make and model of your vehicle and it will give you options on tires that are appropriate for you.  There is more to it than just size.  You should consider your driving pattern, speed rating, and all of the other criteria on the tire you choose.  I elected to buy the Kumho Ecsta AST, and my price on those (mounted and balanced) was $87.  A savings of $203 each, for a total savings of $812.  When they were mounted, I immediately found that the ride was significantly smoother.  Those tires are still on my MINI and have 27,500 miles on them at this time.  From the wear pattern, they will need to be replaced somewhere between 30-40k miles versus the 18,500 on the run flats.  Later, talking to my friend Danny Brewer at http://www.mymercedesplace.com/, I learned that this is the tire he recommends as well.  Now i keep a Slime kit in my boot, and just keep on motoring.  It is easy to do the math, and the choice is yours.  I prefer to replace tires at $350 versus $1300 a set.

Posted by admin on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 2:08 pm.