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Tyres - what to get and where from?
carpmart - 12/10/10 at 01:43 PM

Guys

I know tyre questions come up every week but this is a specific question on replacing run flats on a mini cooper.

My daughter needs 4 new tyres on her mini and quite frankly, doesn't have £600.00 for four new decent run flats.

I've started running Falken tyres on my 5 series BMW and I am fantastically impressed with them. So, I started to look on Camskill etc for regular tyres to replace the run flats, trouble is my knowledge is limited here! I figure four tyres plus a can of holts tyre weld will be just as effective, do you agree?

So, any advice and or recommendations on tyres, where to buy and experiences of moving from run flats to regular tyres would be greatly appreciated!

alistairolsen - 12/10/10 at 02:25 PM

Not a fan of runflats, dont really get the point tbh. Is there a wheel well in the mini? Nothing beats a spare, but otherwise tyre weld is as good as you can do and hope it isn't sidewall damage.

personally Id be going for:

Uniroyal Rainsport
Kumho Ku31


I dont like:

Toyo proxes
goodyear eagles
pirelli p6000

T66 - 12/10/10 at 03:04 PM

I am no fan of kwikfit....


However their buying power is massive, and heres the trick.


ring them and ask for a cash & carry price for whatever tyres your after.

I spent eons scouring the internet for suitable tyres for my Saab Coupe.


225/45 - 17s


I paid £302 to Kwikfit for 4 Bridgestone RE050 s

It previously had Toy0 T1Rs , and the Bridgestones are a major improvement in the wet, and match the Toyos in the dry, and comparatively beat the competition on price by a decent amount.

Collected them and paid a local tyre centre to fit them.

See if you can buy Bridgestone RE050s in 225/45x17 (Y rated ) anywhere else at that price.

I was quite surprised.


Worth a try..

[Edited on 12/10/10 by T66]

Stott - 12/10/10 at 03:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by T66
I am no fan of kwikfit....


However their buying power is massive, and heres the trick.


ring them and ask for a cash & carry price for whatever tyres your after.

I spent eons scouring the internet for suitable tyres for my Saab Coupe.


225/45 - 17s


I paid £302 to Kwikfit for 4 Bridgestone RE050 s

It previously had Toy0 T1Rs , and the Bridgestones are a major improvement in the wet, and match the Toyos in the dry, and comparatively beat the competition on price by a decent amount.

Collected them and paid a local tyre centre to fit them.

See if you can buy Bridgestone RE050s in 225/45x17 (Y rated ) anywhere else at that price.

I was quite surprised.


Worth a try..

[Edited on 12/10/10 by T66]



^^ £320 for 4, fitted & balanced in Sardis Rd Tyres Pontypridd had 2 on the back of my brothers Scoob on Friday for £160.

I think you've just gotta be lucky, the tyre place by me (above) buys at the same wholesaler as all the major suppliers around here but only has a third of the mark up, so he's cheap but v v busy all day.

I'd ring around the small independants, there might be someone doing a similar thing by you.

ATB
Stott

Lars - 12/10/10 at 04:30 PM

I really liked my dunlop sp sport 01
Recently changed to some yokos cdrive2 (little disappointing)

the dunlops were great, low noise, sport tyre, but lasted 40k miles on my 1.9 tdi octavia

tul214 - 12/10/10 at 04:49 PM

My wife has a MCS and I often browse the Minitorque forum.

The forum is more performance based but there is a general hatred for all things runflat.

The tyre often recommended is actually the Falken FK452.

Failing that Toyo T1R's or Yoko Paradas.

Like these

Non runflats transform the ride of the mini but you just have to carry a can of gunk!

Mark

[Edited on 12/10/10 by tul214]