Ditching the run-flats ???

[andrew]

Hi all.

I'm currently running a 2011 Cooper S on 17 inch "Infinite Stream" wheels and day to day the heavy-feeling wheels and solid ride are getting tiresome.

I don't want to move to smaller wheels unless I have to.

Please, who has replaced their run flats with conventional tyres ?
And what difference did it really make to the handling and ride ?

[andrew]

cheers S

i don't suppose you recall what size the wheels were ? or if they were towards the heavier end of those available ?

i'm concerned that at least some of our issues may be down to heavy wheels

[andrew]

_Leg_ said:

I swapped my JCW run flats for toyo tr1s. Softer ride but I found the softer sidewalls a bit unnerving when cornering at speed at first. I run non run flats on all my other cars and haven't noticed on those.

Got used to it now but I'll probably go back to run flats next time as the handling is more important to me than the ride. When i say handling im talking about the experience more than the actual handling, I think it handles as well but feels a little looser now.

interesting !

i'm not so sure that i could detect softer sidewalls in a modern lowish profile tyre

did you experiment with tyre pressures or suspension geometry on the non run-flats at all ?

[andrew]

_Leg_ said:

andrew said:

interesting !

i'm not so sure that i could detect softer sidewalls in a modern lowish profile tyre

did you experiment with tyre pressures or suspension geometry on the non run-flats at all ?

You can feel them give a little, feels sort of slushy for a brief moment under hard cornering. Handling is fine, it'll still cock a leg for example, its just a momentary feeling.

Once I got used to it I just started to ignore it and press on.

Im running the pressures quite high now. Didnt mess with the run flat set up at all.

Of course Ive assumed its the sidewalls as it didnt do it on the runflats. I have no scientific evidence, just how it feels.

PS. Im on factory JCW 17 inch wheels. Mine's an R56 and my DD.

cheers
whether the cause is floppy sidewalls or whatever, i'd be quite keen to avoid slushiness
i've got other cars for making progress in, but even in my dd i don't want any slush
i may have to try and get a test drive someplace

[andrew]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Toyo T1R are popular tyres on MX5s (I have a set in 205/40/17) and are known for having soft side-walls. People usually compensate by adding a couple of psi which on an MX5 means 29psi instead of 26psi. Of course, with a lower profile it doesn't matter as much as the side-walls will be stiffer and shorter.

quality feedback, thanks !

[andrew]

_Leg_ said:

andrew said:

cheers
whether the cause is floppy sidewalls or whatever, i'd be quite keen to avoid slushiness
i've got other cars for making progress in, but even in my dd i don't want any slush
i may have to try and get a test drive someplace

Dunno where you are but if you're near York you're welcome to bob round for a spin.

that's very kind of you, but i'm a long way from york !

[andrew]

hancook evos finally fitted at just the front for now

tramlining is history
ride is smoother
swmbo says the tyre noise is "different"
steering is less hyperactive and immediate
confidence to plant the throttle is infinitely increased
comically, the front of the car now hits speed ramps just fine, but the back still rattles anything loose in the car !

all the above on cold, wet roads so far..

cheers all

[andrew]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Is that Evos on the front and old RFs on the rear?
If so then place that fitted them should be named & shamed as not only should the new tyres be fitted on the rear but RFs and non-RFs should not be mixed.

correct

age of tyres is irrelevant

if rears have markedly more wear/less grip than fronts, then oversteer is a possibility. but no more so than in my rwd car

mixing tyres ? should be ok front to rear

[andrew]

Gusdaq said:

My Cooper S is fitted with run flats and a couple of cold miserable wet Friday nights ago, coming down a country lane in the wilds of Radlett, Herfordshire, the car lurched into an pothole in the road, with a bang so hard it frit the life out of me, going up the AI still pissing down, wearing a suit and tie, and without a coat, the tyre pressure light came on.....I can tell you, I was sure glad I had the run flats that night!

As a PS, the tyre was completely flat when I got home, next morning, expecting a new tyre cost, I went to the tyre place to be told the rim was damaged as well (how much...???!!!) a good whack with the mallet on the inside of the rim, the tyre put back on and found to be undamaged, total bill £8 for wheel balance.......

Gotta love them run flats!!!

that's two of us very happy then

[andrew]

shipley said:

Today we had the fronts replaced on our newly acquired Cooper S from run-flats to traditional tyres, more as a test than anything else.

Took the car for a 20 minute blast and it was so much improved I immediately called the tyre place and the rears will be done tomorrow.

I now have a compressor and 2 cans of Tyreweld in the car.

Whatever the positive arguments for runflats, our car feels completely transformed, is more 'planted' and far less skittish than it was.

try going slowly over a ramp and feel how the back end crashes relative to the front