Just wondering if anyone has any info on Mini Cooper (not S) tyre life.

A friend of mine bought one with 4k on the clock, and it had 2 brand new front tyres fitted. She has done another 4k in it now and the tyres are bald. Not just on the wear indicators but proper bald! The wear is pretty even, with no sign of shoulder wear or other tracking type problems. It is going back to the dealer for a check tomorrow, but they have already told her that "low profile tyres only last 3-4 months" so I want to head off any of the usual garage attempts to confuse her (she is not technically-minded).

The tyres are Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST 205/40R18. Even the Cooper S hooligans I can find on the web seem to get much more than that, and my friend drives nice and steadily!

Any thoughts gratefully received!

Nick

My wife drives a Mini Cooper with the basic wheels. She doesn't drive a lot, but the tires are still fine after about two and a half years.

Either she's driving it hard or those tyres are very grippy (and very soft). Maybe a harder compound is required?

I got 16K out of my front tyres on the clio (contisports). What tyres are currently on it?

Just changed the rears last weekend at about 29K.

Edit: Sorry you posted what they were in your post.

Check the tread wear numbers on the sidewall.

Might want to get a better number on the next set.

She doesn't drive hard at all! Certainly nothing to warrant this kind of wear.

The current tyres are Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST 205/40R18. I found this - http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyCom...P+Sport+01+DSST (Sorry the URL link doesn't seem to work in my browser today) - which isn't very complimentary!!

Treadwear rating is 280, which isn't particularly low.

Hopefully, Mini customer care will acknowledge some endemic issue and replace them free of charge with some non-problematic ones, but I suspect that may not be the first offer!

I wonder if the run-flat nature (that is the DSST I believe) has some longevity side-effects on this one....

Hmmm I thrash my wee civic vti and the front tyres are now 2 years old and look fine (Dunlops). I thinkshe must have sporty/soft tyres which do wear faster or those tyres are just simply bad (I think the latter).

Not being rude but why would BMW change the tyres for free? Its not a new car, not on original tyres and not BMW's fault the tyre is poor.

Well, now I've heard them all - "Only last 3 or 4 months".

Find a large stationery shop that sells custom rubber stamps, get one made with the word "IDIOT" in 2" capital letters, then stamp it across that guy's forehead with red insoluble ink.

I have never heard so much guff in my life. Symetrical tyre wear indicates either over pressure (centre tyre wear - does she skid/spin wheels?) or under pressure (both edges wear).

The amount of wear you describe on Dunlops would be the equivalent of a good year's (sorry) enthusiastic driving, so there is something other than tracking that is wrong. Tracking faults would feather the shoulders of the tyres and give poor, indistinct steering.

Either that or she's far too enthusiastic and does dougnuts without telling you

Ah ha - this is a clue. Dunlop used to manufacture a run-flat tyre called Denovo, which was a good tyre except it wore out rapidly, and hence was not very popular. They refined the technology to slowly improve the mileage you could get out of it, but in the end it didn't sell well enough and was cut.

Quite honestly: tyres won't be covered by any warranty. A mechanical fault that caused it, will. So I suspect that she is going to end up out of pocket on this one whatever you do.

I would suspect: traction control system turned on all the time, or tyre pressures that are far too high.

Sorry, I meant turned OFF, so that the tyres spin all the time.