You will remember that I bought new tires for GBMINI#3 a few weeks ago – Avon 205/55R16s, selected from TireRack because of high ratings in comfort, noise, etc.
Well, after a few weeks of driving with them, I can report:
– yes, they are quieter than my previous Pirelli Pzero Neros, and
– they are also an easier ride, slightly smoothing the smaller bumps & hiccups of typical Massachusetts roads
HOWEVER:
I’ve noticed a significant difference in handling when taking corners at speed (particularly noticeable with off-ramps at 45+); the car seems a little unstable, as if it is sliding.
There’s no tire squeal and of course the cars suspension is unchanged – so I’m forced to conclude that the new tire sidewalls are flexing more than the old Pirellis (and of course much more than stock runflats) and that is the effect I’m feeling … it’s a bit disturbing when, for the last four years, I’ve been used to no roll and a perfectly stable behaviour when taking those same corners at the same speeds.
I find I’m now taking corners at slightly lower speeds – 40-45 instead of 50 for example on an off-ramp I take every day …
So I have improved my ride comfort, but at the expense of some perceived handling – important to emphasise that I don’t think I’ve actually lost much grip, but it feels worse/wrong. It doesn’t quite feel like a MINI should feel any more – it’s probably similar to switching from a runflat equipped MINI to one on stock 15″ non-runflats.
Conclusion: I don’t recommend these tires unless you really hate the hard ride, and you never take corners at high speed (but then, why drive a MINI!) … I can see myself needing to do something about this in the next few months!
M&I / GBMINI 
Now Ian, you’ll just have to….Slow Down. Ha, love my runflats, rough ride and all!
Have you thought of having a set for winter and summer?
The other thing that flexes and moves with a new tire is the tread itself. Your old tires, if they were worn out, had nice short tread blocks that didn’t squirm much. A new tire has nice fat squishy tread blocks that can make the car feel a little squirrely. The picture of the Avons shows them to have a pretty open tread design while the Pirelli is more closed.
Hey, I’ve got 15″ non-runflats and they ROCK! 🙂
Ian, get Koni FSD shocks if you want a more comfortable ride without compromising performance. They have been one of my best mods and live up to their claims. Ask around, someone must have installed them at Peabody by now.
I don’t know how you, or anyone with a MINI for that matter, replaces the run-flats with non-run-flats.
I was driving on Friday on the highway in downtown Chicago and a larger than brick sized piece of concrete was thrown up from a semi travelling next to me. With zero notice, it (the concrete) was in front of me and I drove over it. Quite a hit. While it did ultimately annihilate my 17″ run-flat and my S-Lite rim as well, I was able to drive for at least a few minutes to get somewhere more condusive to waiting on a tow truck. Without a run-flat, I don’t think I would have had any time to get my car elsewhere. Unfortunately, due to the lovely Chicago roads, I experienced another “flat” a couple of months ago (same tire ironically).
Without run-flats, I would have been stranded twice and who knows where I would have been stranded. The roadside assistance is nice (about 75 minutes for the tow truck to arrive), but the run-flat convenience with no spare is nicer.
The run-flats and the S-Lite rim for that matter, are expensive though. :o(
What do you non-run-flat folks do???
We carry a repair kit and 12v compressor around town and a donut spare for long trips.
This is the kind of reason why I am hesitant on getting the Avon tires. They are cheap and have great reviews but this is an area I want more performance.
Mark,
That’s the reason I wrote up this report – I know a couple of people were thinking about the Avons …
The hot shots don’t consider a tire until the tread is half gone. I went with non run flats 20K ago on 16’s. Never going back to run flats. I don’t plan to hit concrete blocks. With assorted cars fitted with spares and 500K miles of travel I have never taken out the spare. So tires are rugged enough for my driving. My time will come and, if fix a flat won’t do it, the cell phone might.
Appreciate the update Ian….I’m leaning towards the Goodyear Eagles myself….especially after reading this 🙂
The Traction T/As may be noisier, but I bet with them you’d be taking that 50 mph ramp at 55. 🙂
i guess i’m in the minority here: i’ve been running the avon 550 a/s for 9000 miles and love them!
Ian,
Not calling you out or anything, but I assume you’ve checked the pressures…? Could be that they’ve settled onto the rims and lost a little pressure in the process.
Having said that, I expect it’s an artifact of the side wall construction and the tread pattern. I notice the same effect with my snow tires (big blocky tread) when it starts to get warm and dry – that’s how I know it’s time to put the Yokohamas back on! 🙂
Just to add a random non-Mini voice to this fray, I found that my tires (Eagle F1 GS-D3) were labeled up to 51psi, the shop had set them at 40. They felt extremely soft and squishy. I thought about increasing the pressure until I checked my door frame and found it said 26psi. Yeah, knocked those puppies down to 28 and they were smooth like butter and had more grip than tire I had ever encountered. The shop should have known better, but they went with the tire, not the car. In any case, over-inflation will cause as much poor performance as under-inflation. Try adjusting the pressure to find a sweet spot.
An interesting tire report on MINI2 from Theo:
praise for the wet weather performance of the Yokohama AVS ES100s … the grip of these tires in rain was awe-inspiring! I have always liked their dry performance … tread design is the key. There are chevron-shaped sipes in the tread that appear to squeeze the water out to the sides as the tread conforms to the contact patch … like most summer UHP tires sensitive to temperature. I wait until the end of April or beginning of May to put them on … noticeably noisier that the RF Dunlop 5000s … noticeably slick in colder weather