I had MINI of Peabody put GPMINIs “real” wheels and summer (runflat) tires back on yesterday (still easy to transport, even with the subwoofers) … and after three months on winter wheels/tires, it’s amazing how much I’d forgotten!
Number One Difference: we’re back to significant road noise; it seems all that Dynamat and other sound suppression wasn’t enough to quieten the GPs insides 😦
Of course, I didn’t have GPMINI gutted and every panel silenced … but at least now I can turn up the Super Sound System and drown out the road noise.
Also immediately noticeable was a significant increase in steering responsiveness – the GP is more “lively” and ready to turn / change lanes / etc. A bit surprising really, but it’s very obvious so it must be true! Whether it’s the bigger wheels / narrower rubber, or the “performance” tread pattern, I don’t know.
Of course, the wheels improve GPMINIs looks, too 🙂
I’ve avoided switching to non-runflats on the GP because of the difficulties of access to lift the car, but other GP owners have reported significant noise reduction from different tires, and clearly the winter tires were quieter … but on a trip like The Great Ice Cream Run later this year, I’d really want the re-assurance that runflats offer.
M&I / GBMINI 
If the forecast is right and it snows tomorrow, I’m blaming you! 😉
Yeah – just in time for a nor-easter. I have a feeling the GP will put the kebash on it and it will blow through!
Last September I was out beyond Palm Springs, California, in a area near the 29 Palms Marine base cruising around in the boonies when I got a flat in a RF tire. I couldn’t get it fixed and had to resort to a can of Fix-A-Flat to get home.
The 50 miles you supposedly get as a safety net with the RF’s would have gotten me to Palm Springs, I think about 15 mile from where I was, where I’m sure there’s a high end tire place but I didn’t feel that confident that I really wanted to drive that far and possible ruin a rim.
When I got home I went to a “High End” tire place here in Pasadena. The owner said it would be better to have non RF’s in that situation because most tire places would at least have a shot at changing them. I went ahead and got non RF’s but so far have had no reason to see if he is correct in his prediction. His last words to me were, “That’s what I would do.”
I do find the noise level quieter and ride improved, marginally, but those things never bothered me anyway.
As far as weather goes, it’s gone crazy! I have a daughter who lives in the Netherlands, this weekend and next week she’ll be having better weather than us here in SoCal… Go Figure!
Ian – how are those runflats in the snow? About three inches of snowfall, here in NH so far, today.
Adam,
My winter runflat snow tires were particularly unimpressive, of course they’re 17″ so quite wide but I was surprised how easily they lost grip in the few snows we had this year.
Today, we’ve had rain only – and Margaret insists on driving her car instead of the GP, so I can’t tell you what 18″ summer runflats are like in snow (but presumably, worse still!)