Posted on June 13, 2010.
The Mini Cooper "S" Conundrum Spare Tire You've taken the plunge and decided to buy a Mini Cooper. Congratulations You'll love it. The only question is which model did you go? If you must choose between the basic model and the "S" version, you must understand that there is a problem with the spare tire.
The base Mini Cooper is a naturally aspirated engine. The car handles like a go-kart, but did not much get up and go. Those of us seeking more pep in our car will be with the "S" version or the John Cooper Works upgrade. The "S" is the most popular because it launches offer fewer large and turbo power. The John Cooper Works upgrade to provide a lot more pep, but cost is prohibitive. Most people choose between the basic model and "S" because of that.
The Mini is known for its uniqueness. An aspect that you need to be aware of involves the spare wheel. The basic model has been under the rear of the car. The "S" version, however, has no spare wheel. None. Nada. Instead, it operates on a set of run flat. As its name suggests, these tires "run flat" of 50 miles or more, giving you enough time to find a tire shop. Why the difference between models of cars? Mini was apparently trying to save weight. The less weight, faster car.
Drivers tend to love or hate the run flat tires. I fall well within the Department of hatred. Driving a Mini is all about speed in the turns. The run-flat tires feel like you're on something unstable, which is often described as marbles. Worse still, these babies cost a pretty penny. You can easily end up spending $ 1,000 to $ 1,300 in a store of replacement tires. That's a lot of Mulla for a car of $ 25,000.
Those of us drivers that hate mini run flat tires generally be replaced by "true". This gives a better ride, but also comes with its own set of problems. The first is that you have no alternative, then what do you do if you get a flat? You can buy a rim and spare tire emergency over $ 200, but then you have a second problem. The powers that designed the Mini exhaust on the "S" to run down the center of the car instead of on the side as the base model. This effectively means there is nowhere to mount the spare tire under the rear of the car with the base model!
So what do you do? Some people simply create a support for the spare wheel behind the rear seats. Others, like me, just buy a box of instant fix flat which is sprayed into the tire through the air nozzle. It tends to ruin the tire, but get a completely new one is even cheaper than buying replacement temporary or run flat.
So if you buy the base model or the "S"? Moreover, feel the increased power that comes with the "S" worth every penny. If you go in this direction, simply to consider the question of tires.