Do I need a tyre mobility kit?

Discussion in 'Cooper SE' started by azausa, Dec 3, 2022.

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  1. We have Pirelli run flat tyres, do we need to buy a tyre mobility kit? Do we need one?
     
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  3. Jim In Tucson

    Jim In Tucson Well-Known Member

    Did your SE come with run flats?

    I also have Pirelli run flats; I upgraded to P1’s shortly after I bought the SE.


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  4. Jim In Tucson

    Jim In Tucson Well-Known Member

    I had look up what a tire mobility kit actually is.

    Google says…
    MINI factory Mobility Kit for those who motor without run-flat tires. Temporarily fixes small tire punctures long enough so you can reach proper care-givers.
    Kit includes:
    nylon case
    puncture sealant
    high-performance pump, gloves
    user’s manual
    adaptor valves for inflating all kinds of things that need to be inflated
    Sealant is available separately if you had to use the sealant or if your sealant is expired.


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  5. Yup, they did
     
  6. Cool, thanks. As Google says we don’t need them because we have run flats. I guess because both, the tyre mobility kit and the run flats are temporary solutions until you get your tyre puncture fixed.
     
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  8. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Because you don't have the Power Spoke wheels, you don't need the little wheel-cover removal tool (a bent piece of stiff wire) that has its own little niche in the tire mobility kit of US Iconic SEs with those wheels. For countries that get run-flat tires instead of a tire mobility kit, does MINI just throw this tool in the glove box?

    upload_2022-12-3_16-39-41.png
     
  9. endquote

    endquote Active Member

    I do not have run flats and this kit was included.

    I hadn’t noted the bit that the sealant expires though, I should check on that.
     
  10. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    It just doesn't taste as good after the expiration date (or so I hear) ;)

    The last time I checked, Honda wasn't selling an exact-size replacement for the tire-sealant kit in our Clarity PHEV. Let us know what you learn about refreshing MINI's tire-goo.
     
  11. Puppethead

    Puppethead Well-Known Member

    The advantage of runflats is you can drive at least 50 miles (80 km) on a total flat, no need for a mobility kit. The idea is runflats enable you to get to a service location instead of trying to change a spare in a dangerous side-of-road situation.

    I liked having runflats on my ICE MINIs, but they probably sacrifice some range on the SE and might be somewhat noisier. I think New Zealand is the only country I've heard of that equips SEs with runflats.
     
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  13. teslarati97

    teslarati97 Well-Known Member

    It's a toss up for RFT range for added sidewall weight vs deformation. There should be more efficiency losses with RFT compared to non RFT, but I don't think it's significant.
     
  14. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    If it wasn't significant, why is the SE the only MINI delivered (to the US) with go-flats?
     
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  15. teslarati97

    teslarati97 Well-Known Member

    There were no fake ICE engine sounds (Active Sound) piped through the stereo system to mask the road noise.
     
  16. They are noisier. This is the 1st time I am driving with run flats. And I guess the tyre mobility kit felt like a security blanket.
     
  17. Lainey

    Lainey Well-Known Member

    They are! I swapped my run flats on my previous Mini and was happier. My winter tires are run flats as I am not screwing with that when it's cold. I just swapped. They are soooo loud. Notice it more on the SE with the engine vs my F55S

    I will say significant enough damage and you should not drive on a punctured run flat even for the suggested speed/distance. I had to limp my car after the last run flat damage. But it was on a highway on ramp so stopping was unsafe
     
  18. endquote

    endquote Active Member

    Can’t find any kind of expiration date on the packaging. I sent an email to fixandgo.com.
     
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  19. endquote

    endquote Active Member

    So there is an expiration date on the package, next to an hourglass icon that's under all the warning symbols. Mine says June 2027, and the date on kit as a whole is October 2021. So it's good for a while.

    I can't find the replacement 350ml canister at fixandgo.com, but they seem responsive by email.
     
  20. MrSnrub

    MrSnrub Well-Known Member

    I ditched the run flats on my ICE Cooper S within 5 months of owning it.
     
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  21. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Did you then carry a fix-it kit of some kind?
     
  22. MrSnrub

    MrSnrub Well-Known Member

    I have a plug kit with an air pump. The sealant is very very annoying to deal with if used. I also carry a jack and lug wrench out of a bmw e46.

    if you pop a tire on the highway you are SOL anyways.
     
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  23. sacharama

    sacharama Active Member

    Not sure if noise is the main reason why they don't equip run flats on the SE, I would be more inclined to think that it might have more to do with weight and rolling resistance, hence, like what insightman stated "range" which makes more sense as "range" is particularly a challenging aspect of the SE so I would think the engineers and the executives would make significant efforts to enhance the range as much as they can which includes eliminating and minimizing anything that would affect range negatively, and in this case, putting low rolling resistance lighter tires on the SE
     
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