Carrying a spare tire in the SE

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Mini4bv

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Getting a little tired of the tire noise and rough ride and wondering how much is due to running run-flats. Tires are Pirelli Cinturato P7s.
Considering going to conventional tires and carrying a spare. Never use the back seats so what about the following?
  • Cut a piece of plywood or MDF to span the folded down back seats.
  • Attach a couple of bolts to act as studs for securing the spare to the plywood.
  • Use a couple of J-bolts to attach the plywood to child restraint anchors on the rear of the back seats.
Of course, I’d also have to purchase a jack and lug wrench.
 
Not from North America, I take it?

Anyway, to my ears the car is definitely noisier with the seats down. What you propose therefore may not make it any quieter (but you would have a spare should you need one).
 
Yes - North American - Denver.
Just folded down the seats and will drive it for a few days to see how much additional noise there is.
 
Are you sure you have runflats, then? F56 SEs sold in North America weren't supposed to have come with them (although I have read of a couple/few that apparently did by mistake... pandemic supply chain issue or just a mix-up at Oxford, presumably).
 
Mini4bv said:
Getting a little tired of the tire noise and rough ride and wondering how much is due to running run-flats. Tires are Pirelli Cinturato P7s.
Considering going to conventional tires and carrying a spare. Never use the back seats so what about the following?
  • Cut a piece of plywood or MDF to span the folded down back seats.
  • Attach a couple of bolts to act as studs for securing the spare to the plywood.
  • Use a couple of J-bolts to attach the plywood to child restraint anchors on the rear of the back seats.
Of course, I’d also have to purchase a jack and lug wrench.
Click to expand...
As I’m very concern about get flat tire and carry a full spare tire as my back sits folded down from first day owning a SE and having a jack/tork wrench/plug kit /tire pressure gauge/compressor 12V. Which those items fit very well in compartment in trunk . My spare tire is wrapped in blanket and tight down with bicycle combination lock using a car fastening points .Dont use any Playwood is not necessary if you go that way ! But my final statement is in 2years and 10 months I never use a spare tire or plug kit To going farver to drive 7 years bmw I 3 with the same set up I never use a spare tire also just once I use my plug kit in Home Depot parking lot as many screws in those grounds .A Murphy low is doing trick on as .As I figured at lbs 30 lbs. tire is balancing a car better adding a weight to rear to make 50/50 weight distribution as SE is front heavy by few % lbs IMG_1718.webp IMG_1717.webp
 
CuriousGeorge said:
Are you sure you have runflats, then? F56 SEs sold in North America weren't supposed to have come with them (although I have read of a couple/few that apparently did by mistake... pandemic supply chain issue or just a mix-up at Oxford, presumably).
Click to expand...

Tires are labelled RSC. Bought it used with 1,021 miles and came with these tires so don't know if they are the originals but with so little mileage I suspect they are.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
Not from North America, I take it?

Anyway, to my ears the car is definitely noisier with the seats down. What you propose therefore may not make it any quieter (but you would have a spare should you need one).
Click to expand...
You thing a mini with gas engine is quiet as Ev is quieter what is a point as a sits down or not SE is silent
 
YellowDog said:
From what I read of posts here, I think Canadian Minis got the kit, not US.
Click to expand...

I have the puncture kit with the compressor but that won't work with a large puncture nor with instances like I have had with other vehicles in the past where I hit a hidden pothole and broke the tire bead to rim seal.
 
AFAIK, all North American SEs came with non-run-flat tires and puncture kits in lieu of a spare tire (barring the rare exceptions as @CuriousGeorge mentioned above). Funnily enough – and understand I'm not discounting your need for the added peace-of-mind offered by a spare – in 40 years of averaging 15,000 miles a year I've had just two flats caused by road hazards. Another was a blowout because I was cheap and tried to get a few more miles out of a Chinese tire that had begun to blister on the sidewall :facepalm:
 
SameGuy said:
AFAIK, all North American SEs came with non-run-flat tires and puncture kits in lieu of a spare tire (barring the rare exceptions as @CuriousGeorge mentioned above). Funnily enough – and understand I'm not discounting your need for the added peace-of-mind offered by a spare – in 40 years of averaging 15,000 miles a year I've had just two flats caused by road hazards. Another was a blowout because I was cheap and tried to get a few more miles out of a Chinese tire that had begun to blister on the sidewall :facepalm:
Click to expand...

Your roads must be better than ours in Colorado. I've had 3 instances of rain-hidden potholes deflating tires, a flat caused by a center punch entering the tire and flat caused by a screw in the sidewall plus a couple of the repairable screw/nail in the tread area.
 
I've had Minis since 2003, and my recent tire event (on BOTH right side tires) was the first time I've needed a spare (or two). My '22 has the pump w/ goo. In fact, the last time I needed a spare was back in the '80s. I do have my winter tires on rims, just in case.
 
I carry a spare, and used it recently when I picked up a stapling nail. It was also useful to rotate the tires.
 
I put the goodyear tires/pedal rims from the SE on the S it was replaced with. Car went to Copart with the winter setup. a few weeks ago I got a pothole blowout that tore the sidewall and bent the inside of the rim. Bought a rim off eBay that comes from one of LKQ's stores and put the other goodyear on the bent rim for a spare and put two other tires on those rims. I will take it on trips outside the local area.
 
In 40 years driving in the UK and US, I've only had one incident where a compressor wouldn't get me home or to a tyre place.
I run with back seats either folded or out. There is a definite noise increase with them folded. Take them out, it is much higher and somewhat irritating. This does depend a lot on tyres... I have a plywood panel cut, which reduces the noise a lot, but haven't sorted out fasteners to hold it down yet. I may well look at some sound deadening for the bottom of it. I need to match its weigh to the removed seats so people don't accuse me of cheating at autocross.
 
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