Winter tire question - to run flat or not?

I'm looking at getting winter tires for the R56, and since it's an S, there's no factory location for a spare.  I currently have a spare in my garage, and have AAA plus, but would put the spare in the hatch if I was going someplace more than an hour away. 

Winter is a bit different with cold temps, snow banks(maybe), and limited space to pull off safely while waiting for a tow or to have my wife bring me the spare. 

As a result I'm looking at a few options for winter tires. 

- Runs flats: Pirelli Snow Control series 3 (195/55R16) or Blizzak LM001 (205/55R16)

- Non-run flat: Blizzak WS90, Conti Viking contact 7 (both are 195/55R16)

Any thoughts on these options?

My job is hybrid, so no need to commute in bad weather, and if I need to get to a hockey practice or someplace else in winter conditions it will probably in the wife's Sportage with awd and winter tires. The main situations will be packed/icy parking lots, unexpected snow squalls, or thaw and refreeze type conditions. 

Seems like a job for a Blizzak, but a decent winter tire may be adequate for the limited use case.  

We currently have Michelins on my R53 and the wife's xB, but both had Blizzacks previously. I couldn't give you a reason to pick one over the other. Both have been very good for our use. I have had exactly one set of run-flats on my MINIs in the last 18 years and I hated the ride quality. Like you, I just throw a spare in the back for longer trips, even in winter. I have been thinking I'd get a mini spare and keep it in a bag behind the passenger seat on trips. The bag...MINI Cooper Small Spare Tire Bag

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Thanks for the input, and the link to the spare tire bag. 

I'm thinking the price difference is minimal for Blizzak, so I'll probably go with the WS90 since it seems targeted at my use on packed snow and/or ice with low miles traveled with it in the winter  

Now I just need to decide whether to stick with the 195/55R16, or experiment a bit and go with 195/60R16 or 205/55R16 (I've read the 205/55 will fit) which would add a slight bit more sidewall for the winter. 

In reply to No Time :

I know people who run 215/45/17 summer tires and they're only a quarter inch smaller diameter than the 205/55/16s, so I would think you'd be OK. I prefer a 195 width for the occasional run through deeper snow though.

No Time said:

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Now I just need to decide whether to stick with the 195/55R16, or experiment a bit and go with 195/60R16 or 205/55R16 (I've read the 205/55 will fit) which would add a slight bit more sidewall for the winter. 

I have 205/55r16 on my R53, they fit fine with no issues. I would imagine a R56 would be the same. 

I've never met anybody who likes the ride quality or performance of a run flat. Maybe it's one of those deals where I only hear the complainers. 

I run studded snows and I have a maypop. I figure that's enough to get me off the road or highway if I'm in a bad spot

I run the Pirelli run-flat snows on my R53.  I don't really drive the car much during the winter, so it's more for stand-by emergency use than anything else.  I run a pure Summer tire that I don't want to freeze, so I figure if I have to swap the wheels, they may as well be proper winter tires. While I carry a compact spare in the car I chose the run-flats for the convenience factor.  Performance during the winter isn't a concern.  I don't notice much of a difference in ride quality.  The 16" run flats don't seem as bad as the 17" versions.  

buzzboy said:

I've never met anybody who likes the ride quality or performance of a run flat. Maybe it's one of those deals where I only hear the complainers. 

I run studded snows and I have a maypop. I figure that's enough to get me off the road or highway if I'm in a bad spot

I remember really liking the BMW Z4 when they came out, and they debuted with run flats. Maybe it was because they were designed to use them from the get-go, but I never had any issues with them. But I am quite sure I'm in the minority here, as I've never met anybody who likes the ride quality or performance of a run flat. 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going to look through my paperwork to see if the wheel specs are in there, so I can compare them to stock before committing to a tire. 

The convenience of the run flat is appealing, but there are more options if I stay with traditional tires and carry a spare. 

I figure these wheels will become winter ones and I'll look at getting Rota RBs (or similar) wheels to mount summer tires tires on in a 16" size. I'm thinking white (or painting white if I go used), but have 5-6 month to think about it. 

confuZion3 said:

buzzboy said:

I've never met anybody who likes the ride quality or performance of a run flat. Maybe it's one of those deals where I only hear the complainers. 

I run studded snows and I have a maypop. I figure that's enough to get me off the road or highway if I'm in a bad spot

I remember really liking the BMW Z4 when they came out, and they debuted with run flats. Maybe it was because they were designed to use them from the get-go, but I never had any issues with them. But I am quite sure I'm in the minority here, as I've never met anybody who likes the ride quality or performance of a run flat. 

Tire sidewall is part of your effective spring rate. I'd assume you can design around it. However I'd think a softer wall helps filter down road feel before it even gets to the unsprung mass. A softer rate spring still needs to move the whole unsprung mass. Its been awhile since I had a car with them, but I'm not eager to go back for the NPC car.

theruleslawyer said:

Tire sidewall is part of your effective spring rate. I'd assume you can design around it. However I'd think a softer wall helps filter down road feel before it even gets to the unsprung mass. A softer rate spring still needs to move the whole unsprung mass. Its been awhile since I had a car with them, but I'm not eager to go back for the NPC car.

The sidewall acts like a spring, yes, but it's a spring without a shock/damper to keep it under control.  I think that's another factor that drives the poor ride quality above and beyond the unsprung weight.

Is there a reason your AAA, plus a tube of goo with compressor to fix a non-catastrophic flat (ie. Major tear)  isn't a reasonable way to proceed? 

I find winter tires reduce the fun factor with my FiST more than with other cars in the past. I can't help but wonder if it would feel better with the factory size 205/40/17 instead of the 195/55/15 Conti Viking Contact 7s. My summers are 205/45/16 Conti ECS 02 and they're sublime. I do get that winters will never measure up for fun driving, but they're way,  way off. The R56 is kind of a similar car in terms of short wheelbase, nimble, so I wonder if you should consider a 17" size.

In reply to Snrub :

The main issue with relying on AAA and goo as the exclusive backup is that I drive on the Mass pike, and will probably be making a few trips to NYC from Mass over the winter for medical appointments for my dad.

In these situations the risk is if I cut a tire on debris or a pothole that can't be fixed with goo, I'm stuck with whoever is authorized by the state and don't have the flexibility to wait for AAA. I'm not sure if the stiffer RF sidewall are more damage resistant or not when it come to debris.

So the safe options are either run-flat, or carrying a spare. I have a spare, so that is definitely an option (just need to have it ride in the back seat or hatch area). I'm just looking for feedback on different way to go for winter tires. 

More research shows I should be able to fit 195/60R16 snows, which will sacrifice some response in exchange for more sidewall to help with potholes and other irregularities. 

Spring will be time to look for new wheels and summer tires and I'll have to decide whether to stick with 16" or go back to the factory 17" size. 

I get the hate for runflats during the summer, but for a winter tire I don't really see it mattering. The tread blocks are much softer, and, by intent, you are driving on top of a LOT of junk - snow, grit, ice, etc. I don't think I would've noticed when I lived in Michigan. Even a perfect ride-quality tire would still have bad ride quality when you consider the real road surface it would be touching. 

In reply to No Time :

Definitely have some sort of a spare with you when you're on a long trip. AAA isn't going to be able to do a whole lot for you when you're 60 miles into your 500 mile trip home and you slice a rather uncommonly-sized tire, on a Sunday, near the close of business (for the few businesses that are even open to begin with), with your kids in the back seat. A spare tire is a whole lot cheaper than an unplanned Uber trip to Rhode Island (because you've never been to Rhode Island for some reason, so why not) to stay in a hotel room, and the accompanying visit to Providence the next day, complete with the what-is-wrong-with-this-city $100 breakfast for four. You know. If that ever happens to someone.

By the way, if you're buying summer tires and wheels, then one of your other-season tires and wheels automatically becomes your default spare for long trips.

A quick stop at the local tire chain reveals the Pirelli RF snows are not stocked so they could take some time to find, but would be $143 each before tax, mounting, and balancing.

Blizzak in WS90 in a 195/60R16 would be $130 each plus tax, m&b. 

Im thinking I'll go with Blizzaks and carry a spare.

I also looked and I think it take a chance on buying a wreath bag made to fit the regular tire, so if I do change one on the road I can put the flat into the tire bag. 
 

Custom wreath bag

On the one hand a RF winter tire is probably alright to drive on in a DD. I have not liked any of the RF tires I've ended up sampling over the years.

If you want a real contingency plan carry a spare. Myself and many others drove over a crumbling concrete expansion joint/pothole a year and a half ago which killed 1 tire and bent 2 wheels on my car. My car has a spare tire. I did the swap and was on my way. The guy in the nice blue BMW m230 had to wait for a tow along with several others. 

Most flats I see in the winter are due to road damage - the roads get potholed from thaw/freeze and you don't see the holes to avoid them because they are full of water.  Damaged sidewalls or cracked rims or both.

I have had to deal with four cracked rims since getting my Volvo in 2018.  One of them isn't leaking, which is a miracle, albeit probably a temporary one.

I'd want runflats just for the added strength.

If you don't need to commute and would likely just drive your wife's car in inclement weather...............buying winter tires for the MINI just seems like a waste of money.