Run-flat tires, New wheels and tires, Are i – Mini 2011 Cooper Convertible User Manual

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Tire age

The manufacturing date of tires is contained in
the tire coding:
DOT ... 3010 means that the tire was manufac-
tured in week 30 of 2010.
For various reasons, such as the development of
brittleness, the manufacturer of your MINI rec-
ommends tire replacement after no more than
6 years, regardless of the actual wear of the
tires.

Run-flat tires*

The symbol identifying run-flat tires is a circle
with the letters RSC on the sidewall.
Run-flat tires comprise a conditionally self-sup-
porting tire and a special rim. The reinforcement
in the sidewalls ensures that the tire can con-
tinue to be used subject to certain restrictions,
even if depressurized.
For information on continuing to drive with a flat
tire, refer to Indication of a flat tire, page

New wheels and tires

Have new wheels and tires mounted only
by your MINI dealer or a specialized tire

shop that has specially trained personnel work-
ing in accordance with the specifications of the
MINI manufacturer. If this work is not carried out
properly, there is a danger of subsequent dam-
age and related safety hazards. Make sure that
the new wheels are balanced.

Retreaded tires

The manufacturer of your MINI recom-
mends that you avoid using retreaded

tires, as this could impair driving safety. The
causes for this include potentially different tire
casing structures and often wide variations in
tire age, which can result in a limited service
life.

Correct wheels and tires

The manufacturer of your MINI recom-
mends mounting only wheels and tires

that it has specifically approved for use on your
particular model. Although other wheels and
tires may theoretically have the same dimen-
sions, variations in factors such as manufactur-
ing tolerances can result in contact between tire
and bodywork, ultimately leading to serious
accidents. The manufacturer of your MINI can-
not evaluate non-approved wheels and tires to
determine if they are suited for use, and there-
fore cannot ensure the operating safety of the
vehicle if they are mounted.

Your MINI dealer will be glad to inform you
about the correct wheel and tire combination for
your vehicle.
The correct combination of wheels and tires is
also necessary to ensure reliable operation of
various vehicle systems such as ABS and DSC.
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single brand and
tread configuration. After a tire has been dam-
aged, mount the previous wheel and tire combi-
nation again as soon as possible.

Wheels with Tire Pressure Monitor TPM
electronics

When mounting new tires or changing over from
summer to winter tires, or vice versa, only use
wheels with TPM electronics; otherwise, the Tire
Pressure Monitor may not be able to detect a
puncture, refer to page

. Your MINI dealer will

be glad to advise you.