Get Operation, care, maintenance -> Tire replacement Guide for Mini One 2 Door First Generation (2001-2006)

OVERVIEWREPAIRS OPERATION CONTROLSDATAINDEX

TIRE CONDITION TIRE REPLACEMENT

Tire tread/tire damage

Inspect your tires frequently for tread wear,

signs of damage and for foreign objects

lodged in the tread. Check the tread depth.

The tread depth should not fall below

in / 3 mm.

Below

in / 3 mm tread pattern depth,

there is an increased risk of hydroplaning,

even at relatively moderate speeds and

with only small amounts of water on the

road.

Wear indicators in the tread-groove base,

see arrow, are spread around the circum-

ference of the tire and are marked on the

side wall of the tire with TWI – Tread Wear

Indicator. The indicators in the tread indi-

cate at

in / 1.6 mm tread depth that

the legally permitted wear limit has been

reached.

Never continue to drive with a flat,

pressureless tire, except with Run Flat

tires. A pressureless, flat tire greatly

impairs steering and braking response, and

can lead to complete loss of control over

the vehicle. Avoid overloading the vehicle

so that the permitted load on the tires is

not exceeded. Overloading can lead to

overheating and increases the rate at

which damage develops inside the tires.

The ultimate result can assume the form of

a sudden air loss.

Unusual vibrations while driving, caused

for example by driving over a curb or simi-

lar, can indicate wheel or tire damage or

other damage to the vehicle. This is also

true for irregularities in the vehicle's han-

dling characteristics, such as a pronounced

tendency to pull to the left or right. Should

this occur, respond by immediately reduc-

ing your speed. Proceed carefully to the

nearest MINI Dealer or professional tire

center, or have the vehicle towed there to

have its wheels and/or tires inspected or

controlled. Tire damage – up to and includ-

ing blowouts – can endanger the lives of

both the vehicle occupants and other road

users.

To maintain good handling and vehicle

response, use only tires of a single tread

configuration from a single manufacturer.

The manufacturer of your MINI tests and

approves wheel and tire combinations.

Do not use retreaded tires, since driv-

ing safety may be impaired. This is

due to the possible variations in casing

structures and, in some cases, to their

extreme age, which can lead to a decrease

in their durability.

DOT quality grades

Tread wear

Traction AA A B C

Temperature A B C

All passenger car tires must conform

to Federal Safety Requirements in

addition to these grades.

Online Edition for Part-No. 01 41 0 156 890 - © 09/02 BMW AG

TIRE REPLACEMENT

Tread wear

The tread wear grade is a comparative rat-

ing based on the wear rate of the tire when

tested under controlled conditions on a

specified government test course.

For example, a tire graded 150 would wear

one and one-half – 1 γ – times as well on

the government course as a tire graded

100. The relative performance of tires

depends upon the actual conditions of their

use, however, and may depart significantly

from the norm due to variations in driving

habits, service practices and differences in

road characteristics and climate.

Traction

The traction grades, from highest to lowest,

are AA, A, B, and C.

Those grades represent the tire's ability to

stop on wet pavement as measured under

controlled conditions on specified govern-

ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.

A tire marked C may have poor traction per-

formance.

The traction grade assigned to this

tire is based on straight-ahead brak-

ing traction tests, and does not include

acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or

peak traction characteristics.

Temperature

The temperature grades are A

–

the highest

– B and C, representing the tire's resistance

to the generation of heat and its ability to

dissipate heat when tested under con-

trolled conditions on a specified indoor lab-

oratory test wheel.

Sustained high temperature can cause the

material of the tire to degenerate and

reduce tire life, and excessive temperature

can lead to a sudden flat tire. The grade C

corresponds to a level of performance

which all passenger car tires must meet

under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety

Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent

higher levels of performance on the labora-

tory test wheel than the minimum required

by law.

The temperature grade for this tire is

established for a tire that is properly

inflated and not overloaded. Excessive

speed, underinflation, or excessive loading,

either separately or in combination, can

cause heat buildup and possible tire fai-

lure.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading

Quality grades can be found where applica-

ble on the tire sidewall between tread

shoulder and maximum section width.

For example:

Treadwear 200

Traction AA

Temperature A

Tire age

The date on which the tire was manufac-

tured is indicated by the code on the side-

wall:

DOT ... 1202 indicates that the tire was

manufactured in Week 12 of the year 2002.

The manufacturer of your MINI recom-

mends replacing all tires – including the

space-saver tire, regardless of actual wear –

after 6 years at the latest.

Run Flat tires

For replacement, use only Run Flat

tires, as in the event of a flat tire

there is no space-saver spare tire.

You will recognize Run Flat tires by a circu-

lar symbol containing the letters RSC on

the side of the tire, see pages

85, 116.<

Operation, care, maintenance -> Tire replacement for Your Mini One 2 Door First Generation (2001-2006)

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