dam dangerous mini

[irishmonkey]

Hi,
I just bought a 07 mini cooper.
love the car but on country roads its insane!
driving down a smooth road she behaves herself. no pulling left or right - perfect
on a non smooth road the steering wheel will fight with me.
the wheel will move about 10 deg and i will have to keep both hands on it.
on a bumpy road the dam thing is imposable even at very low speeds.
braking makes the issue worse.
from what iv read its tramlining but this is very bad, most posts iv read look at tramline as an annoyance but what ever is happening my car makes it almost undriveable on country roads.

she has 18" alloys and dunlop tires. also the JCW strut brace
( sorry my first post is a compliant/issue )
so anyone have any recomendations
shes going for a service saturday
then after that a wheel alingment.

I love the mini - and i bought it from a dealer so going to get them to fix it or take it back.

any suggestions etc welcome

[MiniMpi]

Hi and Welcome to the site
Are they runflat tyres you have?
If so ALOT of the problems you talk about are to do with them!
I have 18" alloys and non-runflats on my '08 Clubman and it is fine on bumpy roads etc and eliminated the problems you mentioned ;-)

[irishmonkey]

thanks for the reply.
I think they are. ill post the exact spec next time im out by the car.
can you tell me what tires you are running that sorted it.

but as it stands Im bricking it if i have to pass another car.
its insane on a country road.

[irlmin]

The optimum wheel size for the R56 is 17" if your runflats are beyond half worn they become noisy and loose effectiveness , have you had your alignment checked and I mean by someone that knows what they are doing , MINIs MUST be 'weighted' when adjusting wheel alignment especially on the rear . you mention problems under braking his would lead me to check the wishbone bushes , what mileage is on the car we have replaced these on customer cars with as low as 30000 km but usually its nearer 70 , you should 1st have the car checked for wheel alignment having checked the bushes , then make sure your tyres are not past it , consider 17" wheels if you use the car on 'typical' Irish roads . where are you based as if you are anywhere near Cork I can have a drive and check it out for you OR perhaps you will come to an upcoming Miniclub event and I can advise there .the 18's don't help , sure they look awsome buy handling is compromised .
G

[irishmonkey]

Hi,
Im running dunlop sport 01 dsst ( run flat )
bought it monday
07
10,000 on the clock.
Im in inniscarra, but if your willing to take a quick look ill drive over to you.
shes heading to kearys on saturday for her first service ( 2 years is a long time )

[irishmonkey]

turns out its the 18" wheels and unflats.

any advice on wheels tires etc?

[irlmin]

I would go with 17s on an R56 , I use Continental Sport 205x45x17 tyres and find them brilliant , I always take off the runflats and find the ride , handling and noise improved by fitting non runflats , one thing BEWARE of budget tyres on a MINI they have NO GRIP in the wet and are just a waste of money , give me a call if you need 17's I have 2 sets at the moment .
G

[irishmonkey]

Johnson and perott have replaced the alloys with a set of 16" ones. the problem is sorted.
Thanks for the help.