Original Post: January 16, 2007. In what’s becoming an annual act of meteorological defiance, I’ve washed and waxed my MINI. In January. What price will I pay? Check back on Groundhog day.

For those of you keeping track, yes that’s the fifth set of wheels you’ve seen on my car. Mark your scorecards: R85 “S-Lites”, which were sold for R82 “8-Spokes”, which were sold for R90 “Cross Spokes” (summer tires) which I still have, Kosei K1 Racing wheels (track tires) which I still have, and now R83 “5-Stars” with all-season run-flats that I use in the winter. Three sets of wheels — that’s not too much, is it? I’m thinking I’d like a fourth set: 15×7 Rotas with V710 Victoracers for autocross.

The runflat technology has actually come quite far in the last three years. My previous set was original equipment on the 17 inch S-Lites. They were Goodyear RS-As and rode like a stage coach. These new tires are Dunlops riding on 16 inch rims. The combination of a taller sidewall and advancement in rubber compounds have greatly enhanced the quality of the ride. They don’t come near the level of grip of my summer tires, but for every-day driving are more than adequate. They are still quite heavy at 43 pound for the tire and wheel combination as compared to 33 pound for my K1s. As an added benefit, I can leave my spare in the garage again.

Update: January 30, 2007: It took some fine-tuning, but I was finally able to appease the weather gods. It seems that washing and waxing one car is not enough to anger the gods, but wash all three cars and you get snow.