Some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Discount Tire

[DrWebster]

Driving to an empty Wal-Mart parking lot: $0
Teaching Colin to drive an MTX in the Mini: $0
Tom doing a burnout to illustrate what happens when you get on the gas too much and let out the clutch too quickly: $0
Pair of jackstands at Wal-Mart: $25
3-ton floor jack at Wal-Mart: $99
Big can of purple Monster energy drink at gas station: $3
Hearing a "pop" when driving back to Tom's apartment and getting a flat tire: $0
Putting the Mini up on said jackstands with said jack: $0
Seeing what actually happened to said flat tire: PRICELESS

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee298/DrWebster/bustedtire.jpg

So here's the funny part. After we got the flat, we headed over to Discount Tire. The Mini had runflat Goodyear RSAs on them, as the Mini Cooper S doesn't include a spare tire. Discount Tire wouldn't replace the expensive runflats with less-expensive non-runflat tires, as that would "defeat a safety feature of the car." However, if we brought them just the wheels not already on the car, they'd install whatever tires you want. So Tom and I put the Mini on jackstands in his garage, loaded the wheels up in the Speed and dropped them off at DT.

[mndsm]

Yep, 1 bigass floorjack, half a pack of smokes, some assorted cursing, and an hour later, we brought them to DT....good stuff.

[YSOSLO]

I'm starting to wonder if your MS3 doesn't perhaps have a Cosmic Blue basecoat under that black paint or something...lol

[mndsm]

Uh, those are the tires off the Mini.

[mndsm]

Also, the BEST part of the whole thing... the REALLY funny thing... so 3 tires have bulges in them. We know this. The 4th? Has a fucking NAIL in it.

[YSOSLO]

w....t....f.....are those the stockers?

[mndsm]

What's left of them. That's the worst of the tires, although the left front was worn down almost as far.

[JohnnyT]

Well, does Colin know how to drive a stick now?
Upgrading tires should be a blessing on that thing lol. Stupid runflats.

[DrWebster]

Well, does Colin know how to drive a stick now?

Getting there. Out of about a dozen starts, I stalled it only twice. I really just need practice now, but I also don't plan on trading my car in for an MTX anytime soon ;)

[dmention7]

It kind of amuses me that they considered runflats to be safety equipment, especially as those things seem to be about as safe and reliable as a DIY tire studding kit.

[mndsm]

Yeah, safety my ass. even if a tire goes bad, I possess a cell phone and a credit card.

[dmention7]

I wonder if they'd refuse to sell me regular tires if I didn't have my spare in my trunk? lol

[mndsm]

Possibly. But your car didn't start with runflats. Given all that the car's been through, 60k+ on the clock, the tires for being shit, held up well.

[niterydr]

All tires are run-flats, ask a fleet driver :).

[ZoomZoom Diva]

All tires are run-flats, ask a fleet driver :).

LOL! Seriously, though, I would be leery of not having a spare tire on any car because except for one case where I would have needed a spare tire there was a catastrophic failure of the tire...

[1Kris06]

Getting there. Out of about a dozen starts, I stalled it only twice. I really just need practice now, but I also don't plan on trading my car in for an MTX anytime soon ;)

once you learn its kinda stuck in your brain. i learned back in '06 for my job at the time. took my friends mtx hyundia out last week and didn't stall it once.

[DrWebster]

once you learn its kinda stuck in your brain. i learned back in '06 for my job at the time. took my friends mtx hyundia out last week and didn't stall it once.

Yeah, the thing is I pretty much understand how to drive an MTX, I'd just never physically done it. My parents haven't had an MTX car in over 20 years, and even driver's ed back in high school was in an ATX. All I really need is practice, specifically learning how to use my left foot while driving.