I spent about 30 hours and drove about 1000kms in my sisters Cooper S this week.

Fun to drive.

Anyway, it was raining out past Bulladelah on Thursday. We went past a crash involving a truck just after it happened. There was crap all over the road.

About an hour later I was giving it a squirt in the overtaking lane when another truck coming the other way gave us a good splash.

I felt the car miss, looked at the tacho to see it breifly drop to 0 RPM. Then back on with the flat tire warning and traction control constantly engaged. Figured we had run over some glass or other crap from the crash.

I drove for a few more kms, didn't feel any worse, but it was wet and I have never driven on flat run-flats before.

Pulled over and left the car running. Kicked the tires in the rain, but they all looked good. Still had the warning light.

Turn the car off then on again, warning light is off and it was happy.

So bloody minis and water, still the same.

Anyone know how the flat tyre sensors work?

I figure it got a good blast of water, which fooled the computer. Mustn't resample the sensor until the car is turned off.

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

They work by sensing if one tyre has more drag on it than the others, if you went through some water i spose its possible it fooled the computer into thinking a trye was losing pressure.

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1965 Riley Elf
1974 Ex Army Moke
1997 Rover Cooper
2002 JCW Cooper
2003 JCW Cooper S

A bit more detail.
The runflat indicator gets triggered by montoring the ABS sensors. Once it detects one wheel at different rotation speed (being flat, or offshape) the computer sets off the bell and dash light. There is a reset button underneath the handbrake.

Can only guess you did a sustained aquaplane where ASC took over and cut the revs. Check your tyre pressures to see if that was part of the issue. If your on runflats you might not have spotted that a tyre was flat (by eyeball). Their thick walls allow the MINI to drive up to 80kms (according to BMW) on a flat.

And how cool is it plowin thu foul weather in the MINI, passing others on the bends like it's a sunny day ? (Almost as good as a Rover on a sunny day )

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