Good morning all,

I'm new to the forum and bought a used 2019 Cooper S last summer with 25k miles and have put 11k miles since. I wanted to get a set of Michelin Pilot Sport tires but I found out they aren't available if you're rocking the black, 16" Victory Spoke Black wheels. If I want a set of Pilot Sports, I'd have to upgrade my wheels to 17", but that can get very expensive with a set of tires. I have about 10k miles left (at best) and am wondering if I should give up the dream of owning a set of Pilot Sports and find a good alternative. I checked on Tire Rack and it seems like the 16" wheels are limited to mid-range tires. The best I could find were summer tires from Bridgestone and Yokohama, but the reviews were mixed. If you guys know of any decent performance tires for the 16-inchers, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Update (08/01/22):
I got a set of Firestone Indy 500 Firehawks from Tirerack. They were the cheapest option, and most shops nearby sold out of Firehawks and Bridgestones or charged more than Tirerack. I'm kicking myself for not double-checking my post because I forgot Jason's recommendation of getting 205s and bought the 195s instead.

Despite that misfortune, I have had a lot of fun with the Firehawks! The tires changed the characteristics of how the car drives. The Firehawks improved steering the most because the steering wheel feels heavier and tighter. The new tires also made the steering feel responsive and provided feedback. The old Hankooks made the car feel wobbly, and I could steer the car with a few fingers.

I participated in a track event with my local Mini car club. My car's handling improved beyond my wildest dreams. I drove through each turn at high speeds with a lot of confidence. Fellow members of the Mini club had summer tires from Bridgestone, Pirelli, and Michellin. Subjectively speaking, the treads on the Firehawks look so much cooler than the other brands. Just look at those lightning-shaped treads!

Regardless of getting a smaller size, my car's handling felt awesome at the track and in the streets. For anyone looking for a reasonably priced tire, I highly recommend the Indy Firehawk 500s!

 

try looking for Firestone Indy 500 Firehawks, i'm very happy with them. If 195/xx/16 try a 205/xx/16 or if a 205/xx/16 try 215/xx/16.

 

My 2013 had 16"
The best I could find was Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS
Yeah, no Michelins!!

 

Thanks so much! I will make sure to take a look at the Indy 500s! I'm uneducated with tires so if you don't mind, what's the difference between a 195 and 205? Is one taller or wider?

 

Thanks so much for your recommendation! I'm going to take a look at them no.

And yeah, it's sad we can't get Michellin's but at least 16" tires are cheaper. I can always save up and get a set of wheels and Pilot Sports later this year

 

205 will be wider, give you that much more grip. On my clubby stock is 205/45/17 and I’m running 215/45/17. Your Speedo will be off like 1 mph, it will read 65 but your doing 64. And, for me at least, bumping up to the 215 actually opened up more choices in tires which you might find as well. The firehawks are a nice summer tire.

 

I have a 16" rim and it's a 2-Door S. Would that still fit? Also, I looked online and it looks like they aren't available with run flats. That shouldn't be a problem, right?

 

How is the Indy 500 tire wearing out for you guys?

 

I run the all-season PS4’s in 205/55-16 on my F57 in the off season, and they’re truly phenomenal tires. Do you actually need a dedicated summer tire? If not, check out the PS4 A/S. I would recommend them over the summer-only Firehawk Indy 500. I have the latter on my 17” summer wheels, and while they’re OK (especially for the price), I think the PS4 A/S is still a better tire. I’ll be swapping to the PS4 on the 17” wheels as soon as the Indy 500’s are worn.

 

I'm also on 16" tires, now on my 2nd set of Firestone Indy 500, size 205/50/16. They seem pretty great to me, drive well, last long enough. Although next time I might try Nitto Neo Gen, just out of curiousity. Personally, I would avoid going to 205/55. 16" tires already have a pretty high sidewall, I wouldn't want it any higher. Although there are way, way more tires to choose from. Another size with somewhat more choices would be 195/55, though I don't know if that opens up anything great.

Yeah no issue with a non-run-flat. Just... you might get a flat tire. Have a phone and AAA, you are set.

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS looks like a good option for all-season.

I mostly use tirerack.com for research, they do some testing, and tons of people post reviews. They don't carry Nitto though, so elsewhere for that. Also willtheyfit.com, you can get hard #s on what a change in tire size will mean.

 

A 205/50-16 tire has a shorter sidewall than the factory 195/55-16 tire, so if reducing the sidewall height ever so slightly is your goal, that’ll do it. However, you’re also speeding up the already optimistic speedometer. Meaning, when the speedometer reads 60 MPH (for example) the actual vehicle speed will probably be 56-57 MPH. I did the opposite, I slightly oversized the tire size with a 205/55-16 to both increase my choices and mostly correct the factory-optimistic speedometer. Also, with a good tire the handling differences are basically negligible between the three sizes mentioned, the factory 195/55-16, the slightly downsized 205/50-16, and the slightly upsized 205/55-16.

 

Tire Rack has a pretty good selection in the 205/50-16 size (https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...erformance=ALL)

Also a pretty good selection in the 205/55-16 size (https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...=WinterSection)

A big plus for the 16" wheel/tire combination is that they are significantly lighter than the larger sizes, particularly 18". The reduced unsprung weight will more than offset the any performance increase offered by a bigger wheel/tire combination in the real world.

 

i got a set of general g-max rs for my f56 justa in 205/55/16, running at about 35psi. they’re a little wide for the stock rims but they have oodles of grip, once the sidewalls engage. it feels like i’m driving on clouds and they really fill out the arches!! seemed like the best budget UHP tire that also holds up in the wet, per tyrereviews on youtube. i don’t have a lot of experience with performance tires but these are great!

 

Bump up your pressures slightly, it’ll help. I know for my F57 Justa the recommended pressures are 36 front/33 rear. I run 37 front/34 rear on Pilot Sport All Season 4’s and the handling is great and they’re not floaty at all.

 

i ended up bumping mine a bit more to 37 psi (stock for me is 33 f/r). the handling is much more responsive! previously only the tires’ shoulders were wearing, and i had been wondering where some of my MPGs went. woops! thanks for the suggestion.

 

These Summer Yokohama just came out in the stock size.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ModClar=Cooper

 

Those look sick! I ended up buying the Firehawk 500 from Tirerack two weeks ago. But I will definitely consider these for next time! Thanks so much for your help! I will make sure to update my post to let everyone know.

 

Congrats on the Firehawk.

How is it with road noise and potholes?

 

No one using Toyo R1R? I use the 205's on a 16" rim and they grip really well.

 

Hi all, new member here and first post is digging up an old thread - sorry! I just picked up a f56 SE as a city runabout and am looking to get off the standard 205/45r17 summer runflats for a couple of reasons, the near freezing temperatures in my neck of the woods being the most pressing.

I was wondering if you may have pictures of your 205/55r16 setup, as that is what I was thinking of going to, especially given that the SE has a slightly increased ride height which make the 45r17s look especially tiny and rubber bandy. Needs some more sidewall, but would love to see some pictures - I'm having trouble finding any good shots around the internet.

Thanks in advance!