I have a 2007 MCS with 31K miles and need to replace all 4 tires. What tires are the best in terms of comfort of ride? I reside in Cleveland, Ohio so snow is a factor as well but I dont want to buy two sets of tires. I dont care much for performance tires as I never race my car.

Currently I have factory provided Continental 195/55 R16 tires. I do not know if they are run flat or not or whether they are all weather or performance.

As much as I like the control of my Mini, the ride is rather rough. The roads here are pretty beat up and I can feel just about every bump on the road. I was told it was because of the suspension on the S model but reading on this forum it seems the tires may have something to do with it. Any advice.

 

I recommend posting this in the Tires and Wheels forum here on NAM to get a more targeted audience. Also, review the posts there, as there is a lot already posted on tire selection.

I just bought some Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. I used the tirerack.com website to investigate options for my car, with the main priority for me being long tire wear (lifespan) followed by cost, noise/comfort & performance. The choice of tire is highly subjective, so using a tool such as the tirerack tool is helpful, plus they include reviews. When you have some options selected you can then search the NAM forums for mention of those tires here.

Happy shopping

 

You can also call Alex at Tirerack, and tell him exactly what kind of conditions you drive in. He will give you excellant advise on what to buy.

 

I put Michelin Pilot Plus All Seasons on my 2008 R56. I also wnet to 17's over the stock 16. It retained the handling I had before. Drastically cut the road noise and vastly improved the ride quality. I also bought a 'Slime' repair kit since these are not runflats.

I think that regardless of what you buy, if you go to non-runflats it will improve your ride quality

 

I would have to agree I hated my run flats it was like being in the Flintstone mobile. I use 17 in the summer and then switch out to 16 for the Winter, as i am not a fan of all season tires based on were I live. But for other i can see why they would want them as it makes sense.

 

well fully, i guess it depends if you would like to not have runflats anymore.

Im in Columbus but often travel up to Cleveland, and let me tell you now that i dont have runflats anymore it is muuuch smoother.

I picked up some Goodyear Eagle GTs. They have good ratings in a lot of the categories for being an all-season tire, even snow which was my main concern.

I was going to go with 205/50/16 vs the 195/55 size but the tire place ended up giving me a 205/55/16, which is a bit taller, but I have grown to like the extra cush and look of them Compared to my 17" funflats i have on my summer rims they are soooo much better.

the Goodyears feel a bit hard in the mornings sometimes but so far they handle great and take rain excellently...we'll see how they hold snow once that gets here...

 

Buy Bridgestone G019 Grids and you will have the best ride, longest lasting, best in snow/all season tires you can buy. Even if you read the reviews on tirerack you will notice how great the ratings are. Do some more research but there are a TON of MINI owners who love these tires. I bought mine 26k miles ago on our '05 and they are still at half tread! I live in Pittsburgh and they are great in the snow to.

 

So sounds like its the runflats that are responsible for the flintstone style ride that I have been getting all this while. Now I just need to drill down to the tire brand I want.

I dont think I am going to get performance tires, grand touring are just fine. I have heard performance tires lose ride comfort and noise and to me thats the biggest factor.

 

+1!!

Installed those on Oct. 19th absolutely L@VE them!!

 

I'm also in Cleveland (Westpark) and I too have an '07 MCS and have just clocked 31k on "Fontana". She was also outfitted with the ContiSportContact all season run-flats on 17in Crown Spokes. I'm thinking I'll be able to get through this winter on them, but I'm gonna' need new tires soon. I've been debating this tire choice thing since my former '04 MC.

Run-flats or no run-flats? The more I learn, the more I think I'm just gonna' roll the dice and go with non run-flats and get some sort of Fix-A-Flat product. I LOVE my MINI so much, but I'm getting really worn out on the daily commutes on Cleveland roads. Plus, the non run-flat tires are so much cheaper than the run-flats. Good luck with your decision and maybe we'll see each other around Cleveland some day.

 

I put on a set of Bridgestone GO19's this summer and all tho I only have 5K miles on them I am very happy. They are quiet, comfortable ride and do very well in rain. I am waiting to see how they do in snow but looking at the tread pattern I suspect they will do fine. They seem to have a little better grip in cornering than the Continentals I took off with 30K on them.

 

Whatever you do, get rid of the run-flats.