There are a couple of threads here showing that 235/40/17's on 17x7.5 wheels with a 45 offset will fit an 07 MCS. Outmotoring has some Pro Race 1 15x7s with a 45 offset that they say will fit over the MCS brakes. Therefore I am thinking that since 225/50/15's are a little narrower and shorter than 235/40/17's that they should fit fine. Am I missing anything? Has anyone fit this combination?

If this combination works then it is almost perfect for what I want to accomplish - low weight, wide tire, good ride yet good handling, near stock diameter. The only thing that could be better is that there are several other wheels that I think look better, but I'm willing to trade that off since this would appear to be the only wheels with a 45 offset that fits over the brakes. Every other 15 has an offset of 35 or 38 so I'd have to do some (a lot?) of fender work to get 225s on that are 24 inches in diameter. Since I don't plan to lower the car, at least right away I don't want shorter tires that would increase the gap. With the power and gearing of the new MCS I think don't think I'd be losing much even if I put a taller tire on.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

For your MINI using a 15x7" rims you can use the following tires for street use:

205/55-15 fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide, about 20 lbs, 8.4" sect width, 23.9" diam
225/50-15 fits rims 6-8" wide, about 24 lbs, 9.2" sect width, 23.9" diam

Using stock suspension-
You might be able to fit a 15x7 rim with +45mm offset without rubbing.

Using a lowered suspension-
Usually we look for 15x7 rims with about +38mm offset or 15x8 with +33mm offset which is needed for clearance for the rear trailing arm.
There is more clearance in the front where +40mm offset can work.

You wrote:
what I want to accomplish - low weight, wide tire, good ride yet good handling, near stock diameter

OK lets look at each-
1. low weight- this depends on which tire you choose and which size. 205/50 is about 3 pounds lighter than 225/50 for the same tire but weights can vary. At 21 pounds in 225/50-15 is Kumho Ecsta AST $53 High Performance All Season tire (moderate grip, moderate comfort, longer treadlife).
2. wide tire- naturally 225 is wider than 195 or 205. But is it better to be wider if that gives you more weight or increases rolling resistance? Wider is good for cornering at speed but not that good for regular street driving. 225mm might look nicer or more aggressive.
3. good ride- comfort for street use is balanced with high performance and rougher/noisier ride. One is traded for the other to some extent. For a 225/50-15 tire a good compromise would be Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 ($128) or BF Goodrich g-Force Sport ($92).
4. good handling- performance is a function of design and cost, your basic tire classes will give some indication of each tire and summer tires generally out perform all season tires (which usually last longer).
5. near stock diameter- for closest match 205/55 and 225/50-15 are good choices.

What you left out-
Your weather conditions- any rain or possible snow
Your road conditions- bad roads or good
Your driving patterns- urban or commuting short or long distances
Your budget for wheels and tires.

 

Thanks for taking the time to give me such and extensive reply. I really appreciate your effort. I was going to send you a PM, but thought it would be best to post again so everyone can have the benefit of your response. I've certainly learned a lot by reading post here.

I know I want some lighter wheels and tires on my car. At the present time I don't plan to lower it, but that is likely to happen in the future. I may autocross it at some point, but only casually. I've drag raced, dirt track raced, autocrossed and did open track for 30 years. I just got burned out on it in the last couple of years. I sold my highly modified (full Griggs suspension, etc. etc.) Mustang 5.0 last summer. My wife had wanted a Mini since they came out so I finally bought one to replace my 86 Mustang SVO which is my daily driver. I'm just about ready to list it. Once I sell it it will be the first time I haven't had a Mustang or 2 or 3 around in the last 15 years, but I digress. That's the long way of saying that I'll probably end up modifying the snot out of the Mini at some point (Don't tell my wife!).

For now I just want to improve the ride from the runflats and lighten things up to get rid of a lot of the torque steer. I thought that a 45 offset would guarantee no rubbing even if I lowered the car. Apparently I'm better off with the 38 and 37 offsets that are more common if I go with 15" wheels. I guess if I go the 15" route I'll stick with 205/55/15's. But now that I know I'll have a problem with 225/50/15's I'll have to consider going to 16" wheels again and either 205/55/16's or 215/50/16's. I'll need and offset of 42-43 or higher and I think that I may have some rubbing problems if I lower on the 215's.

As far as ride comfort. I sure I'll be within my tolerance on anything that is not a runflat and 45 sidewall or taller. I'm undecided on what type of tire to put on. I may but on a summer tire and use the A/S runflats as winter tires, I live in Colorado, or I may put on A/S tires and sell the stock wheels and tires.

Mainly I want to get rid of the torque steer. Before racing Mustangs I autocrossed Scirroccos and Rabbits for years, but I didn't have enough powor to worry about torque steer. I've really been pleased with the new MCS. The power has really surprised me - especially the torque down low. I think it may be faster than my Mustangs due to the turbo. Turbos are just made for Colorado since I'm always driving at 5000 ft or higher.

Again thanks for your advice.

Mark

 

Mark,

OK, this information helps.

You're looking for-
Light rim/tire combo for new R56 MCS and reduce or minimize torque steer while maintaining good fit for stock suspension (low risk for rubbing) in Colorado (hopefully light snow).

As for the winters-
Dedicated winter wheels/tires are good if you need the traction and don't have another car that is surefooted in the snow. Then these MINI wheels and tires can be performance oriented and used in the non winter months.

While all season tires are OK for light snow they might not be sticky enough to deal with handling torque from your R56.

If we put reduced torque steer at the top then wider is better and so is a softer compound but it will come with some cost and quicker treadwear. Of note is I have enough power with my 2003 modded MCS to get plenty of torque steer at full throttle but it is rarely an issue unless I get on the throttle too quickly. This means if I drive very smoothly then I can keep torque steer to a minimum with any tire or wheel combo I have used from track wheels to autocross to stock street tires. I do have quaife differential and aggressive alignment. Do you have factory LSD on your MINI? That helps.

As for wheels. 15x7 or 15x8 (Rota or 949racing.com) or 16x7 wheels should work. You'll get less weight with the 15" wheels about 10-13 pounds each. 225/50-15 is certainly possible but offset is key. More offset would push the wheel in towards the center of the car while less offset allows the tire to stick out from the wheel well. Since suspension is stock for now more offset has a limit especially with wider rims than stock.

If considering 15x8 rim (works with 225/50-15) then +33mm offset fits the rear while +36 to +40mm offset fits the front. If using +36mm offset then add a 3 or 5mm spacer to the rear and it should work fine. Realize that when using a wider rim this will stretch your tire wider. A 205/55-15 tire will fit a 15x8 rim but a 225/50-15 would fit better. Even 205/50-15 will fit the 15x8 rim but it's got a smaller tire diameter of 22.8". Each tire size has a mix of selection of tires that may vary alot for your uses.

A wider rim with more offset like +40 to +45mm will likely rub in the rear against suspension parts like the rear trailing arm or even an aftermarket rear swaybar with a squarish design.

Max or Ultra High Performance Summer tires are probably the best to use in your case so that's a good place to start. Ultra High Performance All Season tires are also possible.

 

We ran 225/50R15's for a long, long time on our Cooper - Michelin Pilot Sport Cups to be exact. Dr. Mike has gone through several sets of r-comps (V710's, RA-1's, Michelin PSC's) at the track in the same size. Based on our testing, they are way, WAY faster than a 205/50R15 on any surface, course layout, etc. (a good 1-3 seconds, depending on the course)

We ran them on 15x7's mainly, although mine were mounted on a set of 15x6.5 Flik Blast-c's... Of course, the tire mounting guys hated mounting the 225's on the 15x6.5's. Personally a 15x8 would be a really sweet setup.

Races are won in the corners - personally, I'd rather have the lateral grip to make that happen.

FWIW, you HAVE to have additional negative camber in the front to get longer life out of an r-comp - especially a 225...

Dr. Mike is still running 225/50R15's at the track, although I am now running 224/45R16's...

 

I would like to piggy back on this thread if possible, my needs are very similar to Marks. I want to get rid of as much torque steer as possible. THis is my first FWD, and that is the only thing I don't care for. Only suspention mod is a Rear Sway, I will keep stock springs.

I want to replace my 16" rims with 15" Rota RBs. Looks are big here, hard to beat the RB, and they are of "Average" weight. Would like better ride comfort than Runflat without giving up too much turn in.

I am looking at the Falken Ziex ZE 512. I need a solid performer that will live with rain and a little snow.

So, what combo?

15 x 7 ET 35 vs. 15 x 8 ET 35?

205/50 vs. 215/50 vs. 225/50?

I know 15x7 205/50 will fit with no issue. I don't mind giving up the mileage for the quick acceleration. And, that would be the lightest combo.

Would I gain anything from the other combos? Need spacers?

thank you!!!!

-jac

 

OK, first the rim choice.

15 x 7 ET 35 this one will fit no rubbing and no spacers. 205/50-15 is smaller than stock and will show speeds that are faster than normal about +3% and log in miles faster by the same amount. Alternatively you can mount 205/55-15 and that is good.

For this rim you can use
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Ultra HP All Season tires $68 each
in 195/60-15 fits rims 5.5 to 7" wide, 21 lbs
400 treadwear H speed rated 24.2" outer tire diameter
Other sizes for this tire-
185/65-15 20 lbs, 24.4" outer tire diameter $68 each
205/60-15 23 lbs, 24.7" outer tire diameter $72 each

I like the RE960AS over the Falken ZE512.

vs.
15 x 8 ET 35 this one is likely to rub. I have 15x8 with +36mm offset and it rubs the rear lower trailing arm and needs at least a 3 to 5mm spacer in the rear. In the front offset can be +36 to +40mm no problem except for large brake calipers.

This size rim does well with 225/50-15 tires. If you consider all Season tires that are good for wet or dry and for some snow use then -

In 225/50-15 for All Season tires there is only-
Kumho ecsta AST (High Perf All Season) $54 each
400 treadwear H speed rated 21 lbs, 23.9" outer tire diameter
No Ultra HP All Season tires come in that size


What are you using these rims and tires for? General street use? If so then try to get close to stock outer tire diameter without rubbing issues.

Alternatively in 215/50-15 (not a common size) there is
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport $87 each Ultra High Perf Summer tire (not all season)
340 treadwear V Speed rated, 21 lbs fits rims 6-7.5" wide
Outer tire diameter 23.5"

So one of the things that is limiting your tires is the size which doesn't seem to favor All Season tires as much as Summer tires.

You could also look at High Performance All Season tires more for sizes like
205/55-15

 

Thank you very much for the detailed info! The car is a spirited daily driver. Might see an autocross for fun now & again.

Based on the rubbing issues, I will just stick with the 15x7 ET 35.

In the 205/50 size - Kumho ASX vs. Falken 512? Any real big plusses or minuses for each?

thank you!

-jac

 

OK, so we have a wheel size. 15x7 et +35mm should be OK. I run Kosei K1 TS in that size and there is no rubbing with 205/50-15 or 225/45-15.

Now for tires- You want street driving, daily use, some comfort, adequate to abundant performance and handling in dry or wet and be able to use it in the snow for a moderate to low price. Oh yeah and you want it to last and have good treadlife?

Well that seems impossible but it might not be so hard to do. However you do compromise a bit with handling vs long treadlife and low price.

205/50-15 is fine for the street but at 22.8" outer tire diameter it is much lower than stock height. As long as you are aware your speedo and odo will be showing higher than real numbers it's OK.

Other sizes that are closer to stock 24.4" but still a little smaller are good and viable options. By choosing a different size you open up other tires to choose from.

A simple tirerack.com search for all season tires in 205/50-15 doesn't yield much and we have only a few choices in High Performance All Season.


If we consider the best rated HP All Season at tirerack.com it's the-
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
195/55-15 $125 each
400 treadwear V speed rated 20 lbs fits rims 5.5-7" wide 23.5" tire diam
195/60-15 $89 each
400 treadwear H speed rated 21 lbs fits rims 5.5-7" wide 24" tire diam
205/55-15 $126 each
400 treadwear V speed rated 21 lbs fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide 23.9" tire diam
205/60-15 $83 each
400 treadwear H speed rated 22 lbs fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide 24.5" tire diam

Note that the H speed rated tires are less expensive- they are built for general street use and not for performance driving or track use. V rated tires will handle heat generated on the track better and hold up better/longer. You can use H rated tires in performance driving but you might wear them down extra fast. Many owners buy new tires after one track day with H speed rated tires. Otherwise for daily use the H rated tires will do fine and be a better value for this excellent All Season tire.

I don't have head to head comparisons of the Falken ZE512 with other UHP AS tires.

ZE512 in 205/50-15 $49 each
360 tread H speed rated 17.9 lbs fits rims 5.5-7.5" 23.2" tire diameter
At Edgeracing.com I am showing it is out of stock and it's very small in outer tire diameter. As an UHP tire it should be OK for performance in dry, not so sure about wet, and not so sure about snow. It's likely that it performs and handles as good as the best of the HP All Season tires but may not wear as long or be as good in the wet or snow as the best HPAS tires. Also comfort may be moderate but not that quiet for street use. Again more performance at the cost of comfort given the lower price. I'd expect it to be better than the Kumho AST (another good value tire- moderate performance in it's class).
If you consider 205/55-15
Then the ZE512 is $65 each 20.3 lbs
360 treadwear V speed rated fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide 23.9" tire diam
In that same size and same UHPAS class is
Toyo Proxes 4 for $69 each 19.8 lbs
300 treadwear V speed rated 20.3" fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide 23.9" tire diam

If you are big in performance then consider these two and others in that size for UHP AS. Wears faster but still well priced and good performance.

Lets look at some ratings in HPAS class:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true
Here in 205/50-15 there are limited choices-
Bridgestone Potenza G009 $96 each 460 tread H rated 21 lbs
Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus $69 each 460 tread H rated 21 lbs
Goodyear eagle GT-HR $76 each 400 tread H rated 20 lbs
Kumho Ecsta AST $49 each 400 tread H rated 20 lbs
In this group Bridgestone Potenza G009 is much higher rated overall solid in all weather conditions and good for daily use and long treadlife but it costs more.

Looking at the tire selection in the same class HPAS for 205/55-15-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true
Now we add:
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S $126 400 treadlife V speed rated
Potenza G009 $93 460 treadlife H speed rated
Yokohama AVID V4S $74 each 500 treadwear V speed rated
BF Goodrich Traction T/A V $90 440 treadwear V speed rated

So how good are the-
Micheline Pilot Exalto A/S
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=60
Pretty good overall but high price unless you get H speed rated tire.
Bridgestone Potenza G009
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=73
This comparison includes the Kumho AST (not as strong in wet or snow but good value)

Finally if you consider UHPAS in 205/55-15 then ratings show-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true
Continental ContiExtremeContact $79 each
400 treadwear V speed rated 19 lbs
Kumho Ecsta ASX $64 420 treadwear V speed rated 20 lbs
I think the Kumho ASX is a better tire than the AST with good value and overall good dry and wet handling, probably wears about the same.
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=52

 

Again, thank you for your input. I have been following your input here and on other threads...

Leaning in the direction of the Falkens. I have read a lot of great reviews about the 512, looks like the new 912 replaces it. I am concerned about the sidewall and turn in on the Kumhos - I have read a LOT of reviews on soft sidewalls.

For the falkens, it's either between the
205/50/15 (23.1 OD, 7.2 tread width, $56 each) vs.
225/50/15 (23.9 OD, 7.9 tread width, $68 each).

205 is smaller, lighter (better acceleration), 225 is closer to stock size, more tread, rubbing issues?

I am fantastic at over-analyzing....good thing that the rims are a lock!

-jac

 

FWIW. my stock suspension '03 MCS has 15x7 +40 Rewinds with 225/50 G-Force Sports (23.9"). I have no rubbing in front and just a tad in the rear, on the upper / outer edge of the sidewall, & only over larger bumps. Quite negligible. I say go for it!

 

thanks for the advice bodinski - any pics of that set up?

thanks!