When I bought my PIAA Sport Mesh wheels, they came with 215/40/17 - Z rating. I didn't realize until very recently what the speed rating meant. I have done ONE track day and certainly didn't exceed 149 MPH!

When I replaced the OEM RFs with these, I noticed a bit more tire noise - lately they are increasingly noisy so I'm ready to replace. They have about 13000 miles on them. I think they are about a 20000 tire.

Anyway, I am thinking of replacing them with Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus - 215/45/17. Speed rating HR - treadwear rating 460.

I still want a performance tire but I'd like less noise and something more agile/less "squishy".

Suggestions? Input? Thanks to NAM members for excellent input and advice.

 

hitting a bump at 80mph will have more impact than running 149mph
on a smooth surface. on low profile it's best to have Z rating imho.

HR rating is for tires profile 50 and higher... on daily driven commuters
that drive around slow and easy. i would not put it on my MINI.

 

But isn't the Z made of softer rubber, making it more grippy/sticky?

I know you know your stuff kenchan - I've seen you around a lot - what would YOU put on MY MINI?

 

yah, the compound is soft but the construction of the radial is completely
different vs HR tires.

i would put either GS-D3's or the new BS 050A Pole Positions.
those are my only real choices for now. I like Pilots too, but too much
money for wat the are. 050A PP's are like S03 without the road noise.
all my tires are migrating to 050A PP's starting with my G's tires.

 

Which tires did you get in 215/40-17? I doubt that they are truely Z rated.
In any case speed ratings are not meant to guide you to reach certain speeds. Rather they are a guide to let you know that each tire has been designed with certain performance tolerances for heat build up as a function of speed.

Your MINI is not likely to reach speeds of over 130 mph but speed ratings of W, V, Y and Z have very high maximum speeds.

Even if you drive at 90 on the track you want a tire that can handle heat better. H rated tires are better suited for daily driving but they can be pushed up to high speeds for short spans of time. It's not that it gets dangerous quickly but those tires are going to be stressed and worn out quickly unless you driver very smoothly.

Dunlop SP Sport A2 Plus is a High Performance All Season tire. Listed at tireack.com it doesn't have stellar ratings, in fact it's not high on my list of great tires. I does last a bit longer and has OK dry handling. $85 each.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+Sport+A2+Plus

If we look at tires under $100 each.

If we stay with All Season tires- for better treadwear and better street comfort, then in 215/45-17 for Ultra High Performance All Season tires:

Continental ContiExtremeContact $87 400 treadwear W speed rated
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 360 treadwear W speed rated
Kumho Ecsta ASX $86 420 treadwear W speed rated

For higher budget then by customer rating in descending order-
Yokohama ADVAN S.4. $168 400 treadwear W speed rated
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS $143 400 treadwear W speed rated
Pirelli P Zero Nero M&S $119 400 treadwear W speed rated
See
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

If we look at Ultra High Performance Summer tires (not for snow) which offer a bit more grip and handling but might wear out a little faster- these are better suited for more spirited driving and some track use.
In 215/45-17
General Exclaim UHP $73 380 treadwear W speed rated
Kumho Ecsta SPT $84 320 treadwear W speed rated
Avon Tech M500 $89 280 treadwear W speed rated
Dunlop Direzza DZ101 $91 300 treadwear W speed rated

With higher budget-
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 $168 240 treadwear W speed rated
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval $125 320 treadwear W speed rated
Bridgestone Potenza RE750 $140 340 treadwear W speed rated
BF Goodrich g-Force KDW2 $136 300 treadwear Y speed rated
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport $105 340 treadwear W speed rated
See
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

Check out the ratings and tests, each tire has pros and cons, some better on handling but poorer on comfort wear or noise while others are the opposite. Prices vary greatly and not always a good indicator. Treadwear is a general guide only and does vary with brands and with your driving or road conditions.

Always keep your tire pressure up about 34-38 psi and rotate wheels every 4000 miles if you can. An alignment with new tires is not a bad idea or about once yearly.

 

minihune- do you just copy paste an earlier post?
that's a lot of typing for one answer.


<example> guys, wat do you recommend... silver or black lugs?

minihune:

well, ken- silver goes well with a black or darker finish wheel except you have alot of choices...

with black you got black aluminum kyokugen with a light weight lug with the ability to cut off 0.0001sec off your 0-60, then you got the titanium color that can net you 0.000012sec off your 0-60, and then..yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada yada

lol!

 

Ken, did you copy another post? That's a lot of typing.

 

my point exactly.

im going to edit now.

 

Copy and paste? No.
New members can do a search and find this subject has been discussed before.

I type fast.

Usually I cross reference various tire sizes, tire classes and keep in mind tire budget and desired characteristics.

In this case I did check out other classes but did not offer them as they did not add much either with higher or lower levels of performance.

In this case he his old tire is Dunlop SP Sport FM 901, 215/40-17
200 treadwear W speed rated
Ultra HP Summer tires
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....SP+Sport+FM901
Tests
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=18
Dry handling good, wet handling not as good as dry, Comfort OK- moderate, noisy. Aggressive tread design.

 

minihune- are you a machine? you type waay fast.

good info.

 

minihune, I know you know your stuff

But I would add one thing and its about liability. If the car is capable of speeds greater than 130 mph, than it probably needs a Z rated (149 mph) tire. Not that the OP might ever drive that fast but if there was ever an issue, having the wrong rated tires on the car "might" be a liability issue?

Dont all MCS come with Z rated tires? Why put on a tire not even equal to the OEM tires?

 

FWIW, I have Yokomama Parada Spec 2's on my MCS, and they grip like mad but are a summer season only tire, and a bit noisey. I just bought a set of Kumho's Ecsta ASX in 215/45-17's. All season (it snows, hails, sleets, rains and so on around here) and absolutely silent, handling is not quite as sharp as the Spec 2's, but I think the tradeoff is worth it, and only $85 each..........I kept the Spec 2's for track days, and run the Kumho's on some S lites I bought. Works for me!

I know others on this board are running the Kumho's as well and are satisfied with them, some more than others. Your situation may be different since you're in Phoenix...........

 

nope... for instance DSST SP9000's are VR rated. in fact even the euphorias are VR too...
thought they would be JR (for junk rated).

 

Oh CRAP! I meant VR rating (149) and my old mind is thinking my tires ... Z rated.

But my comment is still valid. Since a MCS can go over 130 mph, I dont think using H Rated is a wise idea. HR tires are for us people driving SUVs with all-season tires

Ken ... that was a "senior moment"

 

If you are looking at warranty then replace the tires with tires of the same size and load and speed rating as the originals or better if you can.

H rated tires come into play because some owners are looking at High Performance tires which often come in H speed ratings. If you look at Extreme, Max or Ultra High Performance tires, they are rated for higher max speeds.

Your family sedan and other cars will take tires that are S or T speed rated and that's definitely not for your MINI, any MINI.

H rated tires are rated up to 130 mph. It isn't easy to get a MINI up to 130 mph. I've been on a closed track and barely gotten to 105 and ran out of space. If you drive on the street and you plan to drive the speed limit then your MC or MCS is safe with H- rated tires. I've driven street cars on the track with H- speed rated tires and did OK, even passed quite a few modded MCSs with Max Perf Summer tires.

If you plan to be driving at 130 mph anytime you'd better get tires rated for a higher speed.

Z rated just means the tires are rated for at least 149 mph but often modern tires are rated for higher speeds. On the tire sidewall you can find- 225/50ZR16 91W
ZR is the older speed designation and the W after the 91 load rating is for W speed rated.

V up to 149 mph
W up to 168 mph
Y up to 186 mph or if 99Y then tested in excess of 186 mph

And no I am not a machine.

I have been known to use more than one monitor and more than one computer at a time (over the last 8 years)

 

yah, i would not use HR rated tires on my MCS either. be worried about it
tearing apart on hard corners.

minihune- lol!!! no wonder you're so fast and appear to be at 2-3 places
at the same time.

 

Yeah, didn't you see Fantastic Four or the Invincibles, there is always somebody trying to be all over the place at once. In between posts I installed an engine damper, worked out at the gym, cut two trays of grass sod and planted plugs in my front, side, and back yards and watered them all in before going out to dinner.

When my modded MCS is not at the track or autocross you will find it as my daily driver on the street and highways using stock 15" rims and stock Continental CH95 all season H-rated 175/65-15 tires.

The tires do fine for street use and under most normal driving conditions but they are not for high performance driving. I have cornered fast using them and if pushed far enough they will complain but still be safe. On the other hand my other tires (Max Performance summer tires in 215/45-17) don't complain at all when pushed.

 

Along the lines of the Sport A2 Plus... As much as I like to think that I drive the Mini like a race car I do not... I enjoy it and drive spirited for short distances but never pushed harder than that.

Is there a tire that can realisticlly get 40k - 50k miles on the Mini with regular rotation? The Sport A2 tires have a 50,000 mile warranty...

I have Continentail Extreme Contacts right now and have about 11,000 miles on them. I am not sure how worn they are but if I had to guess they are 40% or more worn? With my driving style I rarely hear my tires squeal or loose traction (I have on occation but very rare). I would much rather go for a higher milage tire at this point...

 

Long treadlife? 460 or higher. To make it work you have to drive like you mean it. Minimal hard braking and hard acceleration, easy on the corners, long highway use on smooth roads and under mild weather conditions.

Do you have a budget?

Realize you are going for harder rubber so that it lasts which is going to compromise handling and dry traction. That's why you don't see track tires lasting a long time. Treadwear is more like 40. I have used Michelin tires rated 680 on my minivans over the years and while they do last the rubber gets old and cracks and the rubber is quite hard. Handling and traction is not much better than OK.

Since you have an MCS we can start with
215/45-17 and look for tires that last a long time-
There are other tire sizes that would work better in 15" and 16" most likely and we can deal with those later.

215/45-17 is a performance tire size, you can easily find tires rated about 300 or less. All Season tires can get into 300-460.

In High Performance All Season tires (H-rated tires max speed up to 130):
Bridgestone Potenza G 009 $131
460 treadweaer H speed rated 23 lbs
Yokohama Avid H4S $93
500 treadwear H speed rated 23 lbs
Dunlop SP Sport A2 plus $85
460 treadwear H speed rated 21 lbs

In standard Touring All Season tires:
Continental ContiPremierContact $114
600 treadwear H speed rated 22 lbs
Read the reviews- not exactly good.

For other sizes and long treadwear-
In Standard Touring All Season tires:
Seems better suited for a minivan than a MINI

Yokohma AVID TRZ 700 treadwear T speed rated! (for family sedans and Vans up to 118 mph)
205/55-16 $82 24 lbs
195/65-16 $67 21 lbs
195/60-15 $61 21 lbs
205/60-15 $64 22 lbs

Bridgestone Turanza LS-T 700 treadwear T speed rated! Closeout priced!

205/55-16 $103 25 lbs
185/65-16 $74 20 lbs
195/60-15 $74 22 lbs
205/60-15 $74 24 lbs

In the end what works with our MINIs, good handling, good comfort, not too expensive, longer/longest treadlife with a little care?

I'd look at these first:
In Ultra High Performance All Season tires-
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS $143
400 treadwear W speed rated
Kumho Ecsta ASX $86 (good value)
420 treadwear W speed rated
Continental ContiExtremeContact $87 (good value)
400 treadwear W speed rated

In High Performance All Season tires
For value-
Fuzion HRi $62
400 treadwear H speed rated 23 lbs
Kumho Ecsta AST $66
400 treadwear H speed rated 22 lbs
See tests
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...1=yes&place=36

Also for value-
In Ultra High Performance Summer tires
General Exclaim UHP $73
380 treadwear W speed rated 18 lbs
Very good customer ratings, handling not quite as strong

Before you keep those long lasting tires for more than 6 years read this-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=138
If you do low mileage driving then stick with tires of treadlife of about 300-460 and both your tire and you will grow older gracefully.
Otherwise if you don't drive that much then your tires may age out before they can wear out.