Really getting tired of the Dunlop runflats on Romi. I dunt(tm) think I can wait for them to wear out so I am looking to replace them.

I do not race or auto cross at all and have no plans to ever particiapte in anything like that.

I am not concerned about the price of the tires. I would like tires that are quiet with good traction for mostly dry weather. Romi will never see snow or ice.

I currently have the 16" bridge spokes on Romi and was looking at the Michelin Pilot Primacy 195/55VR16 tires. Anyone have any experience with these on a Mini?

By the way folks, thank you for the input. It is appreciated.

 

BMW and a lot of euro cars like to use Pirelli P6 four seasons for their
OE tires. ive had them before on my old winter wheels and they were
very quiet and grippy. soft sidewall, soft comfy ride.

as you, i never really drove in the wet so i sold them to a local
and got some new wheels with real tires..

 

Budget constraints prevent me from replacing the wheels and tires for the moment. I was going to wait until these tires wore out, but I really do not care for them and how they effect the ride and noise levels in Romi.

Most folks who post in here seem to be performance oriented, but I thought I would take a shot to see if anyone had tried these tires.

I hate to try em cold turkey.

The only Pirelli's I saw in this size appear to be run flats, with one winter tire not being a run flat. I want to get away from that type of tire as fast as possible.

 

i also liked Yokohama Avid's. they were great sedan tires and works
pretty well for a lot of MINI owners too. nice an grippy, all season
performance, quiet ride.

 

If you're ditching the run flats why not upsize to 205/50-16 tires?

 

The Michelin Pilot Primacy is a Grand touring Summer tire
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Pilot+Primacy
In 195/55-16 $136 each 240 treadwear V speed rated 20 lbs 24.4" tire diam.

From tirerack owner feedback most owners would not buy that tire again so I think we can find something better for you that would fit the stock 16" MINI rim. The Primacy OK on dry handling but poor in noise and not that comfortable on reviews.
Tests are OK (suggesting that as they age they get noisy and hard)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=27

Given the tire size 195/55-16 in Grand touring Summer tires the choice are few-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ter=16&type=GT
If you like that class then see
Kumho Ecsta KH11
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Ecsta+KH11
In 205/50-16 $106 each 280 treadwear W speed rated 21 lbs 24.1" tire diam.
Moderately good owner reviews but might wear within 30,000 miles.
A better performer and better value than the Pilot Primacy.


If we use 205/55-16 and Grand Touring All Season tires we see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...r=16&type=GTAS

Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge
Comes in
205/50-16 $120 each 440 treadwear V speed rated 23 lbs 24.1" tire diam.
205/55-16 $108 each 440 treadwear V speed rated 24 lbs 24.9" tire diam.
Very good tire in all respects even though it is All Season. 24.1" is only a tad less than stock sized and 24.9" is 1/2" taller but still very good because the taller sidewall is more comfortable and a better value.

Kumho Solus KH16
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Solus+KH16
Comes in
205/55-16 $71 each 440 treadwear H speed rated 21 lbs 24.9" tire diam.
Not as highly rated by owners it offers good value and is a decent tire.
Note it is H speed rated and meant for street use. V speed rated can handle more heat and faster speeds but won't be a big factor for street driving at legal speeds.

In your case All Season tires are good because-
They will last longer than summer tires
You don't have to give up comfort for good handling
It doesn't have to be any less in value
They are well suited for daily driving with the MINI.

If interested give Alex@tirerack.com a call or email and ask about the Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge in 205/55-16 for your stock 16" MINI wheels.

 

I wonder if the Continentals on mine are that much better than the dunlops, or I'm just not as sensitive. These runflats are so much better than the ones that were on my 04.

 

Thanks guys. It did not occur to me to look at a difference size. Little bit smaller.

Ok,..going that route. What about the Goodyear Eagle GT-HR? Seems to be a good compromise between handling and noise. It is also 3 pounds lighter than the ResponsEdge?

I really am looking for folks whohave had these tires. I know I can lookup various tires at TireRack, but I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with tires in this class for the Mini. Tires are something I have horrible luck with.

 

the HR class you are mentioning are what most people have on their
cars and minivans (including my legacy and civic). if that's the kind
of performance you are looking for, then i think even your lexus is
running HR's....(maybe VR's..not sure, but it's not a performance type).

in this class what most people look for are LONG treadwear and
how quiet they are. they don't really care much about performance.

this is why you are having a hard time getting a response because we
want to get out of these HR rated tires and go to summer tires. minimum
EVS100's, Spec2's, RE730 range.

 

Fair enough.

The Lexus has Z-rated tires actually. Dunlop Sport Maxx. I hate those tires as well. Noisy. And they walk all over the any surface which is not glass smooth. Must be a common trait in all Dunlops, as the ones on Romi walk all over anything other than a smooth surface as well.

I have had zero luck with Bridgestones and Dunlops over the years and simply will not use them any more. Goodyear and Michelins are the ones I trust right now. I am not opposed to trying other brands. But I feel like I need to temper that.

Most of the guys I see posting in here are very performance oriented. Which is great. It is just not something I am interested in for the Mini. Treadlife is irrelevant to me. Safety is tops. I would like to find the balance between handling and road noise.

The Mini seems to really bring the road noise into the cabin. So I figure anything would be an improvement over the harsh runflats on it right now.

I am willing to compromise. And I am trying to be as specific as possible. Thanks again.

 

yah, if SportMaxx (which is suppose to be their 'quiet' perf tire) then best
you stick with HR's as you said. If you're willing to try Yokohama, i can
almost guarantee that you will like the Avid's. Those have shorter
tread life than others (which you don't care) but are grippy and quiet.

I used them on my previous sedans with great results. comfy, quiet,
nice grip.

 

I have never had a set of Yokohama's, but I have never known anyone who used them either. I'll look into them. Thanks kenchan.

And the Sport Maxx is supposed to be Dunlop's quiet tire? Woah. I hope I can find a better tire for it. Unfortunately it has 18" wheels. That is where my budget for wheels is going to go. See if I can find a set of 16 or 17 inch wheels for it.

 

It would be rare to find MINI owners that have Goodyear Eagle GT-HR. By reviews it is a little above average but there are many tires that handle better and offer more comfort for street use.

The GT-HR is in the class of High Performance All Season tires. MINIs often use Ultra High Performance summer or all season tires.
See
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=53
The tests for GT-HR.
Comes in
205/50-16 $95 each 400 treadwear H speed rated 20 lbs, 24.1" tire diam.
205/55-16 $90 each 440 treadwear H speed rated 21 lbs, 24.8" tire diam.

In that same class there is
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
Comes in
205/50-16 $163 each 400 treadwear V speed rated 22 lbs, 24.1" tire diam.
205/55-16 $118 each 400 treadwear H speed rated 23 lbs, 24.8" tire diam.
205/55-16 $99 each (special price) 400 treadwear V speed rated 23 lbs, 24.8" tire diam.

This is a well balanced tire with very good handling wet or dry and good comfort for street use. It's a good value in 205/55-16 no matter if V or H speed rated- they both work fine on the street.

 

Well, it was worth a shot. Appreciate the feedback.

 

My Benz's all had Michelin's. A quite different ride to begin with, I realize, but the tires are very quiet and smooth. They also wore out very quickly.

 

Tire wear is not something I am concerned about. If they need to be replaced every 10K miles, that is not an issue for me. As long as they are quiet and decent to good handling.

Ya know. It is soooo much easier to buy high performance tires. Shame it cannot be that easy for the rest. It is a crapshoot. I always feel like a freakin beta tester when buying tires.

Yes, these might do what you want, but then again, they may not. No, you cannot take them out for a test drive. No, we will not exchange tires if these do not do what you want. Sigh.

 

The Continentals that came with Betsy will be worn out around 24k. I'm getting close to replacing the shoes on my beloved 08 MC commuter. I don't take her to the track. Most I do is a little sporty cornering when it's safe and sane.

TireRack research makes the Michelin Primacy MXV4 look pretty good. Low noise, good handling, long life. Current TireRack reviews make the Primacy sound pretty good, not like an earlier response to the OP. I'm not doing runflats.

Also, do I stay with 175/65/15 or change the combo? If change, what do folks think makes sense? I'm at a loss to know which number(s) to toy with.


What say ye?
__________________

 

Michelin Pilot Primacy MXV4 (Grand Touring All Season) is a good choice for street use for any MINI using 15" or 16" rims up to about 7" wide.

175/65-15 is not available for this tire,
Using stock 15x5.5" rims try either
185/65-15
or
195/60-15 which actually comes in both H and V speed rated
The H rated tire is less expensive and will work for street use but either will work fine. V speed rated can handle more heat generated with higher top speeds.

205/55-16 also comes in both H and V speed rated.

620 treadwear is long lasting. Don't forget to keep tire pressures up and rotate as needed.

 

Kumho Ecsta ASX is a great tire if you have a tight budget and want to improve the performance of your ride! Just my .02!

My size is 195/50/15 which handles well and added a bit of acceleration to my justacooper.

 

Kumho ASX is decent for the moderate $62 price each.
420 treadwear, 85 load rating V speed rated UHP All Season tire

Tests
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=88
Better in dry than wet weather.

I don't see any 195/50-15 for this tire, only 195/55-15.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...irePageLocQty=

195/55-15 is a smaller than stock at 23.4" which could result in a fair amount of speedo and odometer error.

195/60-15 would be closer to stock tire diameter at 24.2". You gain a little more on the load rating and add one pound to the tire weight. 60 series sidewall would be more comfortable and more forgiving if you hit a pothole or have bad roads.

 

Since high performance/competition driving is not a concern for you, I suggest you might want to look at the General UHP Exclaim. Good grip (especially in the wet), comfortable, quiet and longwearing. Best of all, they are lightweight and inexpensive compared to other performance tires. I'm extremely happy with the 205/50/16's I've been using for over a year.

 

Minihune, rjtrout2000, Diploman,
Thanks for responding. I appreciate the help.

I'm not so concerned about cost, though I'm not profligate, having a kid in college and bills from the last one still on the books. Still, I can afford a hundred bucks a tire. I will look up all the tires noted.

One question, I thought that going wider would add weight and slow things down, yet rjtrout says it quickened his MC. How does that work?

I do enjoy showing off in a corner, but I'm really not in territory where I'll be running curves at high performance very often, so any tire that allows me to play a bit will be fine. I will likely never realize how much better it could be.

R

R

 

I have those Michelins on my Audi. Not a fun tire. Its OK if all you do is drive straight. If you want to enjoy the chassis, try a sportier tire. I use the Kumho SPT on my MCSa and am pleased with its day to day and more spirited street driving performance as well.

 

My SLK had them and liked them

 

I bought a set of the Primacys for my MCC in 205.55.16 from Costco. I love them on my heavy 500SL but on the MCC they were so hard riding they were beating my brains out. The Costco tire manager agreed they were not a good choice for the MINI, took them back and gave me a set of Pilot Exaltos in exchange which have been great riding and handling. Very precise cornering and great wet traction.