I am thinking of getting a higher side wall to add comfort. I know the speedometer will be incorrect, but I am more concern whether the tires will rub against the car. Anyone got 205/50-17 or 205/55-17? Also wouldn't using higher tires give the illusion of the car is lowered?

 

going up from 205/45 to 205/50 or 55 will create speedo/odo error.
I'd sell the 17's and pickup some 16s if you want a taller sidewall... also NON-runflats have much more sidewall flex, esp. if you get a non-sport/summer tire.

I have a spread sheet to show the amount of error introduced if you goto different tire sizes...

The stock size has a rolling dia. of 24.26" takes that up to 25.07 or 25.88 resp. this means you'll have an error of 3% and 7% resp, which means you'll think that you're going 55mph and smokey will clock your actual speed at 59mph.

HTH.

 

as for the taller tyrese making your car look lowered, it will give it a more cartoonish look, not lowered.

 

last post...
going to 195/50R17s will yield a dia. of 24.68 (vs 24.26 stock) which is only 1.5% low reading

 

Go for it. The difference in diameter isn't that drastic (25.07" diameter for the 205/50s vs. 24.26" for the 205/45s), and MINI speedometers run "slow" anyway.

One of our club members is running 205/50-17s on 17x7" Team Dynamics wheels and his car is very lowered. He doesn't have any problems with them.

 

I am really not too concern about the speedo/odo meter error. I rarely look at the speedometer since I usually follow the speed of the traffic. As for odometer, the error would be in my favor with bigger tires.. shhhhh

My main concern is whether the tires will rub aganist the car on every bump I hit. Just thought someone here might have done the same thing.. going with a bigger size than the OEM.

 

If you search for 17" tires the more narrow tires will be 205mm.
Tirerack and edgeracing don't carry any tires sized 195/50-17. The closest would be to go to 195/55-16.

While 205/55-17 is too tall to fit the MINI at 25.9" tire diameter, the selection of tires is very very limited. Only three Max Performance summer tires when searched at Tirerack.com.

For 205/50-17 this is possible with a MINI using stock suspension.
Yes it is taller than stock. Drive the speed limit and you will be close enough but you will be driving an actual speed higher than the speed reading.

Keep in mind there are many other ways to get a smoother ride without using a tire size that is taller (taller sidewall) than stock.

Your suspension- is it stock or upgraded? Want a smoother ride with better performance? Then consider Koni FSD shocks. Too expensive or no need for better performance? Then keep the stock suspension.

Alignment- needs to be set to factory specs about once each year or two. If you hit a pothole or road hazzard it can be misaligned with bad results and a rougher ride.

Tire pressures should be as MINIUSA recommends about 33 to 36 psi front and rear.

No runflats- these are firm and feel harsh depending on your roads.

Consider a smoother riding more comfortable tire like the
General Exclaim UHP (ultra high performance summer tire)
Comes in
205/50-17 $79 each 380 treadwear W speed rated 20 lbs 25.1" tire diam
215/45-17 $73 each 380 treadwear W speed rated 18 lbs 24.6" tire diam
225/45-17 $77 each 380 treadwear W speed rated 21 lbs 25" tire diam

Stock height tires will vary with size but about 24.2 to 24.4" is considered stock. The stock wheel gap is large so a taller tire will fit OK but there will be less room for heavy loads. If you routinely carry four adults then be careful about picking tires that are taller than 25". If you don't have more than two people in your MINI then any of these tire sizes would be usable with stock 17x7" rims.

Keep in mind that your tires are part of the suspension and that these General Exclaim UHPs are good for street use and comfort with good value.
If I had to pick a size I'd look at 215/45-17.

 

Thank you very much for the help everyone.

I will look into the General Exclaim UHP tires as minihune suggested. Most of the time I will be by myself, but once a week or so I will be carrying 2 coworkers (200 lb+ each) out to lunch. I think it maybe safer to go back to the stock height.