hi everyone! i'm new here and i guess i have a few questions about upgrading my tires on my 07 MCS

after a lot of thought I have decided upgrading them on my stock 16" wheels (instead of buying new wheels)

I want to get off the runflats and i've been reading the forum and it seems liek the following are great choices

225-50-16? will these fit my stock 16" wheels?

205-55-16 i heard was a great replacement size also?

whats better? handling and just daily driving wise?

also.. would i need to get an alignment after the upgrade? does it void my warranty/maintence program if i took it to a tire shop to align my car?

thanks in advance

 

Welcome to NAM

Changing to non runflats is fine. What are you doing with your stock tires? Sell them to someone that wants runflats. Post your For Sale in the Marketplace forum on NAM.

You warranty is for the wheels being functional and for the tires from the tire manufacturer.

Changing tires should not be a problem but make sure that the tire installer can handle runflats since not all shops do. Don;t use the dealership as that would be really expensive.

If you buy tires from tirerack.com they can tell you which shops in your area can help with the tire mounting and balancing. No alignment is needed unless you feel your car is not aligned and then that should be done by the dealership because your MINI is new.

Stock 16" wheels are 6.5" wide.

205/50-16 is almost a perfect fit and match for stock tire diameter. If you can find a good Ultra High Performance summer tire in this size that is good. This gives accurate speedo and odometer readings. 50 series sidewall is good for handling and good on comfort.

205/55-16 is taller than stock but also good for street use and has a very good selection of tires that are Ultra High Performance All Season.This is a comfortable size but you get a little less clearance by 1/2". This tire is the same tread and sectional width as the 205/50-16 but with a taller tire diameter and about a pound heavier.

225/50-16 fits rims from 6-8" wide, perfect fit for 7" wide rim. It's about 0.2" wider tread width than the 205mm wide tires and about 2 pounds heavier.
Selection of tires is fairly good. So yes this size will fit but you will have a tall and wider tire than stock so less clearance and it's heavy about 25 pounds.

So ask yourself:

What is your budget?
How important is handling vs treadwear?
How important is comfort?
What are your going to use the tires for- only street vs any high performance driving events/driving school vs track vs autocross?
What plans do you have for lowering your MINI?
What is the weather like in your area? Any chance of driving in the snow?
What are the roads like? Any poor surfaces and potholes?

After you respond then we can narrow down your choices. We would be constrained a bit by the tire sizes you want to look at.

One really good tire that is popular with MINI drivers is-
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 which has various sizes to fit 16" wheels. Not too cheap but very good dry and wet handling, 280 treadwear, it's a Max Performance Summer tire with good street manners and moderate comfort.

 

I put BFG KDW 215/50/16's on my 07 MCS on 6.5 x16 Rota Slip Streams with a 45 offset. The stock wheel has a 48 offset. Therefore I think you'd be fine with 225's if you don't mind the tire sticking out just a little from the wheel wells. The 215 is stock height and the 225 is a little taller than stock, but that won't be a problem if you don't lower your Mini. Wider tires look nice and a taller tire will get rid of some of the wheel gap too.

 

215/50-16 will work OK. Limited tire selection for that size but there are few good ones for value.

In Ultra High Performance Summer tires
Avon Tech M500 $89 each 280 treadwear

In Ultra High Performance All Season tires
Kumho Ecsta ASX $88 each 420 treadwear

There are other choices too but more expensive or some not as good overall.

Since the stock tire is 195/55-16 you're fine with a 205mm wide tire. Going wider is possible at 215 or 225 but not really needed for street driving. It's a bit different for high performance driving but you are still limited to the width of the stock rim at 6.5". A very wide tire on a narrow rim doesn't take full advantage of the tire's design. And a stock MINI doesn't have enough front camber to make full use of the front tire's tread width so it's wasted unless you go with wider rims like 16x7.5 and more front camber like -2.0 degrees (-0.5 is stock).

 

Thank you both minihune and iautox! you guys have been great help and very informative! I really appreciate your input and suggestions

I will probably not be going track use, more of a daily drive with some performance

The 205-50-16 like minihune suggested sounds like the best choice.
I'll have to work with my budget and see if i can afford the Goodyear Eagle F1s or go with something else like Toyo Proxes 4 or Falken FK451

Thanks again! I will hit up tirerack and see where i can get this done hopefully by next weekend!

 

so with changing the tire, will i need to align my wheels again?

 

For general street use and long life with value

Consider in 205/50-16
In Ultra High Performance Summer tires
General Exclaim UHP $66 each 380 treadwear 19 lbs
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

Compared to Max Performance Summer tires in the same size
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 $119 each 280 treadwear 22 lbs
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx $101 each 240 treadwear 21 lbs
Higher prices, shorter treadlife but better handling, and a little less comfort but still very good for general street use.

IF you tire wear has been OK and fairly even then when changing tires there is no pressing need to do realignment.

If there is any uneven wear then doing an alignment will help to preserve as much treadwear as possible for your new tires.

If you have not done alignment in three years then it's generally good to do it. Road hazzards often will mess with toe settings and sometimes right and left settings can be uneven.

 

I am trying to get set up for the next spring. As I have mentioned a few times on this forum, I have a set of track tires without wheels in the dimension of 225/50-16. I could buy a set of OEM wheels 16x6.5" or 16x7" aftermarket wheels. 16x7 is a better fit for the 225mm width but will the tires come off under hard cornering if I put them on 6.5" wheels? What offset should I look for if I decide to go with 16x7"? Thanks.

 

225/50-16 fits rims from 6-8" wide, perfect fit for 7" wide rim.
They won't come off a 16x6.5 rim unless you have no air in the tire.

Offset should be about +42 to 45mm for 16x7 rim and stock suspension.