That kind of gap is similar (but less than) to stock so you may not have quite as much drop as you think.

215/45-17 will be fine. Enjoy. Overall the GS-D3 is a good choice and very good starting point to gain more experience with tires. When you do replace them you will have a warped sense of what tires should do and how they should perform. Going to a lesser tire will be difficult.

It's like driving a MINI then getting a rental domestic sedan. It will run but you will wonder why it isn't as fun to drive.

 

Sweet....thanks for all your help ......I really can't wait to see how much better it handles with the GS-D3 and being wider over the narrower runflats, should finally be able to keep up with my suspension.....can't wait

 

I think you will like it. Moving to better tires usually is something you can feel.

When I moved to Bridgestone Potenza S-03s long ago it was like night and day better than the Ultra High Performance Summer tire I had previously and much much better than the stock runflats. I had a relatively stock car at the time.

See what you think about-
Dry handling
Wet handling
Comfort- ride and noise

Post here your impressions.

Treadwear will require some time to determine.

Don't forget to keep tire pressure up enough for best results.

Tires are a big deal for any performance minded MINI.