Hello, just wondering which michellin tires are good for my mini cooper 2006...anybody had any? thanx

 

as far as comfort, personly i would look to see if michellin makes the pilot exalto AS. in the size that you need. they have a nice smooth ride and yet they are well, kind of a sports tire considering the have a directional tred to them. one could compair them to the goodyear assurance tripletred slightly, except a little more performance oriented. otherwise for comfort and less performance you could look at primacy mxv4, if they come in that size... hope that helps.

 

I just purchased a set of these in 205/50/16 and, although I've not put more than 30mi on them yet, I've very pleased with the initial ride.

I did research a bit and found that this particular tire is probably one of the best all-arounders. It's not as stiff as some of the Ultra High Perf A/S tires, and I expect it'll do well with my MC's life (which consists primarily of boring commutes and leisurely highway time).

Overall, I've had fabulous experiences with Michelin tires on our other cars and I've been mostly disappointed with every other brand (Goodyear and Bridgestone are at the top of my never-buy-again list). And, you can call me a brand snob, but I won't touch a Khumo. You get what you pay for.

 

My '03 S has been running on Pilot Exalto A/S (205/50/16) for at least a year. Very responsive, grippy and smooth. Keep the pressure a little higher than the norm for turn-in that's almost as good as the original Dunlop RFs, but still much less jarring.

 

"Good" in what way?
Take your pick.

There are many Michelin tires that could be good for any MINI (yours is a Cooper S automatic transmission and stock suspension).

In Max Performance Summer tires:
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 220 treadwear
235/40-17 $198 each fits rims 8-9.5" wide, 24.4" tire diam.
Test results- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=98


In ultra high performance summer tires:
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 240 treadwear
205/45-17 $124 each (special)
215/45-17 $165 each
Test results- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=54
Moderately comfortable for street use, excellent in wet.

In ultra high performance All Season tires:
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
No good sizes for the MINI in 15/16/17"

In High Performance All Season tires:
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 400 treadwear
195/60-15 $93 each H speed rated
205/55-15 $127 each V speed rated
205/50-16 $160 each V speed rated
205/55-16 $118 each H speed rated
225/45-17 $165 each H speed rated, Tall at 25" tire diameter (risk of rubbing)
Test results- http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=60
Note: H speed rated is fine for street driving, V handles heat better for any performance driving such as on a track or at driving school events.

 

Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2's !!

 

im just sick of the bad ride quality of the run flat...can you recommend me tires for drastic change in comfort noise level.thanx

 

the most drastic change that you will more likely see is in the pilot exalto a/s since they are a high performance all season tire. those usually give the best in ride comfort and a low noise level because they are not as "extream" in the performance category. also having sold numerous sets of the exalto a/s and people telling me how nice they ride. quick little side note to fbox, the "lower" end kumho's suck, but if your looking for a decent performance tire that isn't extreamly expensive the Escta MX is quite nice, i've got a couple of friends running them and they are nice and stickey... but then again the way tires perform on each car is different and some people have their brand preferences... just look at oil for example

 

ive got the pilot exatla pe-2's. Great summer all purpose tire. Decent in the rain, decent in the dry. They however make a lot of noise on the track and the side wall is very soft.

Some how they ride like a cadillac and still perform decently well. Not sure if I'll keep them or replace them with something else.

 

Are you going to use stock 17x7 wheels?

What is your budget for tires?

How long do you want them to last?

How important is very good handling?

Usually when you want good street comfort that is going to mean less good handling (compared to summer tires).

There are tires that have good handling but faster wear AND good comfort like the Extreme Performance summer Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R in 205/45-17 or 215/45-17. Treadwear 140 to 180.

Then there are the UHP All Season tires that wear well, are comfortable for street use, can be used in light snow but don't handle quite as good as summer tires.

Good examples are-
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S 215/45-17 $136 each 400 treadwear )might be a good choice for longer treadlife and street comfort with very good handling.
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season (good handling but firm ride)
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (sizes not MINI friendly)
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position (215/45-17 $155 each 400 treadwear)

For more information talk to Alex@tirerack.com

see
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co....php?p=1820220
Post #2
Alex mentions Standard Touring All Season tire
Continental ContiPremierContact in 215/45-17 for $117 600 treadwear
Has more street comfort but less good in handling compared to summer tires. Has very long treadlife.

Another comfortable Ultra High Performance summer tire at the expense of handling but still good is the General Exclaim UHP
215/45-17 for $76 each 380 treadwear, Not for any snow use.

 

oh, im just sick of the road noise and stufff...do you think goodyear f1 eagle a/s will provide good comfort? when u mean stiff ride, do you mean not comfortable and loud?

 

It depends on what your definition of comfortable is. the thing with the goodyear eagle f1 a/s is that they have carbon fiber in the sidewall to obtain a stiffer sidewall so they can keep as much rubber on the road during turns. goodyear claims that even with the carbon fiber in there it doesn't make much road noise and it is sposed to "dampen" it, does it work? that i'm not sure of. are they going to be as stiff and as noisy as the run-flats, i doubt it. Me telling you how comfortable a tire is is based entirely on my view of comfort is, i think the Falkens that i have on my MINI are pretty good. very little road noise, a lot smoother than that of the run-flats it had on it. and they still have a very nice feel to them, nice turn in on corners, and fairly decent in iowa winters.... but than again thats in my view... yours could be quite different.

 

If you really want comfort then you're better off trading handling for comfort.

That's why I mentioned the Continental ContiPremierContact (standard Touring All Season tire).

But you don't get something for nothing. You get more comfort but handling and response is more vague and not as crisp and responsive. It's not horrible but certainly not as good as the Goodyear eagle F1 AS.

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 and AS are similar for road manners but when pressed on the track the GS-D3 handles better. The trade off is the AS will last longer and can handle some snow. GS-D3 wears faster and cannot be used with snow. If you rarely drive aggressively then the AS will work fine between the two.

For most of use that drive MINIs we don't want to loose handling to the point of going with a touring tire like the ContiPremierContact.

On the other hand- for daily driving right now I have
stock 15" wheels and stock Grand Touring All Season
Continental ContiTouringContact CH95 tires in 175/65-15.

These rate 15th out of 17 tires by customers and have mediocre scores but with my suspension and a little smooth throttle input I do just fine for street driving. I even took it on a very curvy mountain pass with other MINIs. Handling was not crisp but OK, I wasn't very fast but it was fun. I had the smoothest ride of all the MINIs that day.

Today I also hit a 1 foot wide pothole in heavy traffic and did fine, a huge bang and no damage to tire, rim or suspension.

When I want, I can put on my other 15" wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R and those are quiet, smooth, and handle great but they wear fast.

There are also some good tires in Grand Touring All Season class
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=86
But sizes for the MINI are limited.
205/55-16 is OK

Goodyear Eagle ResonseEdge
215/45-17 $125 each 440 treadwear (comfortable street tire)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....le+ResponsEdge
Also comes in 205/50-16

Another choice in 215/45-17
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=121895
Comfortable street tire and All Season

 

what if i wanted half perf and half comfort???? anything that is better than run flats are goood... are f1 eagle a/s better than run flats as in comfort and perf? thanx

 

I went with Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S 205/55-16 as a compromise between handling and comfort. They are quieter than my Michelin Pilot Exhalto PE2 205/45-17 (different set of wheels). I can't give you a comparison in comfort because 16" 205/55 are going to have a softer ride than 17" 205/45.

If you are currently running 17" wheels, you could do what I did and get a set of 16" Rota RB wheels for $575 shipped. Have comfortable tires put on them and performance tires on your 17". The Rota RB only weigh 14 lbs. each, which will help give a more comfortable ride.

 

Finding a good balance within the tire size you want is difficult.
Getting tires that are more comfortable for street use is fairly easy.
Getting handling that is also better than runflats but still comfortable is not as easy.

Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons handle well enough but have a firm ride- whether better or not than runflats will depend on tire size. Low profile sizes will be firm.
That's why 16" wheels can allow for sizes that are better for comfort such as 205/50-16 or even 205/55-16.
Good choice for All Season weather use and longer treadlife with good handling trading off some comfort.

In 215/45-17 (for a stock 17x7 wheel) for good balance between comfort and handling consider (edgeracing.com)
Falken Fk452 $86 each 300 treadwear
Ultra High Performance Summer tire
http://edgeracing.com/tire/2635/
Good choice for value, handling and comfort, not as long treadlife, not for any snow.

 

I have been running the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S 205/50-16s also. They are great. They will seem taller at first, but will settle in to pretty much the proper rolling diameter with a break in period. The ride is great, and they do have plenty of grip as well as good tread life. Also as a former Michelin Tire Corp. emplyee, I can tell you that you will not find a better built tire than a Michelin. They design and build their own tire building equipment because their tecnology is well ahead of everyone else.

 

That's good to know, I'll be running 205/45/17 Pilot Exalto PS2's this coming Spring. I'm experimenting with buying them piecemeal, got 2 @ $100 each on eBay brand new, found a very low mileage third, and looking for a 4th. If I can't find one, I'll grab one new from TireRack at $125 each you can't really go wrong... Heard great things, reviews are really good, and ranked 1st in its class in their testing. I need the wet grip, and am keeping my balding runflats on OE wheels for track days - yes they won't be as grippy as track tires, but they're already paid for and I'm not setting any records, so there ya go!

2packt, what are you looking for in what size? According to the reviews and some Club members I've talked to, good 17" alternatives are the Avons (a/s or summer), the Kumho ASX (all season) and SPT (summer), or spend more for the Goodyear F1 a/s or F1 GsD3 (I had those, loved 'em). All will outlast the runflats, give a more supple ride, and give up very little in responsiveness. You'll have to carry a can of Fix-A-Flat, or Slime and a compressor though - and they fit nicely in the hatch area.

For any tire, upsizing 1/2 a size will give more supple ride quality - going from a 205/45/17 to a 215/45/17 not only gives a little more sidewall, but almost corrects the speedometer error (no longer reads high since the tires are larger outside diameter). Ditto 195/55/16 to 215/50/16, or even 205/55/16 (but those get to looking a little big). IMHO, the 195/55/16 is really the ideal size for the Mini's balance of sharp handling and live-able ride.