The 215/40R17 will be a smaller tire which will make your gearing response faster. I assume that will decrease your MPG.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

Your assessment seems right on the money in your earlier post about small diameter=higher RPM=lower MPG. The mileage thing could all be relative depending on where the sweet-spot is. Say you car runs at 2700 RPM in 6th at 60 mph that could be better MPG than say 2500 RPM at 50 MPH. There seems to be a diminishing return on MPG once the engine starts to "lug". You can turn on the MPG reading then change gears from 2nd to 6th at say 40 MPH and watch it go up or down.

Anyway "long story short" in advance..., the 215/45-17 should be softer than stock and possible better mileage due to slightly lower RPM.

205/45-17 are stock. (stock weight)
The Speedometer should be correct.
HWY mileage is say 32mpg at 60MPH and 2700 RPM in 6th gear.
Ride is moderate (not too harsh/stiff or too soft)

215/40-17 lower sidewalls/profile but wider tire/footprint. (similar weight to stock)
Speedo will read faster than actual
Mileage should be worse due to higher RPM at same speed and wider footprint.
Ride should be more harsh/stiffer but should handle more sharply than stock.

215/45-17 just slightly higher sidewall/profile and wider tire/footprint (heavier than stock)
Speedo will read slower than actual
Mileage could be better due to lower RPM at same speed, but the wider foot print, heavier weight (and possibly lower tire pressure required?) could make it a wash in terms of actual MPG v/s stock.
Ride should be softer, should handle less sharply than stock

205/40-17 basically the lightest weight and smallest tire, harshest ride and potentially worst mileage but possibly the best handling....if all tires were the same.

BTW: the only negative feedback I got about the larger tire than stock was from a guy at PhillyMINI (my local club) he said that there was minor rubbing in the rear wheel wells when the car was heavily loaded.

 

Aww great reading---thanks Leo and MrBeeb.

Richard

 

Yes I know that... That is why I said previously these are my options in 205/45/17...

1. Falken 912
2. Yokohama Parada Spec 2
3. Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season
4. Yokohama S.Drive

These are my options in 215/45/17...

1. Falken FK452
2. Nitto NeoGen 2

About gas consumption... A wider tire gives you more rubber in the ground = more traction... but my point is having a smaller tire in radius. That will make the wheels spin more times = more gas.

Right now I'm just looking great performance and comfort, still having good treadwear...

 

If you want to keep the gas mileage, then stay 205/45R17.

"Aww great reading---thanks Leo and MrBeeb."

Anytime.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

lol... I'll say the same if Falken had the FK452 in that size... but... no...

 

Anybody riding YOKOHAMA PARADA SPEC 2, NITTO NEO GEN or GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 A/S?... I want to read some reviews from Mini owners...
thanks

 

Hey Leo,

I just saw that you guys just got the SUMITOMO HTRz 3 and the BRIDGESTONE R01...
Is that Sumitomo better than the Falken 452?...
Anyone riding Sumitomo htrz 3?...

 

Joseph,

The FK452 and HTRz 3 are pretty much the same tire. They have AA traction and A temperture and are also very quiet too. The Bridgestones are very max performance, but you will not like the mileage you will get with them.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

Had 4 Falken 452's mounted and balanced yesterday. Haven't had time to install these wheels to the auto. The tires look great, though. Driving report forthcoming.

 

I rode those tires for a month and liked them a lot! Very soft and great grip... Unfortunately they don't come in 205/45/17...
I am wondering if the 912 is as good as the 452 (grip, ride, comfort)

 

Anyone ever try the Federal 595's?
I have then on one of my v8 cars and they handle pretty friggin good and stick like glue in the wet. They squirmed a bit when new on the tread blocks but as they wore down they stick much better. Verry cheap to boot and handle better than the kumho spt's.
http://www.citytireonline.com/Federal595.htm

 

wow... sexy tires and very cheap... mmm... I'd like to know more about them... Anyone?

 

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html This is a tire calculator I keep in my favs! I find it very helpful when working tire scenarios.
Have you considered the General UHP? I have used these on 2 diffent vehicles and both of them worked well. My son has them on a '01 Mustang GT and I had them on a '00 BMW Z3. Both vehicles rode markedly better. It may have been the softer sidewall? Formerly Goodyears on the 'Stang and Kumho Ecsta 512 on the BMW.
On the fuel mileage issue: There is a built in error in the MINI speedo. MINI says 5% is "within tolerance". A tire with a larger circumference will get you closer to real numbers concerning fuel mileage. I would have my speedo calibrated or at least find out how much it is off to know what is reality. I checked mine against one of those digital signs on the side of the road, and mine was off 10%. At 30 mph I was reading 33 mph on my speedo? Accurate calculations for fuel mileage needs to be done also. Fill your tank and see how many miles you traveled on the gallons of fuel used at the next fill-up. Sorry about the lengthy post!

 

paipuky ... How much tire rub did you get with the 215/45/17? Is your MINI lowered? My '07 is lowered with H&R Sport springs, I think by 1.4". I am seriously considering changing to the 215/45/17, would you think I would be pushing the limit by increasing the tire size, as far as rubbing goes? I don't want any rub in the wheel wells! It looks like I would have plenty of clearance?

 

Rubbing with the 215/45/17 is minimal and is only in the back. I got it most of all when passing over railroads a little faster than usual. I also get a little rubbing when have people in the back, but as I said is minimal. Also keep in mind that your wheels' offset makes a difference. LEO, can you explain us how this works please? I think my rims have 42 offset.
About speed reading, when I had the OEM Pirellis 205/45/17 I usually got 300 miles out of the full tank. With the 215/45/17 Toyo PX4 I've been getting 280...

 

Joseph,

Since you are running a taller tire, it will play a role in why your gas mileage has decreased due to the taller diameter. The weight of the tire also comes to play as well. Most of the time when you switch tires your gas mileage suffers due to the weight and over all diameter. I hope that helps a bit, but let me know if more questions come up.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

So I decided to go with the Falken 912 in 205/45/17. Good, cheap and have 40k miles warranty. So far they feel good, soft enough and good grip. I have a 30 day ride warranty. I hope I have found the best tire for my needs.
thanks

 

215/45/17 Falken FK452Report for others reviewing this informative thread:

Drove first time yesterday on my new 215/45/17 Falken FK452. Got them from Edge racing. Put them on my 2006 S. They are awesome compare to stock run flats:
QUIET!!!
Improved ride
Improved handling
No rubbing

 

Awesome! Those tires ares great... My 205/45/17 Falken Ziex 912 are good too, not as soft as the 452, but good enough and grip too. Also, my odometer seems to be back to normal. I am almost finishing my first tank after installing the new 912s and now I am getting 300 miles compared with 280 with the 215/45/17 I replaced.

 

Joseph,

I am glad they are working out for you.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

After almost 2 weeks of running these tires and having to balance them 4 tires, I have to say that I am not happy with them. I'll be changing them soon for Falken 452 or Nitto Neo Gen. It seems like they are defective, vibration is driving me crazy between 50-60mph. I balanced them 4 times, 2 different places, rotate them 3 times and still having vibration. I know the issue are the tires since my wheels were not vibrating with the previous Toyo PX4 I replaced. Unfortunately they have not worked for me... I am wasting a lot of money trying to fix the vibration.

 

Sorry to hear you are having such problems with those tire. Take a look at the General Exclaim UHP! They are minutely harder but I really love them. Have them on 2 other vehicles and they are very good. Don S.

 

So I switched to Goodyear F1 All Season in 215/45/17. Awesome tire, very soft and great grip! I haven't tested them in rain yet, but I am sure they should be great too. Tread life is 420, so hopefully they last long enough to worth the $140 a piece...
Unfortunately the vibration on the steering wheel still... douh! So I think it could be a problem with the steering wheel. The rims are fine and these are new tires... I rotated the wheels in every way and still vibrating...

Does anybody has had this issue with the steering wheel before?

Thanks

 

MINI, along with every other manufacturer, rates the car speedos to read faster than what your're actually going. This prevents them from being sued if someone tries to say their speedo was reading faster than actuality. Since automakers must be sure their cars do not read FASTER, they usually give themselves a cushion by making them 2-3mph lower.

some places just cant properly balance low profile tires. I ran in to this issue before. if u read discounttire website they offer a road force balancing option in which the tire is loaded with pressure to simulate it being on a car. the idea is that if u balance a tire off a car, once u add the weight it can cause vibration, especially on low profile tires. you probably didnt have an issue before because u had a bit of a higher sidwall which added more absorption.