I have an 06 MCS which is currently riding on 16" snow tires (on stock rims) in chilly New England weather, giving me plenty of time to figure out what tires to put onto the 17 summer rims come spring.

My impossible wish list includes:

- good life (30kmiles+ please?)

- reasonable handling - mostly having to drone along in rush hour but sometimes a clear off ramp really needs to be taken advantage of

- not excessively noisy

- possibly all season, not for snow but to deal with the sometimes unpredictable cold before actual snow tire season has arrived


I've looked through this forum, tire rack, general interweb sites, etc. Not clear on the pros/cons of going 225-45/17 vs the original 205/45-17 tire (did I get that right?)

I know that there are compromises between stickiness and wear, noise and comfort, etc - just interested in some more feedback from R53 cooper owners in the cold NE

cheers and happy almost christmas eve

 

Hankook Ventus EVO-12. They're avail in one of the 17 sizes for the mini... in one of the car magazines (I wish I remember which) a few months ago there was a technical comparo of "affordable summer tires". I looked closely, and I noticed that their #2 pick was #1 in comfort and noise:

The Hankook Ventus EVO-12

 

you where close
a 225/45-17 would be a monster side wall.

The popular tire size for 17's are
205/45-17-side wall height at 3.6(STOCK)
215/40-17-side wall height at 3.4
215/45-17-side wall height at 3.8

I have had really good luck with falken 512's (but they been discontinued and getting harder to find) my buddy swears by 612's and he does really good in all weather

you will have to compromise somewhere on tires unfortunately

 

I'm in the middle of looking for new tires too. I just bought a set of 17" Konig Feathers that I will be putting on my '08 MCS. I'm leaning toward the Bridgestone G019 Grids. TireRack gives them pretty good reviews, they have a 50,000 warranty, and they aren't too expensive. Also, I've read a lot of positive comments here on NAM about them.

Any other opinions??

Tom

 

Yeah, that's what I have - I guess I saw the other widths but misremembered 215 as 225


Yeah, looking for the best mix - thanks

 

any can comment on these tires for the MINI?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....+Pole+Position

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....emeContact+DWS

The Kumos I had were certainly less pricy..

 

Great tire!! Good ride, quiet and stick very nicely, with a progressive break away!

 

General UHP's are a pretty good budget choice too...I use them as my summer tire, and they are ok in the cold too, unlike a true summer tire, so one cold day early or late in the season does not make you scared to drive.
General tires are now made by contianal tire....oops sorry about mt spelling...mine were made in France, and they are wearing great. They seem to meet all your needs. One note, they are sold by tire rack as a summer tire, but the manfucures website list them as all-season, and they are fine in the cold, but great in the rain. No complaints here...very happy. If someone tracks their car, they may want a stiffer sidewall, but for a daily driver, it is a great choice.

 

+1
on the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO K110 and the
Falken ZIEX ZE 912

 

Look towards Nokian Tyres as well. Their tires are superb, low noise, high grip, and for being on a MINI, long wearing (~20,000mi if you run to the wear bars)

I run their V tire. I'd love to try the Z, but those don't come in 15".

 

+1 for the Hankook

 

What size did you go with? Considering 225-45/17's for my 07 MSC.

 

i don't know if it is available in a size for you, but the michelin pilot super sport has a 30,000 mile treadwear warranty ...

if not the super sport, all of the michelin summer "max" performance tires have a treadwear warranty

i just put a set of 225/50R18s on my cms all4 and they are fantastic, grippy, quiet, great in the wet

scott

 

Conti DWS I have over 20 K on them and they are still quiet and I can still see the dws on the tread.
Most seem to like them, I would not autocross on themn or track them, but for everyday driving they have been one of the best so far for me. jut remember we all drive different, and in different climate, tire are a pretty personal thing to most of us, what works for one may not for someone else

 

I have almost 5k on my Cooper Zeon rs3. They are 205/45-17, have a 40k warranty and are asymmetrical. So far so good.

 

+ 1 for Conti DWS have a set on my 07 MCS 215/45-17, and on my wife's 09 GTi.
They ride great, excellent grip, fairly low sound feedback. The only thing I noticed is that I have to take a screw driver and pick round gravel out of them once a month or so when I'm driving with the windows down... ( I hope I'm not the only person who does this, damn you OCD!!!)

 

I have Continental DW (very different from the DWS!) and really really like them. For my summer performance tires, however, I have Yoko AD08s. Super grippy but very loud. The DW on 16" rims is still pretty darn sporty, and beat the pants off of just about any other tire out there when Car and Driver tested them in their "Monsters of Grip" article.

 

225/45-17 is a common tire size but is not recommended by MINI due to the very tall tire diameter of 25". A taller tire will reduce wheel gap and clearance and risk rubbing under a full load depending on your suspension, it's also wider than OEM

See post #3 in this thread for the common tire sizes for 17" rims.

When possible try for 205/45-17 on a 17x7" rim. If you have a lowered suspension then this size or a smaller tire diameter will give you more clearance. 215/40-17 or even 205/40-17 is possible but with a 40 series sidewall your ride comfort would be worse than with runflats unless you have smooth roads.

215/45-17 is fine for OEM wheels and suspension, it offers a good selection of tires in various tire classes and gives decent ride comfort depending on which tire you select. It is slightly taller than OEM so less wheel gap, but if you lower your suspension 1" or more then there is some risk of rubbing in the rear plastic wheel arch lining, if so then dremmel the inner edge for more clearance.

For the OP, you wrote:

My impossible wish list includes:

- good life (30kmiles+ please?)

- reasonable handling - mostly having to drone along in rush hour but sometimes a clear off ramp really needs to be taken advantage of

- not excessively noisy

- possibly all season, not for snow but to deal with the sometimes unpredictable cold before actual snow tire season has arrived

--------------------
Although it might seem impossible to find the right tire, it can be done or at least get really close. You did not mention budget nor tire size which are important.

Let's deal with each trait or priority-

1. Long treadwear

Each tire has a treadwear marking from the manufacturer, it is a rough guide to the expected wear but will vary from one tire maker to another. A tire of 100 will wear twice as fast as a 200 tire and three times as fast as a 300 tire. However if you drive aggressively you can wear out a 300 tire as if it were a 200 tire.

Better tire wear comes with keeping tire pressures up, having a good alignment without excessive toe settings, driving sanely, and tire rotation at every 3000-4000 miles, no matter if MINI says no need.

Using these strategies I can make soft grippy tires last longer but don't expect too much, they will wear out. Tire warranty as mentioned is available and can be used to get a portion of the cost reduced if you wear out the tires before the warranty period, ask the tire shop about their policy.

Some rough guidelines on treadwear-
200 or less are Extreme Summer tires that wear fastest but grip the best in the dry, most are not comfortable or quiet for daily use. If you drive low miles and don't mind some bumps it's fun to have, be careful and slow down in the rain as resistance to hydroplaning is low to none.

300+ are usually Max Summer tires, not for any cold weather under 40 degrees. Usually excellent in dry or wet but will wear faster than any all season tire. Can be comfortable and quiet depending on the tire.

400+ various tires offer better treadwear, some with better handling like Ultra High Performance Summer or All Season tires, some with better ride comfort and low noise like Grand Touring All Season tires.

500-600+ seems like it shouldn't be but these tires really do last. However they do that by trading off crisp handling and response. Grand Touring All Season tires commonly fall here and are great for commuting or touring.

2. Reasonable handling
No matter which MINI you have, you deserve to use the BEST tires you can.
There are so many good tires in various sizes that to buy the junk you see at most tire stores, big box and dept stores is not good. You can do better and usually for less cost.

A base cooper needs an H speed rated tire or better like W,V or Y. Speed ratings have to do with max speed but also how well the tire tolerates driving aggressively and handling heat. Buying a basic Standard all season tire is a waste, save that for an ECHO. You don't need to splurge on an Extreme or Max Summer tire, a good Ultra High Performance Summer or All Season tire will work.

For the MCS or any JCW MINI you can choose anything you want but any tire will a lower treadwear number and higher speed rating is going to be a better match. If you want good handling but good wear then look at Ultra High Performance All Season tires. Otherwise Max Summer tires are a good start. Grand Touring All Season tires can be used but handling will be less.

3. Not noisy

Noise can come from various reasons:
Tread design
Hardening of the rubber with age
Tire construction

It is possible to get a Max Summer tire that handles well with good ride comfort and lower noise. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport does that but wears fast and can cost more, Continental ExtremeContact DW offers ride comfort, lower weight, reasonable cost in trade for reduced handling (but still good).

Some examples for less noisy tires/ (more comfortable riding) in 17" sizes like 205/45-17 or 215/45-17:

Max Summer tires
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Bridgestone Potenza S-04
Continental ExtremeContact DW

Ultra High Perf Summer tires
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

Ultra HP All Season tires
Continental ExtremeContact DWS
Goodyear Eagle A1 Asymmetric All Season
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS
Yokohama ADVAN S.4.
Kumho Ecsta 4X

Grand Touring All Season (this class has the best ride comfort and noise comfort ratings by owners)
Michelin Primary MXM4
General Altimax HP
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 (but has less crisp dry and wet handling)

Many of these tires come in sizes for 16" wheels and sometimes 15" but few for 17".


Of note for those that need a quiet low rolling resistance Grand Touring Summer tire in 16" consider-
Yokohama dB Super E-Spec 460 treadwear
195/55-16 $162 closeout at tirerack.com, 19 lbs
Tirerack test result-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=121
Handles well in dry or wet, gets good mpg

4. Can be used three seasons

If you live in any area with unpredictable cold weather and snow, then Ultra High Performance All Season tires make sense. You don't have to worry about weather and get good handling and treadwear. Grand Touring All Season tires are also OK but with more ride comfort and lower noise.

It is not recommended to drive summer tires in any snow and if temperatures drop, the rubber gets hard and looses it's grip in cold.

Besides what tirerack has to offer there are other brands to consider-
Nokian
Nitto
Falken
Cooper

In the end choose wisely and consult with others that might use the tires you are considering, everyone's needs and requirements are unique. Just like your MINI.

 

Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires, all you'll need wet or dry.

 

Agreed but,

Doesn't come in sizes for 15" or 16" wheels.
Only for Summer/ warm temperatures.
Wears fast, likely will last about 12-18 months for the average driver
Not cheap in 205/45-17 compared to other options
Doesn't have ultimate grip on the track like an Extreme Summer tire

 

Whoa what a zombie thread! Almost 4 years!!

 

Mcihelin PSS's
I don't track so I didn't know about the grip. On the street they're great for me.
No need for 15/16" he asked about summer tires for the 17" wheels.
True, they are not cheap.