Just got my new set of 17x7.5 with Ventus V12 Evo's (215/45/17) installed on my Clubman S. Intially I used a incorrect reading gauge and set the pressure to somewhere around 32lbs, not 35 like the door sticker and owner's manual says. Of course neither sticker nor manual says anything about 215's just 205's. I noticed the ride at 35lbs seems both a harder ride as well as slightly noisier too. Could it be that I should set tire pressures lower than 35lbs? I realize there could be adverse effects to the tires at too low or too high pressure. Seems Im in a bit of a pickle here.

Any recommendations?

 

I tend to go with higher pressures, such as 36. A few lbs of pressure can be felt in the ride smoothness.
I also just got Hankook V12s installed.

 

Installed Hankook Ventus V-12 Evo 215/45/17 on Speedee about 2K miles ago, and have been playing around with pressures since then. The actual difference in internal volume between the 205's and the 215's is minimal. I started at the 35psi recomendation, and went up as far as 38 and down as low as 30 in 1 lb. steps, and finally settled on 34psi as a comfortable solution. Seems to work for me. Might want to check with the pros at Tire Rack, and see what they have to say...
Post what you learn!

Cheers, Steve

 

I'm running Hankook's Ventus R-s2 225/45/17's at 35 lbs. Seems to work well for me.

 

35 psi on mine as well. 40 at the track.

 

V12's here. 214/40/18's. Front: 38, rear: 36.

One of the guys at the local high performance shop (BMW's, Ferraris, Porsches, etc.) pointed out to me the little arrows there the tire tread curves around to the sidewall. Apparently, it designates the limit that the manufacturer has set for scrubbing the rubber. Or maybe it's the ideal limit. Anyway, he said that in spirited driving, if the rubber is scrubbed to that point, your tire pressure is in the ball park. With 38 in the front, I was just at the tip of the arrow. In the rear, with 36, I was a little away from the arrow and he said I might drop some more in the rear. He also said that it's not set in stone and that if you're happy with the way the car is handling, then I could leave it at 36 in the rear. I haven't experimented yet.

Also, keep in mind that different tire sizes and different aspect ratios mean different tire pressures. Also, with the heavy front weight bias of the Mini, the front is carrying noticeably more weight than the rear and therefore should have a higher tire pressure than the rear. Unless you're always carring a load in the rear, I'd keep the rear at least 2 lbs lower than the front.

 

I'm getting a set of these today in about an hour. Just wondering what everyones opinion on these are for spirited street and autocross driving.

 

Just absolutely fantastic tires. In my experience, they stick very, very well. And when you finally approach their limits of adhesion, they let you know rather than just breaking loose. And believe me, you've got to be cornering really hard to approach those limits. They're also about as quiet a tire as you're gonna find. And during the winter, they worked just great in the rain. (Silicon Valley area of California.) All in all, a fine tire. The reason I went with them is that Car and Driver did a summer tire test and the Hankook got a solid 2nd place. The first place tires weren't available in the size I wanted. Google Car and Driver and tire test and you should be able to find it.

FYI, I get about 8000 miles out of the fronts. Doesn't seem like much but then I'm driving a cabriolet that weighs a bit more, plus it's a full on, "every possible JCW option" car, and I have a lead foot and like to drive and corner fast and hard. The rears will last 3 to 1 or better compared to the fronts. Maybe even longer.

FYI: 'Had a bad experience with Toyo Proxes 4's recently.

 

So if you rotated them, they'd probably last a good 15k? I'm just looking at these tires for dd and autox, and i was hoping to have them last a couple of years (use blizzaks in the winter)

ps- What do you think of the sidewall stiffness? Some reviews have said these tires feel spongy

 

Well, at first I noticed that the side walls or just the tire in general felt softer, spongier. And there was more of a lag between steering input and and the tires/car responding. But that was coming straight off of Dunlop runflats with super stiff and rigid sidewalls. In no time at all, I was used to them. And now I would characterize them as nice and responsive. They really are fine tires. The local racing shop that specilizes in exotic cars (and Minis as well) used to recommend the Yokohama S Drives. Now they're recommending the Ventus V12's. They really are fine tires.

 

I tried the S.Drives for a few hundred miles. The way I drive, I really didn't care for them. I really like these tires!!

 

Haven't put them on my car yet, but they look Awesome mounted on my new wheels. Nothing like new tire aroma filling up my garage.

 

Sounds like they're great tires. Hopefully I won't lose that signature go-cart feeling.
Any idea how they would compare to Kumho Ecsta SPT? I just want to make sure these tires will do me well in some autoXing

 

" I just want to make sure these tires will do me well in some autoXing."

I would not expect them to be competitive with Kumho Ecsta XS or Dunlop Star Specs or Toyo R1Rs or Hankook R-S3s or Bridgestone R11s or Yokohama AD08s. If that isn't required for doing you well, then I would expect them to be a competent, fun tire.

 

Well, you will loose a bit of the go-kart feeling compared to run-flats, but that would be true switching from runflats to any tire. But otherwise, it'll still be a hoot to drive. Enjoy!

 

Well i'm not looking to find the best autoX tire, because it seems those tires won't last me many miles using it as a DD. I'm looking for something that will do me well allow me to do better than my current dunlop runflats which came with the car (which suck).

I'm still a beginner at autoX since i've only just done it once, this past weekend, but plan to do a couple of more this year. So i also figure i might not notice too much of a difference bumping up to an extreme performance tire

 

The V12's are a big improvement over the runflats, believe me. And for a summer tire, their wet weather performance is rather remarkable.

 

I agree with martinb.
The V12s handle much better than the runflats. The V12s are a much stickier tire.
I was also surprised how good the wet traction was when we got stuck in a rain downpour going into Grand Junction during MTTS. Living in California I usually do not worry about wet traction but the V12s did OK.