My wife and I plan to order a Roadster S. I have some questions about the stock wheel and tire options. (If this has been covered here, I apologize; I searched, but got back dozens and dozens of results that didn't answer my questions...)

1) Comparing the stock 16" wheels with the stock 17" wheels : what are benefits to going with the 17" wheels? Other than the added cost, are there any disadvantage to the 17" wheels ?

2) From reading on this site and talking a couple of MINI owners, it seems that the stock run-flat tires are not very popular. I see that I can get All-Season tires at no extra cost. For context, I live in Northern VA, and although I will be using this car as a commuter, we don't typically get enough snow to justify a spare set of rims & tires. So in my situation, would the stock all-season tires be a general improvement over the run-flats?

Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.

 

the all-season tires are runflats too

the choice is between summer tires and all-season tires, both are runflats

if you get the summer tires, you will need another set for winter

scott

 

It really depends on what you want and how hard you drive.

I had 16s on my previous justa Cooper and did not feel they had any surplus traction to handle an S motor. The 17s on my Roadster are definitely a lot grippier.

But 17 runflats and sports suspension seems to be a combination that plenty of people regret because of the appalling ride. I'm sure the sports suspension option is great on a track, but I'm not convinced it's a good choice for road use.

17s will give you slightly worse fuel mileage, but not by much - maybe 1 mpg.

 

I've got 17's and the all seasons on my roadster.. They'll eventually become my winter set when I get some summer wheels with non run flats.

 

17's here

Dunlops are fine, not hard low noise no complaints
Our Coupe with Michelin's another story like a school bus LOUD !

Just put on winter tires, non run flats much quiter then the RF Michelin's

Haven't noticed a change from the Dunlops

17's just look wayyy better. Imop of course.

If you get snow you cannot drive safely with the summer tires, I tried and you will get traction to go
However don't plan on stopping lol! Pretty ugly

 

What's not popular is runflat's in general ..... but as to what you can get on your car from the dealer / MINI:

I had 17's on my 02-S (S-Lites summer pirelli) and have 16's (all season Continental) on my 07-S

when wife went for first ride in the 07 she asked if something had been wrong with the 02 since the ride was so much softer in the 7 . . .

with the 17's you are going to get a lower profile tire - that is: a not as tall sidewall - and either way summer or all season they are gonna be runflats. The runflat technology we get is just a VERY VERY stiff sidewall, able to carry the weight of the car for a short time. This very stiff sidewall is stiffer yet when it is not as tall as a similar tire with a taller sidewall. The taller sidewall has more room for 'give'. Make sense?

So, long way to say that if a MINI has a stiff ride to begin with, it will be stiffer yet with a shorter sidewall profile.

I for one do not mind this stiff ride ... my 79 rides hard as a rock ... but we all have our preferences. If possible go to a dealer and drive two same model of Coopers (like two hardtop S), one with 16 and one with 17 and see if you can tell a difference. I like the look of 17s & I knew the 16s would be softer but bought off the lot and well, when I want to punish my kidneys I can drive the 79!

No matter the size, the popular opinion on this site is that runflats stink and you should get rid of them as soon as possible.

1. Runflats ARE very very stiff in the sidewall making them ride harder than similar 'regular' tires
2. The selection of runflats is much smaller than non-runflats - options are limited when selecting new tires
3. A runflat will typically cost twice what a 'regular' tire will cost, or more. OUCH if you need to replace one. When time for a new set - multiply by 4 . . . many people give in to the economics of dumping RF's when time to buy new tires. (myself included)

OTOH IMO there are very STRONG points for the safety factor of runflat tires - this spoken by a person who's found them self in a position where RFs bailed me out of a potential problem situation that no spare/slime/pump/or AAA would have been as effective at doing so consider your options ... down the road.

You have plenty of time to decide what you want for your replacement tires . . .

 

In general, smaller wheels are lighter, which is supposed to be good for handling, but it depends on the actual wheels you choose. The 16" wheels we got (Bridgespokes) as actually slightly heavier than the 17" (Star Bullets).

Having run both 16" and 17", without runflats, I can't say I've noticed much of a difference.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'll plan to get the all-season tires, although now I understand that they are also run-flats.

Regarding the wheel size, I'll try to get out and do some test driving with the different size wheels.

 

One other point -- if you decide to order your Roadster with the factory JCW Kit you get the 17" Cross Spoke wheels but lose the all-season tire choice. Performance SSR tires only.

Not a big deal for me, as I have a completely separate set of wheels/tires that I run through the winter. But it could be a factor for folks from the northern climes.

 

Yes but the conical spokes is a no cost option in the package and come with all seasons.

 

For context, I live in Northern VA, and although I will be using this car as a commuter, we don't typically get enough snow to justify a spare set of rims & tires.

I lived in the outskirts of DC for several years driving a 4wd SUV ... which was put into 4wd once a year for 10 minutes to ensure it still worked and to move the grease around ... but never saw more that 1/2 inch of snow.

So I traded it in ... on a Miata! Loved the car, great fun to drive. Possibly the best car I ever owned. And the first winter we got a blizzard and saw 20+ inches of snow in a single weekend. I tried to drive thru snow once in the Miata and after that just made arrangements with work .... if it snows, assume I'm taking a vacation day!

Lived in Norfolk when I bought my first MINI in 2002 and had 17's with the Pir'lli RF's. It seldom snowed but we did get a lil'. Driving with extreme care I could navigate it - but note I grew up and learned to drive IN snow country. More significantly we had a bunch of grooved Interstate surface and several open grate draw bridges. Those Pir' did NOT like either one. I had MAJOR tramlining issue
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

Changing to a different tread pattern helped but wide tires are just more susceptible

thoughts to chew on . . .

 

Regarding the choice between the OEM 16" and 17" wheels: from the replies to my initial question, it seems that...

- the 17" wheels may be better for putting the turbo's power on the ground
- the 16" wheels are paired with tires with a taller sidewall which improves the ride (but I assume reduces cornering ability to some degree)

Any comments on this?

Also, can someone tell me the stock tire sizes that are paired with the 16" wheels and the 17" wheels?

 

Stock tyre (oops, tire) sizes are 195/55-16 and 205/45-17.

The 10 difference in tyre width doesn't sound like it will give much extra grip but it does - partly I think because 45-series tyres are sportier models that 55-series tyres.

 

- the 16" wheels are paired with tires with a taller sidewall which improves the ride

improves depends upon your definition of better

I LIKE a stiffer ride