Currently, I have some 17" Wheels and 205/45 R17 Sport Tires on my R53. They're amazing in the summer....in the summer. That's the problem. Come winter time, they're good, but once there's more than an inch and a half, they can't get out of really anything. I'm wondering if I should buy some 16 or 15 inch wheels and some all-terrain tires with some thick side walls and real deep treads. Basically some winter time rally tires. I know there's "Winter Tires" that are low profile but I want some real deep threaded ones. Keep that in mind. Any suggestions or pictures?

 

Just get Ice and Snow tires. The tread is two to three times deeper then a standard tire. Where I live we consistently get 100"+ of snow a year. With regular snow tires I have never been stuck and I have about 3" less ground clearance then a stock Mini.

 

Do you have any pics you could post or the brand and model numbers?

 

Blizzak WS70 are the snows I have been using. I don't really have any pictures that show the tires in great detail.

Here's my car plowing the driveway though:


Also for comparison sake:

Tread depth:

Most summer tires - 7/32 through 9/32
Blizzak WS70 - 12/32
BFG All Terrain T/A KO - 16/32

I overstated it with my two to three times claim. But it is also just as much about the rubber compound and tread pattern as it is about the tread depth.

 

For winter use, you ideally want to have at least 4/32nd's of tread depth left.

I use Blizzak WS70's on the Mini. A phenominal winter tire. Here is a close up from The Tire Rack:



Here is the key to winter tires verses all seasons or summer only tires:

"The Blizzak WS70 features a dual-compound tread with Bridgestone's NanoPro-Tech silica-enhanced Tube Multicell compound layered on top of a standard winter compound. The Tube Multicell compound features thousands of microscopic tubes and cells uniformly distributed throughout the compound (which makes the rubber look like Swiss cheese when examined through a microscope) that wick away the water that often forms between the tire's contact patch and the surface of snow-packed and icy roads. New pores and tubes are constantly exposed around the tread as the tire wears. This flexible rubber compound improves the tire's grip in cold conditions while the bite particles attached to the tubes scratch at packed snow and icy surfaces for traction."

 

here is what i did

first decide on wheels, you should look at tirerack for winter tires in different wheel sizes

i bought mini oem 16" alloy wheels from ecstuning.com, they are the correct offset, do not need centering rings and use the oem lug bolts

ecstuning has both steel and alloy oem wheels

then find a friendly tire store, best is an independant that sells used tires

go mount up some tires on your new wheels to find the largest size that fits

now go buy winter tires in that size

i found that for my cms all4, 16" was both the smallest wheel i could use and the largest selection of winter tires availble

next at the tire store, i found that 205/70R16 tires fit with no clearance problems even with 6 200 pound people aboard, 1 in each seat and 2 more sitting on the boot edge, 205/75R16s rubbed in front before the steering got to full lock

back to tirerack, i found dunlop grandtrek 205/70R16 studless snow and ice tires ($91 ea less a $40 rebate)

result:

stock 225/45R18 summers on left, 205/70R16 winters on right




on the cms all4


i picked up 3/4" ground clearance with the tall tires and hopefully lots of rim protection from potholes

the tires performance is unbelievable, i was motoring through 9" of wet snow like i was on dry roads

the smallest AT type tire i found was a 215/75R16 and it would not fit without rubbing

my 4x4 p/u truck has AT style tires and the winter tires on the mini work much better

scott

 

+1

I'd rather have a front driver with 4 winter tires mounted than a 4x4 / AWD with all seasons...

Scott, interesting concept on increasing the diameter of your winter tire setup to gain some ground clearance. If you can adjust to the speedo difference and there is no rubbing, that's a great tactic to gain clearance.

 

I've had WS70s on all winter and have been happy with them in the Ohio winter as well. They're a bit noisy (even for winter tires), and sort of suck above freezing, but they're awesome in snow and ice. They seem on par with the ContiWinterContact tires I had on my last at last winter, a bit worse and noisier in warmer weaker and a bit better in snow and ice. These tires aren't as good as some I've had at getting going from a stop in deep snow, but are the best I've had for cornering and stopping in it.

--Matt

 

with the stock oem tires, the speedo reads 1.9mph higher than gps speed

with the oversize winters, the speedo reads .6mph lower than gps speed

so it is actually more accurate with the oversize tires

scott

 

Simply get snows instead of different wheels and new tires. Spring/fall changover is inexpensive as opposed to an all new setup. The choices are great too. You'll be happy.

 

I got my whole set of used bridgespokes for $150 shipped on this forum. They'll pay for themselves easily in 2 years. If you can pick up a second set of wheels cheaply enough, they can be cheaper in the long run.

--Matt

 

I picked up a new looking set of take off 15" 5-Star Twin Spoked rims for $100 each. They will pay for themselves in two seasons of mounting and balancing fees and I can swap to my winter tires at my leisure in my garage when I want and don't need an appointment at the tire shop.

I'm not saying Mini Coop's suggestions is wrong, just wanted to offer a counterpoint. I also have room to store the extra set of rims and tires; some people do not. Others don't want the hassle of swapping rims and tires out. Do what works best for your situation and I still think winter tires are really the key to safe driving.

 

It also affords you the ability to install them yourself with a torque wrench when swapping, and to be extra careful with your calipers if you have a BBK. Most tire shops aren't careful enough for my liking. I bring my wheels in off of the car for tires and install them myself at home.

--Matt