Originally Posted by stover91

looks like i should just pull the trigger on some sport comp 2 , wish they still had them in 205/50/15

Originally Posted by minihune

Why 205/50-15? That's a common size for Extreme Summer or Race compound tires. It's over 1" smaller than OEM tire diameter at 23.1".

i plan to drive the car hard and fast this summer, as i do every day anyway, and since im moving away from the boat anchors called "s-lites" to a smaller diameter 15x8 wheel i wanted a tire that would suit my driving style but also not cause fitment issues like a 225/45 would

But if you really needed that size then for street use in UHPS there is -
Yokohama S.Drive $88 each, 21 lbs, 300 treadwear.
Overall that size is limited.

If you open up the search to 205/55-15 which is a good size for a MINI on 15" OEM or aftermarket wheels then:
Kumho Ecsta 4x UHP all season tire, 420 treadwear, $78 each

If you expand the search to 195/60-15 and All Season tires then the options are plentiful from UHP to Grand Touring All Season tires. This size fits rims from 5.5-7" wide.

i didnt want to expand up to these sizes for the fact that it would make the car look silly driving around on balloon tires, and also i believe it would take away from the "responsiveness" i want out of my vehicle by having such a tall sidewall.

Originally Posted by stover91

so on a final note, i was able to find the BFG sport comp 2 in a 195/55/15 which falls directly in line with my budget but i believe will not sacrifice too much of the look and performance im after

Originally Posted by minihune

I think you may not understand that the tire size plays a major role in your tire selection and the ability of the tire to perform how you want it to be.

i completely understand this concept which is why i have put so much effort into my research

For a 15x8" wheel you want a tire that fits. A 195mm wide tire is very narrow but will work if you want a stretched tire fitment. That's fine for looks but not optimal for handling or performance. Owners of stretched tires claim that the tires work OK on the street but the tire companies never intended owners to stretch tires. In fact some tires will stretch better than others.

as shown by my research a 195 is "barely" stretched on a 15x8 especially when going with a tire such as the BFG sport comp2 since it has a measured tread with of 7.7" and a section width of 7.9" but in fact a slightly stretched tire will improve sidewall rigidity and reduce sidewall rollover during cornering assuming the tire pressure and alignment specs are suited to that driving style

195/60-15 is not a balloon tire on a 15" rim for the MINI. It is a correct size fitment for rims from 5.5 to 7" wide so it will also be a stretched fit on a 8" rim.

you and i clearly have different ideas of what a "balloon" tire is , i would even venture to say that the 195/55 im choosing is on that fine line of being a balloon tire

195/55-15 fits the same width rims but has a smaller than OEM tire diameter of 23.4" or 1" shorter. This will lower ride height and road clearance and combined with the wide rim will be even lower. A small tire diameter will increase wheel gap with any suspension which is opposite of what most owners want, this can be minimized by using fully adjustable coilovers and maxing out the suspension to it's lowest setting perhaps 1.7"+ drop.

Using such a low suspension will be rough riding and harsh on anything but smooth roads depending on how good your coilovers can handle the bumps. If you can adjust dampening and rebound then you can minimize the low ride height.

my oem wheels were 17" , the reason for going with a 15x8 wheel was so i could in turn reduce unsprung weight and go to a slightly smaller diameter tire to allow me to have a littler more room for suspension travel and also improve the minis acceleration a bit

If you were interested in the best performance and ride handling for your MINI then I would suggest looking at Extreme Summer tires which have a lot more grip but much faster wear. If you do not have front adjustable camber plates then you will need these as well to make the best use of grippy tires when cornering hard. If you use stock front camber settings you will wear out the front outer tread edges more quickly when driving aggressively in turns.

I'm not sure why you are not interested in 225/45-15 which is the correct size for an 8" wide rim albeit the tire diameter is small and the same as 205/50-15. If you have full coilovers you can drop the ride height to the amount needed to clear the wide tires and it should be OK except for less ground clearance.

i would have LOVED to go with a 225/45 tire but it would have been impossible to fit such tires under the wheel arches of a mini on an aggressive fitment wheel such as the one i have chosen which is a 15x8 et20, yes i could have raised the vehicle to allow the tires to stick out and not contact the arches during suspension compression but then the car would look very silly and since it is not a dedicated track car i am concerned about how it looks

BF Goodrich Rival is the best performing of the Extreme Summer tires-
Treadwear 200
205/50-15 $118 each, 20 lbs, W speed rated
225/45-15 $129 each, 20 lbs W speed rated
There are other Extreme Summer tires that come in these sizes too.

the BFG rival is a TERRIBLE tire in the wet, with some people claiming over 50mph was "Scary" in a rain storm, and since these will be my everyday tires through out all seasons except winter i need something that will perform in both the wet and dry


Technically it is possible to use 195/55-15, I don't see that being preferred over 205/50-15 (wider tire to fit wider wheel, lower sidewall for better handling).

no tires in the 205/50 size fit my "performance" needs without breaking out of my budget, the dunlop zII was very close but at 110$ a tire for my daily driver i could not afford to pull the trigger, the 71$ a piece i am paying for the BFG sport comp 2 in 195/55 is much easier to swallow

Perhaps the BF Goodrich Sport Comp-2 is within your budget? If so then I could understand that.


so yes there may be better performing tires out there but i needed to balance my budget with my "needs" for performance and my "wants" of having the car look good in my eyes, and those other tires simply did not fit into that budget, honestly in hindsight i should have went with a 16x8 wheel so i could run a smaller sidewall but the wheels have already been purchased and i cant return them so i have to work with what i have and i think i will be very pleased with the outcome