OK you gear heads or should I say rubber heads, what is the optimum tire size for the MCS? Take in to consideration I use the MINI for aggressive daily driving, auto-x and track days.

There is going to be at some point an optimum or best size. If its 205, it may not have enough width for stability, if it’s 225 it may be so wide it causes drag.

So what is it. What is the best all round tire size for track and street driving? I’d love to hear all your thoughts about 16 and 17 inch tires.

I’m not talking brands, only size.

 

There are many things to consider here. How important is autocrossing to you vs. gas mileage or ride harshness? What width wheels? Is the car an 05 or older?

If I assume that you have an 02-04 and that gas mileage and ride harshness are not real important and that you are on stock wheels, then either a 215/45/16 or a 205/40/17, but if gas mileage and ride harshness come into play then a 205/50/16.

 

Auto-X people say that the more rubber you put on the ground the better, so wider is better for that purpose. However, 225s will rub on a MINI, and I doubt you can fit a 225 on a 6.5 inch wide rim in the 16 inch diameter, although I've heard it has been done if I remember right. But, yes you're right that for raw speed, the widest width may not be as effective. You have several different questions here, i.e., the best size for:
(1) auto-crossing,
(2) track,
(3) street.

Or are you looking for the one-best compromise that works the best for all of these? And are you looking at the best for stock wheel sizes and what will fit on the MINI without rubbing?

 

I would go with 215's, tune the camber and call it a day.

 

I am not the whimpy whiny OH the car seems so hash person. If I can feel every pin on the road, I know where the handling is kind of person.

I'm trying to set the MCS up for the up coming G-Stock season and want opinions on tire size. 16s and 17s.

 

What is your-
Yearly street mileage?
Need for use of these tires in rain or light snow?
Current MINI suspension set up?
Frequency of going to the track or autocross?
Willingness to dremmel trim the inside wheel wells?
Budget for tires and wheels?

Those need to be determined first.
Everything is a compromise.
Lightweight & wider rims, wider tires, R-compound rubber, lower profile are all good for performance but will cost alot more and wear alot faster especially if you don't have enough front camber and an autocross alignment. It's ashame to wear out good performance tires on the street.

For street use you want something you can live with each day that doesn't wear out in a year and make alot of noise and shake the fillings out of your teeth or cost a house payment to keep replacing. It's ashame to wear out good street tires on the track.

I have one set for the street
One set for autocross and
One set for the track.
Each does something different and allows me to save the right tire for the right conditions. Otherwise I'd be buying each of them every year or more frequently.

Some sizes to look at:
215/45-16
215/40-17 but harsher ride
225/45-17 but requires some trimming

Try talking to Alex@tirerack.com

The other thing I'd learned is when planning wheels I like to look at the "whole package". How does your full suspension work with these tires and rims to do the job you want it to do. Since the wheels are an extention of the suspension you want everything to work together. Sometimes a certain tire size will demand a certain rim size for optimal fit and sometimes a tire size will limit the selection of tires (both street and track) you can find.

Next you'll want to prioritize your intended use of the tires. Are you more interested in autocross and track performance that you'll compromise the tires for street use? Or do you use the MINI mostly for street and want to compromise for good enough autocross/track performance? Nothing is good for everything. Otherwise we would be all using it.

 

Wow. Thanks. I needed that information too.

 

narrower for fuel efficiency, wider for outright traction
Narrow = 175 of the stock Cooper tires
Wide = ??? for the MINI, 225 or wider needs wheel-well massage

Good compromise is 205 for all-purpose

 

I have to agree with Ryphile on the 205's.

I've been running with the Yokohama 205/45 - 16's for a while now. There are several reasons:

The tire diameter is only 23.3" (stock 16's are just over an inch more), which helps with acceleration...

20 lbs is generally 1-4 pounds less than other options, and that further aids in acceleration, as well as braking and the responsiveness of the suspension...

It also makes for a "natural" lowering of the center of mass of about .5" as a 1" shorter diameter would do (half below the axle)...

This particular tire has a tread width of 7.9", which is more than quite a few 215's! More rubber is a good thing, especially when it can be had with the above gains

The combination of performance (all seasons) and wear has been very pleasing with a good portion of those miles on canyon roads. And with a price of 75 bucks each, I find them very hard to beat!

Yes, the speedometer will read a tad high, like 72 instead of 70 or 71, for example. Also, top speed should be a couple of so miles less, but given that I don't find myself doing 130+ often, those two negatives were seen as minor, worthwhile trade-offs...

 

Which Yokohama 205/45 - 16s are you running?

 

AVS ES100's

 

I think that 215/40/16 Kumho V710s are the best bet. For autocross, wider is better - but you can't ignore things like tread compound. A 205-?-16 Hoosier As305 is going to be far "grippier" than a 225-section "true road going" summer tire.

I think there was some discussion in the GS forum about running 17's, but at the moment I think most GS-ers are running 16's.

 

TonyB, I think your tires are ZRs, are they not? (205-45-ZR16)

Also, how would a 205-50-15 compare to the 205 45 16?

 

Per the Tire Rack website, they are: 205/45WR16.

Very strange, the specs yesterday were there for this tire, now I don't see it:

See the comparison here.

You can compare the various attributes on this grid...