Choices, choices...

A few minutes on TireRack.com reveals a lot.

1. OE Sizes are 205/45/17 or 195/55/16. If I were going with a 16, I'd probably go for a 205/50/16 (for performance - better gearing & handling) or a 205/55/16 (for ride, noise. etc.). The differences are going to be very subtle. Bigger differences will come with the tire you choose than the size. All these sizes are pretty close. There are no tires in the 195/55/16 that I would buy.
2. Price: $81 - $156 each. They actually fall into three groups - low (Yoko ES100 & Avon M500), medium (Bridgestone RE750 & Goodyear F1 GSD3) and high (Michelin Pilot Sport & Bridgestone S-03).
3. Wear: We haven't talked about this.
4. Tire recommendations: I've used the ES100's, RE750's, GSD3's & Pilots on various cars. They're all good choices, but I like the GSD3 the best for a bang for the buck ($127 each but you get a lot of bang!) The ES100 is a great tire for the money ($81), but not as nice as the Goodyear. Pilots are great, really great, but pricey ($156). RE750's are fine too, but they get noisy as they wear. I'm not a fan of the Avon. The S-03 has a huge following, but again they're pretty pricey and also a bit heavy. In the end, I'd go with the Goodyear F1 GSD3 (Actually, I did. I'm running 215/45/17's in an attempt to get the handling and the ride on 17" wheels. However, I bought lightweight wheels, too.) If you want to save a few dollars, the ES100 is a good choice. If you want to go full boat the Pilot Sports are my next tire. All three of these choices are pretty light.
5. Wheel recommendations: Go with something fairly lightweight. And learn to drive around the worst potholes! I love my SSR Comps, but they're not cheap. I also seriously considered Kosei K1 TS. They're light and very affordable.
6. Winter recommendation: Keep the OE stuff for winter. Mount Blizzaks on the wheels.
7. More preaching: Don't scrimp on tires! Ever. It's false economy. The right tires make your car handle like magic. The wrong tires land you in the body shop.

 

I've pretty much decided to go with the gs d3's for tires. Rims, however really give me a headache. In 16 inch there are about a dozen choices I would like something that looks similar to the R 90's but keep the stock offset, or really close to it, of the S spokes which is 50. For 17's I would go with...

ASA AR1
ADR M classic
Filk wasp if they made it in silver.
Konig Imaginers.

But then why not just keep the stock 17s??

I need a break

 

If you're gonna buy wheels, buy lighter wheels. The AR1's look good and they save ~5lb/corner. That's noticeable in acceleration/braking/handling. Some of the really light wheels save >10lb/corner. Don't know the ADR, but the others are popular choices.

Best of luck.

 

I've decided on the AR1's with the Goodyear F1's. Be honest, do you think the black version AR1 would look good on electric blue with black roof? On some cars it looks good but others it looks like you can't even tell there's a wheel there. I wish I could find a picture other then the one on Tire Rack, that one just doesn't look right.

 

I think black top would tie in nicely with the darker AR1's.

Alex

 

They will look pretty racy. Some people are very happy with them. When I was shopping, I tried to like both anthracite and black finishes. But, in the end, I went with Silver wheels, even though I'm in a Dark Silver/Black MCS. I'm thrilled with the way my wheels look. It comes down to owner preference.

Take some time looking through this thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=11362

It has a lot of choices; hopefully you see something that helps you decide.

 

Thanks for the help e MINI. I'm getting the AR1's with the GS D3's. Too bad their on backorder till the middle of next month. Oh well I can wait.

 

Did you decide on Black AR1's?

 

Yep. I gotta go for it. I figure if I hate them I can always sell them.

 

I think you'll really like 'em. As you make changes to your MINI, you are the final arbiter on matters of taste. Trusting yourself and your tastes will make you happiest with the end result. Enjoy

 

Just wanted to provide closure by saying that after all the agonizing, I ended up ordering 4 new run-flats...

...which will arrive with a new MCS attached to them!

 

Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

so when your tire wears out, you just buy a new car? wow!

 

I happen to live in a state which seems to be full of lousy shoppers. Dealers are still getting hefty premiums on new Minis. (Yes, it's hard to believe but PT continues to be proven right...)

So I decided it made more sense to take advantage of the weird market conditions and just sell the car rather than mess around buying new tires. Especially since I was able to get just about what I paid for it (less T & L, of course). How often do you get to do that!

It was quite the no-brainer! :smile:

(Of course, I doubt I'll be able to pull this off next time!)

 

in light of what happend at Indy this past weekend, I'd say no to Michelin pilots and go with Bridgestone.

If you had to go with Michelin, then make sure your tire pressure isn't too low and that you've checked out the track where you'll be using the tires.