Has anyone tried this tire or size tire on an MCS. I have an 03 MCS and have thankfully worn out my runflats. I want to loose the boat anchor S-lites, reduce weight, and pick up gearing. I don't want my ride to be worse than the 205/45/17 Euporias. I am hoping that a 40 series real tire will ride about the same as a 45 series run flat. Has anyone tried this? The Toyo's are one of the only tires in this size, and are realy light (18#). I am probablay putting them on Rota slipstream (17x7 et 40 or 45 at about 14#), Kosei K1, 5Zigen, and OZ Supperleggara are all under consideration - comments welcome. I will/do track the car (probabaly 4 times a year at Road Atlanta, Roebling Road, Barber Motorsport Park, and maybe Sebring). I also drive it every day on nasty Atlanta roads. I will put a WillWood brake kit on front soon, and the wheel choice afect what size kit I can run. Has anyone put any of these wheels over a Wilwood kit?
Thanks in advance.
Wes


03 MCS IB/wh, Pilo CAI, 15%, Alta rear bar, GIAC flash, Miltex CB, etc.

 

Wes,
When switching wheels to replace the runflats and keeping with 16" tires, the possible sizes (outer tire diameters) are:
215/45-16 (23.62") common for performance tire
195/50-16 (23.68")
225/45-16 (23.97")
205/50-16 (24.07") very common street tire
195/55-16 (24.44")
215/50-16 (24.46")

From
http://edgeracing.com/tires/2154516/
I would suggest looking at 215/45-16 (fits 7" rims or wider)
Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 for $85 each 20.5 pounds W rated
Falken Azenis Sport Rt-215 for $100 each 22.8 pounds Z rated
Both these tires are relatively light, can be used on the street (200 wear rated) and will do better than Toyo T1S on the track.
Good blend of wide tread yet low weight, more comfort than 40 series tires.
If you choose street tires you will do OK on the street but wear them quickly on the track. These both are good autocross and track tires that you can run on the street.

215/40-16 fit 7" rims or wider. Outer tire diameter is a very small 22.8" which will cause some speedo and odo error when driven on the street.
40 series tires will be rough riding esp on poor roads- I'd think twice- could be rough riding like your current runflats.

In 225/45-16 (23.97") no speedo error (fits 7" rims or wider)
Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 for $88 each 21.5 pounds
Toyo T1S for $113 each 19.8 pounds
Wider for traction on the track, good weight, 45 series for some comfort with good performance

For the Wilwood kit- contact Todd from TCE brakes once you figure out which wheels you want. He has brakes that can fit 15" wheels on up.

 

Thanks Minuhune
I actully want the "speedo error". I wish changing final drive was as easy as it was on the VWs and muscle cars I have had. This car is gear at least 20% to high for my taste. T kits to fix it are all over 3k. I can pick about 7% of the gearing up with this short tires. I could go down to a 15" but there is some asthetics compromise going on here also. Falkne does have a new Azenis in 205/40/16 that is even shorter and from what I here a better track tire, but the load rating is low (83) and it is so small I worry about rim damage on Atlanta potholes. So it is your opionion that the 40 will ride ne better and maybe worse than the 45 runflat? I was hoping they would be about the same or smoother. I heard the Toyos are rather soft.
Do you see any other issues with this fitment? The web sites give warnings about ABS not working right for size chnages this drammatic. I don't understand this.

 

Wesport,

I think your approach is dead on. A smaller rolling diameter will get you a gearing advantage for acceleration. And the sidewall height of a 215-40-16 will be within a 1/4 inch of the 205/45/17 runflats you have, so I think the ride will be no worse, probably better.

As far as speed error, just compare the rolling diameter of the replacement tire to the runflats and do the arithmetic. I did a quick comparison of the 215/40/16 to the 205/50/16 and found about a 5% difference, which equates to a 3 MPH error @ 60 MPH.

The good news is that you would actually be going slightly slower than the speed displays. You may want to check you speedo against a time vs. distance calculation before deciding. I think its likely that the speedo already overstates speed from the factory. This would increase that behavior.

It kind of boils down to your willingness to impact speedo accuracy to get improved performance with same or marginally better ride. Oh, and don't forget to pick up a portable compressor and a bottle of Tire Slime

 

Same rolling diamater on all four corners = no ABS impact

 

OK, if you want smaller then 215/40-16 is possible and will work. Personally I like using small tires on the street- then I can go about 80 legally.

In that size for a good street tire that can be used on the track a little-
check out Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 $131 each and 19 pounds
Load rating is 86 so it's OK
Fits rims 7-8.5" wide and perfect fit for 7.5" so a 16x7" rim will work fine.
Call alex@tirerack.com for more info if interested (great tire but higher cost)
If you can budget for it, it's a good choice.

40 series non runflat is pretty stiff. You can reduce roughness with a good street alignment- set things to factory specs and maybe consider setting front toe to 1/16" out (to help at the track in turn in). Runflats are stiff side walls as well. I think my 45 series non runflats are smoother riding than my 17" runflats. If you lower your suspension then ride will be rougher on poor roads, not too bad on smooth roads.

Do you have any MINI owners in your area with 40 series tires? Most common is 215/40-17. Go for a ride but keep in mind that lowering springs and aggressive alignments with more negative camber will make the ride a bit rougher.