First, my baby is never driven except on sunny days. It has never been in the rain or snow -- and won't. My current tires -- 17" Pirelli Runflats -- break loose with just about any throttle and ride hard. I'd like to switch to a regular tire that is much stickier and perhaps a smoother ride. Any recommendations?

 

I've been very happy with both the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position and the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. But, I'm running 16" wheels.

The Bridgestones ultimately have more grip than the Goodyears, but the Goodyears are cheaper. And both have more grip than you'd ever legally need.

 

Lot of choices out there. I think the Yok ES-100 good bang for your buck. As I recall, Tire Rack has 205-45-17 for $99.00 ea.

 

I switched to the Yokohamas (205-45-17) from 17" runflats and the difference was startling. MUCH better handling and a smoother ride. And the car no longer follows the rain grooves on the freeway. In the canyons it is much less twitchy, breaking away more gradually.

Got the compressor & tire goop in the boot just in case, and have an MC space-saver spare for longer trips.

 

Your MINI's like mine.... only driven on dry days. I use GoodYear F1
GS-D3's myself and they are very comfy performance tires. :smile:

 

Boy that question has as many valid answers as there are tires

I switched from the standard run flats to the Yoko ES 100's and the difference is like night and day but there are always trade offs when choosing tires. Every tire has it's good poiints and bad based on what it is being used for.
The Yoko's are wonderful but their downside is they don't last too much longer than 10,000 miles that said they are a great deal for the money at $99 a pop. I am sure there are many others out there that feel the same way about other tires. Good luck

 

I am in a similar situation.. I need to replace the tires on my 2002 Mini Cooper S - I also currently have 17" Perelli runflat tires. I am looking for a lower cost, better performance tire. Driving without a spare makes me a little nervous, but that is why I always carry my cell phone and will have my AAA card handy. I have heard good things about the Bridgestone Potenza, but also have read some good reviews on the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2. Has anyone driven on these tires? I live in Tampa, FL.. so, Lola will never see any bad (cold) weather.

 

i switched to michelin ps2 xl pilot sports when i said goodbye to the 17" s-lites and installed the jcw 18" wheels. they are absolutely amazing. great on dry and wet - but egg on teflon in snow. of course my mini will remain happily garaged for the enitre new york winter... it's the other guy sliding into me i worry about!

cheers - drew

 

I'm happy with my 215/45-17 Goodyear GS-D3 tires. Not the cheapest out there, but Tire Rack has them for about 130 a pop. These are max performance summer tires, not rated for all weather use. They perform incredibly well in the rain (they are derived from a rain racing tire, so that should be a given). Not M&S rated for snow, but my MINI stays home on snow days.

 

I'm running Dunlop FM901s in a 215/45-17 on Konig Holes. A local tuner shop gave me a fairly good deal on the tires and I've been pleasantly surprised. I put them on before attacking the Dragon and haven't looked back since. Oh, with a heavy load in the car, I do get some very minor rubbing. I also have winter tires mounted on my 16" v-spokes for the fun weather.

 

As others have noted, there are a wealth of choices, and all are better than the run-flats.

I just (as in yesterday) replaced my Pirelli's with a set of DS-G3, 215/45-17. I immediately noticed two things -first, the ride is soooo much smoother and more forgiveing; Second, grip go in, and out, of corners is far superior.

I certainly can't speak to wear issues, yet, but the ride quality differential is enourmous - as many others have said "like night and day."

One cautionairy note about pricing, though. You should consider the total cost of the tires installed, not just the price per tire. As noted above, tirerack had the GS-D3's for approximately $130 a pop - but the per wheel installed cost is closer to $170. That $40 per wheel was a fixed cost (your costs may be different due to shipping and your choice of installer, etc), and frankly made the difference between a $100 a tire choice and $130 a tire marginal, to me.

 

Redleg13,
You have an MCS with stock suspension and drive in good weather.
For a good performance tire for street use on a budget from $130 on up the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 or Bridgestone Potenza S-03 are common choices (Max performance tires).

For less than $130 a tire check out-
BFG g-Force T/A KDW2
Kumho Ecsta MX
Pirelli P-zero Nero M&S (all season)

For a budget closer to about $100 per tire check out-
Yokohama AVS ES100
Avon Tech M500
Toyo Proxes 4 (all season)
BFG g-Force Sport
Fuzion ZRi
Kumho Ecsta SPT
Sumitomo HTR Z II
Avon Tech M550 A/S (all season)


For a smoother ride you can choose tires in sizes like 215/45-17 or 205/45-17. The 215/40-17 might be a bit rougher riding and also might cost more.

The more performance oriented tires will wear a bit faster (softer rubber) and cost more. They aren't for light snow or heavy rain.

All season tires tend to do well through rain and light snow and will last longer, cost less, and have good street manners but not as good in performance.