What Brand of tires have you used on your MINI?
Why did you buy them?
What size did you fit?
How did they perform?
Did you like them?
Did you hate them?
Would you buy them again?

It would be great to get some real world reviews on all the different brands of tires we use.

Thanks RED5

 

This will be useful information as my Dunlop runflats will be replaced with something conventional soon.You a Mansell fan Red5?

 

S03 grippy, noisy, good looking, heavy but great.
GSD3 grippy, about as noisy, pretty decent looking, lightweight, and good.
Pilot grippy, noisy and ugly, but still good.
SP8000 grippy, quiet, pretty good looking, good.
SP9000 sort of grippy, noisy and ugly, soso.
ES100 sort of grippy, noisy, looks ok, soso.
SpecII sort of grippy, sort of noisy, looks ok, soso.
Avid sort of grippy, quiet, good looks, good
HTR+ pretty grippy, quiet, good looks, good
RE910 sort of grippy, quiet, looks soso, no good.
NT501 sort of slippery, soso quiet, looks great, no good.
NT450 sort of slippery, quiet, looks ok, no good.

I tried many more including pirelli's, other michellins...
I can't remember them all. my favorite has been and
continues to be the S03's.

 

So far I think my fav tire is the Goodyear F1s. I do not have them on the Mini (yet) but it is based on using them on the E46 and M Coupe. Prior to that I had tried Toyo T1s (which became rather noisy after break in), Bridgestone S03s (which tramlined like crazy after time, really was annoying), and the BF Goodrich g-force KDW 2, which I have on the MCS now (really, really noisy - literally howl at times).

The F1s are very versatile, great grip and wet traction. Might give some Michelin's a try again (in spite of the US F1 fiasco ) or Kumhos based on a friend's endorsement. He has used them on the track though, so I'm not sure if its really relevent as I want to be sure any tires I use not only have good dry grip but can take me through the rainy days well too.

EDIT: Sorry about posting non-Mini related experiences, I had only skimmed the post before and missed the Mini-only reference.

 

yeh, when you ride on S03's, you need to use offsets that are
pretty conservative especially on the front if the roads around
your area has grooves. the sidewalls are pretty firm.

The F1's have soft sidewall so they are better in those conditions.
my MCS does not tramline with +42mm offset running 205/50/16's
on 16x7.5 wheels.

 

Yokohama AVS ES100 has been great for me.

It's a good all-around performance tire.. . predictable handling at the limits, good on wet roads, and inexpensive enough that I can buy more tires when I need them.

I use the 215/45/17 size. Others like the 215/40/17

 

I also have to give props to the ES100. Don't have them on the MCS, but based on the performance of them on my E30 (rest in piece) I'd wager they are even better on the lighter Cooper. Predictable handeling, great in the wet, quiet, stable and very affordable sneakers for the car.

I have some SO3's (205/50/15) waiting to be mounted on the track rims, but due to schedule issues, I won't be able to try them out until October.

Pirelli PZero Nero M/S .. i know it's technically an all season, but this is a very, very nice tire. Can't speak for trackability, but on the street and for driving schools, this is an excellent set of rubber.

GoodYear F1's - Drove them on an R32.... Excellent tire especially in the wet, they just don't want to give up the grip... even with all that power they were phenominal in the wet.. On the short list to replace the run-flats for daily-driver summers.

I'm sure the Michelin Pilot Sports are nice, and they seem to be lightweight, but I'm just not a Michelin fan enough to cough up the dough to try them out.

 

I have Yoko ES 100's in my hallway waiting to be installed this weekend. I'll give a progress report when they are on (and once they are broken in).

 

Kumho MXS wear fast though with the 200 rating but they are okay in the rain.

I think I might be going GY F1 D3 but they are a bit expensive. Maybe, the Avons instead?

 

When I bought wheels for my MCS I chose ES100's. They have a great rating and are inexpensive. I have been very happy with them, so far

On to the bigger subject of brand (which, if I remember, was one of the questions). Yokohama is a great company. I have bought them for years and never had a bad tire. I have put them on Alfas, Toyotas, VWs, Acuras, and now the MINI and never have I been disappointed. I have always felt like I got a quality tire for the money, and being a cheapskate that is big praise from me!

Those of you old enough to remember the Yoko A008 (R.I.P.) I am sure miss it as much as I do.

The ES100 is grippy enough to make my wife complain and my daughter laugh on every on or off ramp!

Enjoy yours!

Dave
Sunny San Diego
2003 DS/B MCS 15%, full tint, anthracite RO_JA's and ES100's... oh yeah, I'm bad, uh huh

 

Definatly quiet and smooth, but not s sporty handeling. Moderatley agressive at best.

Alex

 

Oh, I don't like moderate...I might have to pony up the $$ then for the GY.

 

I have the S-03's in the 205/50 16 size for about 13k miles. These tires are amazing, really good grip (especially on the track), and turn in. I am leaning towards getting another set when these wear out in another 5k miles or so. I had the ES 100's on my 3 Series BMW. I was iniatially very impressed, both in looks and price, but my enthusiam went away after replacing them at about 14k miles, and the grip is not equal to the S-03's IMHO. But still a good value.

PS: no issues with the S-03's either with tramlining or noise. Although I noticed that the pricing has gone up significantly since I purchased these. Just get the runflats off your car ASAP! It's not worth waiting for them to wear out first to replace.

 

Hi ya Squirlz, yeh you got it mate , Nigel (RED5) Mansel fan from way back.

I also got a RED S on the back and sides of my Mini, neat yeh ?

I got yoko ES 100 215/40/17 on my wheels, Loads of grip in the dry and confidence inspiring in the wet, great steering and brake feel,
got noisy as they wore out and tramlined a bit , stiff side walls make the ride a bit hard some times but I would trade ride comfort for performace anway, would I buy them again? you bet one of the best tires I have ever used what ever the price!

But you never know could be something better out there so keep the reveiws coming guys coz I need some new boots soon!

 

I love these tires. Have about 7500 miles on em. Including 7 days at the Dragon. They are just fantastic. Grip is great, ride is much better, and they are quiet too.

Got them from Alex at Tirerack along with Kosei K1's in 17 x 7.5.

I liked the great ratings for wet and dry traction, along with great rating for ride and noise too.

 

I sent you a couple of emails, but never got a response, so I'll try here.

Like many of the others here, I'm looking for something better than the 195/55R16 runflats that came on my 5-spokes. Nugget is a 2005 MC daily driver and occasional twisty road let your hair down sort of car. I live in rural Vermont, right next to the highest mtn in the state, and our roads are not the best. Cracks in the pavement, potholes, idiot tourists, rain and gravel. I have Nokian snows for winter, but would like something in a non-runflat that would let me have fun on those mountain roads. The GY runflats are a bit harsh on uneven surfaces, like my dirt road. Also looking for something that sheds rain very well. Was looking at F1s and similar tread patterns by Toyo and Cooper.

What's the scoop? Pete

 

Ditto here on the ES100's. I also use the 215/45-17's, but I'm going to try the 225/45-17's next time.

 

I really loved the Yokohama Advan AD07s I had on my miata.. I had a set imported from japan. They are super grippy in dry AND wet. plus they are really quiet and offer a smooth ride.. One down side is the softer sidewalls(slower turn-in), but not as bad as the T1-S..

I wonder when tirerack is going to get the mini specific size..

 

how about T1R's? I am planning to have these installed tomorrow on my new ROJA LT5's...

 

Here's a vote for F1 GS-D3s. I have them in the 215/45-17 91Y size/rating. Superb wet traction, very grippy and predictable dry, sidewalls are a bit on the soft side though which takes a tiny bit of the edge off of initial turn in, but I am willing to give that up for the silky smooth quiet ride they give day-to-day.

Dragon tested, Greatbear approved.

 

Thats interesting, alex@tirerack.com ? I return most emails same day if possible


S03's from Bridgestone
D3's from Goodyear
Pilot sport from Michelin

3 great max performance choices!

Alex

 

Ditto

 

Just wanted to pipe in with some info regarding the S03's and the D3's:

The good news is - They have very stiff stiff shoulders which makes for top-of-the-line handling characteristics at the edge of very aggressive driving. Suitable for track use.

The bad news is - They have very stiff shoulders, which makes for an incredible tramlining effect.

This may be a Seattle issue, since I have just completed a 12,000 mile tour of the country and can say that nowhere else did I run into lane grooves (worn tracks) like in the Seattle area. My car will "jump" at least a foot on I-5 North of Seattle in the Lynnwood area. So bad, I have contacted the WA State DOT. More exciting driving in a straight line on I-5 than being on the track. Two hands on the wheel.

Using AVS 100's now, which aren't quite as bad. Shame about the road grooves here, since both the S03's and D3's are great rain tires, which makes their use in Seattle a big plus. May switch back to S03's after a few paving projects.

 

Helllooo...he asked for brands!

 

Its looking like yokohama avs es100 is one of the most popular aftermarket tires out there.

Any more reveiws? what sizes are you useing?

It would be great to here some subjective veiws on how changeing to lower or higher profiles affected the driveing experience of your MINI ?

Going to 215/40/17 or even 215/40/16 ! to change the gearing for intance? any one been there? how much did it change the "drive-ability" of your street MINI ?