For the Wheel and Tire experts.

I got R90s and OEM RS-As ... 46 pounds total.

For the Summer I want to change to something light. Still needs to be 17" for brake clearance (I think). Should I go Comp SSR 13 pounds? Kosei?

Which tires BESIDES the F1s? Bridgestones?

All recommendations welcome. TIres all run around 22 pounds so the only real difference is in the wheels.:smile:

 

You have many options-
Keep the R90 rims and replace the runflats with non runflats. While there are tires that run about 22 to 25 pounds each in 205/45-17 to 215/45-17 there are some that are somewhat lighter in weight like the Toyo T1S and T1R. Lightness is not the only factor as each tire has different advantages to consider.

Replace the rims and go with a lightweight 17x7 or 17x7.5" rim. Go shopping at Tirerack.com and see what you find. Edgeracing.com also has rims but many are slightly heavier albeit well priced. Rota rims are also possible at reasonable prices and with fairly good selection of sizes and finishes.

SSR comps in 17" are quite good but costly. What is your yearly budget for rims and for tires? What road conditions and weather conditions do you have- any rain or snow/ any potholes and uneven surfaces?

What are you going to use the wheels for primarily? Only street driving or some track and autocross?

How long do you want the tires to last? Is one year ok, or maybe two years, or longer than two years?

What is your suspension now? Any plans to lower your MINI? How smooth a ride are you wanting?

All these considerations play a role in deciding which rims and tires makes the most sense for you.

 

Winter can have snow but not enuff to worry about. Many years, no snow. Some years ... a blizzards. Most years, a couple of 6" storms. Snow doesn't matter because MINI aint going out in the snow. I intend to keep the R90s w/all-seasons for the couple of months of snow (Dec, Jan, Feb). Switch in late March to summer

Street. Its the wife's daily commuter. "Maybe" a drivers school.

Dont really care. We've had many sports cars, wearing through tires in 10K miles is usual Car only going to get maybe 5 - 7K miles/year anyway (not a long drive to work:smile

JCW suspension and brakes. I dont think the brakes will clear 16" wheels. I was thinking of Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

RFs are brutal but safer for the wife to have the hassle of worrying about driving them home. Just saw tirerack had these. Ride is pretty harsh right now. Had Toyos on an supercharged MR2 and ate through those in 9000 miles (mid-engined). Pretty soft stuff.

Thanks Minihune for responding I don't care about racing nor xcross (been there done that in a previous life). Right now, its my wife's "sports car" (and she has always driven sports cars (eg. MR2 Turbo, Eclipse Turbo, 944, etc.) She is hard on brakes and does fairly well on the infamous "twisties". Car was MADE for her :smile:

 

Your idea of Potenza RE050A seems like a reasonable choice given your circumstances and requirements.

The downside is the cost ($211 per tire) and the stiffer runflat ride but your suspension is OK and not too stiff.

I think the R90 rims are classic MINI (except for keeping them clean) so if you can keep those rims they are about 24 pounds each.

The RE050A in stock 205/45-17 size weigh about 23 pounds so that is OK. They should perform OK based on tirerack's tests. Nearly as good as the Goodyear F1 GS-D3.

These tires should be fine for street use and Driving school. Also OK for dry or wet conditions, not for snow.

If you rotate tires every 3000-4000 miles you can get about 20,000+ miles out of the set most likely. Keep tire inflation up all the time.

If you want to go with non runflats then in the same size:
Yokohama AVS ES100 for $99 gives balance of performance and lower price
Avon Tech M550 A/S for $107 -longer tread life, more comfortable ride, all season
Kumho Ecsta SPT for $93 - good tread life, new design, good price
BFG G-Force T/A KDW2 for $117- unique tread pattern, good performance
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for $147 - costs more but it's got some nice test results and postitive comments from owners.

 

edit: Wrong post.