Right now I have 205/50's, but doing my first question rally, the difference between the the OEM 55's and my 50's was glarringly apparent. So with the new set of tires i'm ordering, I'm hoping to go back to the OEM 55 size. Is anyone else running this setup? Any issues?

(And yes, I've been using the search function untill my brain hurts... )

Erik...

 

205/50-16 outer tire diameter 24.1" (nearly stock)
205/55-16 outer tire diameter 24.9" (larger than stock) so not going to fit on a lowered MINI as well. For a stock suspension MINI it is OK. Smoother ride quality but doesn't corner as crisply.

What did you find was wrong with the 205/50-16? It might be due to the tire compound itself. Some tires are less worthy than others. Which tire did you use, how worn was it, and what were the track conditions at the time.

For more info on tires and their differences try calling Alex@tirerack.com.

 

Thanks for the feedback... The issue I was having (and everyone else that was running 205/50's) was that after 10 or so miles, what my/our odometers were reading was starting to run out of sync with the rally directions (which were done using a MINI with stock tires). It wasn't just a once and a while it was off a mile or so, and it stayed that way, but it seemed that for every mile, I'd be off by .05... which added up quick... but if `195/55-16's are stock, why would 205/55-16's be slightly larger?

BTW.. they were Yokohama AVS ES100's... I wasn't too happy with the tread life, but for the price and the performance, I'm not going to complain..

[EDIT]: Oh duh... I just remembered.. the second number is a ratio, not a set number... Looks like I'm boned either way if I want the wider tires.. (which I do).. Thanks for helping kick-start my brain...

 

Yes, you're right, odometer is off. That makes sense.

Oh well. If you were to keep a certain sized tire you could have your odometer adjusted (recalibrated).

Personally I run smaller tires just so I can go 80 on the highway:impatient
However it seems I'm not passing anyone.
No speeding ticket though.