Tires, Wheels, & Brakes Discussion about wheels, tires, and brakes for the new MINI.

17" Tire sizes that fit Minis

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Old 11-10-2011, 12:28 AM
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17" Tire sizes that fit Minis

Can someone list the 17" tire sizes that will fit an R56 MCS without rubbing or spacers? Thanks
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 03:15 AM
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stock wheels non JCW?
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 05:30 AM
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Depends on the offset but, for the most part 205/45/r17 is a safe size.
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 08:24 AM
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I run 225/45/17 Hankook R-S3 on stock wheels with no rubbing or spacers. Stock height. YMMV
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 08:30 AM
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Here's the common ones:
205/40-R17
205/45-R17 (stock R56 size)
215/45-R17
225/45-R17
225/35-R17

- Erik
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 09:45 AM
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I have been running 205/40-17 for over a year now and I have nothing but positive experience to report for them. Not to mention they are inexpensive to replace in comparison to the OEM mini size. (Kumho ASX in 205/40-17 @ discount tire for $74 per tire)
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 07:59 PM
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205/45/r17

What I am running...
 
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Old 11-10-2011, 08:23 PM
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Thank you guys! My car is on its way and IU need to place an order in tirerack.com for non-RF's.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 05:13 AM
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Hi Chaswyck, I am looking and trying to figure out which size of Non RF tire to go to. I also have 17 wheels (Black bullets). I am thinking about the Nitto INVO tire at 225 45 17 and the ContinentalContactExtreme DWS tire at 205 45 17. Just in case, if you have an opinion on these, I'd be interested.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 05:19 AM
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Originally Posted by daflake
stock wheels non JCW?
Yes, stock wheels, non-JCW.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 05:36 AM
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The two tires I mentioned above are quieter than the ContiPros that were OEM from MINI. The Nitto INVOs are hard to find on the usual online tire ordering sites. The ContinentalContact Extreme DWS ones are easily found.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Derepente
Hi Chaswyck, I am looking and trying to figure out which size of Non RF tire to go to. I also have 17 wheels (Black bullets). I am thinking about the Nitto INVO tire at 225 45 17 and the ContinentalContactExtreme DWS tire at 205 45 17. Just in case, if you have an opinion on these, I'd be interested.
I'm looking at the Continental Extreme Contact DWS also, but I'm also looking at the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110. I had the Hankooks, which I got from tirerack.com, on a 335i I recently sold and I loved them. When I swapped out the OEM RF's for the Hankooks, it was like a different car - smooth and quiet. The difference was so great that I never took it for granted or got used to it. Every time I drove the car I thought about how much better those tires were. I didn't have them on long enough to get a sense of treadwear, though and that's my only concern. The Hankooks have a UTQG of 280 and the Conti's is 540. Big difference, but the UTQG doesn't always mean much in terms of actual wear. There's a huge difference in price though. Tirerack.com has the Conti's for $468 a set, but the Hankooks are only $376 a set AND there's a special now where they give you an $80 Amex card rebate if you buy the set. That brings the cost of the Hankooks down to just $296 or $74 a tire (versus $117 for the Conti's). That's awfully hard to pass up. You have to add shipping and mounting to both of them, of course, but you save on sales tax. I think I may have just talked myself into the Hankooks again. (These prices are for OEM size 205 45 17. The 215's are a little more.)
 

Last edited by chaswyck; 11-11-2011 at 05:52 AM.
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Old 11-11-2011, 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by chaswyck
Yes, stock wheels, non-JCW.
Any of the tire sizes mentioned should for without issue. I had some slight rubbing with mine but it was due to the off set of the OZ Ultralegggeras.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 08:56 PM
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Ok, obviously this is not my area of expertise so I can use some help. Why would I want one size over another. I don't intend to lower the car so I assume the 45's would do a better job of closing the fender gap that 35's or 40's right? How about the 205's versus 215's versus the 225's? It seems like the wider 225's might result in more road stuff being thrown up on the side of the car than the other two narrower tires. What about performance and ride characteristics of the various sizes? I' sure all this exists somewhere on here so I apologize in advance for these pretty basic questions.
 
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Old 11-11-2011, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by chaswyck
Can someone list the 17" tire sizes that will fit an R56 MCS without rubbing or spacers? Thanks
It's really the wheels that will cause the rubbing or that will interfere with your calipers. None of the tire sizes listed will really rub on anything. But if the offset and other factors on the wheel are not correct that is what will interfere with the car proper operation.

But a wheel that is stock and non JCW will take any of the listed tires. But I must warn you that as you deviate from the stock size it will change the way the car handles and you may or may not like it.

Personally I went to 215's from 205 on 17 inch wheels on my R56 and I did not like the way the car handled. It wasn't as crisp as the stock size. I have since put those tires on my new Coupe and the car feels fine. So I guess it really depends on the car and the set up I guess.

Anyway that's what my experience tells me.
 
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Old 11-12-2011, 05:52 AM
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Originally Posted by bluefox280
Here's the common ones:
205/40-R17
205/45-R17 (stock R56 size)
215/45-R17
225/45-R17
225/35-R17

- Erik
I don’t recall seeing much in the way of selection for 225/35-17 tires.
Wondering where they could be sourced.

As for PatM’s comment that 215’s resulted in less desirable handling than the OEM 205’s, wondering whether or not this is more a function of sidewall stiffness as opposed to tread width.
Were the two sizes the same brand/model?
 
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Old 11-12-2011, 06:25 AM
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Just put on Pirelli PZero Nero 225/50-R17 I believe they are 98W rated (168 MPH) -- must test LOL

But just getting the run flats off made the car perform way better and this size seems to give the non run flats a nice footprint. Lov em.....
 
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Old 11-12-2011, 07:42 AM
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Originally Posted by AAONMS
I don’t recall seeing much in the way of selection for 225/35-17 tires.
There's a couple to be found (at the time of this writing):
* Yokohama S-Drives
* Falken FK-452

Another size to add to the list would be a 235/40-R17; several availabe in that size as well.

- Erik
 
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Old 11-12-2011, 08:17 AM
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I'm having a heck of a time getting TireRack's website to cooperate with me when attempting to select a tire/wheel pair at the 225/45R17 or 225/35R17 sizes. Am I crazy for wanting that on my '11 R57s?
 
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Old 11-12-2011, 08:51 AM
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FYI, looking at thread here, I noticed that one person did report having "rubbing" issues with a stock wheel/suspension setup running the 225-45-17 tire size. I don't want that issue. Plus, as I said, TireVan in Northern VA won't even put them on because it's too far from OEM spec. So now, I am thinking I would like slightly more traction and same or slightly greater wheel height. Thus, I am looking for 215-45 tires and the Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires seem to be the tested favorite.

Has anyone noticed difference in speedometer accuracy running 215-45-17 tires?

Originally Posted by jorn
I'm having a heck of a time getting TireRack's website to cooperate with me when attempting to select a tire/wheel pair at the 225/45R17 or 225/35R17 sizes. Am I crazy for wanting that on my '11 R57s?
I was just on TireRack and had to select custom size so that it wouldn't default to the 205-45-17 size. Jorn, your looking at 225 tires...had you run on these "shoes" before? I thought it might cause rubbing inside the wheel well of a stock suspension setup. I like the idea of more tire on the road. I've read that the wider tire might decrease cornering responsiveness...but I don't know from experience. Your thoughts?
 

Last edited by Derepente; 11-12-2011 at 08:57 AM.
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Old 11-13-2011, 03:24 PM
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I just had them put on about a week ago (215/45 Conti's) but haven't speed tested it yet.

I will say there is a BIG difference compared to what was taken off (205/45 Faulken something or others)

Handling in comparison got much worse. Feels like I'm going to roll the car when taking a tight turn or swerve. Someone mentioned about a 'break in period' for the tires on another thread and I'm hoping that's all it is.

Ride is much better. Don't feel nearly the bumps that I used to on the stiffer tires. With the +1 size and deeper tread it softened it up quite a bit.

I don't track it but there is plenty of opportunity around here to drive it like I stole it. I was really hoping to not sacrifice so much handling for the ride quality.
 
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Old 11-13-2011, 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by loansinpa
I just had them put on about a week ago (215/45 Conti's) but haven't speed tested it yet.

I will say there is a BIG difference compared to what was taken off (205/45 Faulken something or others)

Handling in comparison got much worse. Feels like I'm going to roll the car when taking a tight turn or swerve. Someone mentioned about a 'break in period' for the tires on another thread and I'm hoping that's all it is.

Ride is much better. Don't feel nearly the bumps that I used to on the stiffer tires. With the +1 size and deeper tread it softened it up quite a bit.

I don't track it but there is plenty of opportunity around here to drive it like I stole it. I was really hoping to not sacrifice so much handling for the ride quality.
I didn't see a single review on tirerack or other sites that mentioned that much of a performance loss. I hope it's a break in issue too because I just ordered the 215/45/17 Conti DWS's yesterday from tirerack. How aggressively were you driving when you felt like you were going to roll?
 
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Old 11-13-2011, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by chaswyck
I didn't see a single review on tirerack or other sites that mentioned that much of a performance loss. I hope it's a break in issue too because I just ordered the 215/45/17 Conti DWS's yesterday from tirerack. How aggressively were you driving when you felt like you were going to roll?

I didn't think very aggressive. Roll might be an excessive term on my part but it is a big difference comparison to what I was used to. Have found that I can't take usual turns as tight or as fast as I used to. Had a scare when I came up and over a little hill and found a driver coming in the other direction over the line into my lane. Did a swerve and didn't have near the control I think I would have had before. Didn't end up in a corn field but it wasn't a reassuring feeling. Did I mention the ride was much better? I'm not knowledgeable enough on the subject to narrow down if the big difference came from tire type or tire size or both (my guess). I just need to learn to slow down I guess....or not.
 
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Old 11-13-2011, 05:58 PM
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I can say I have had good reviews of the DWS from people as I have sold many to Audi, BMW owners over the last couple of years I have had a few people say they felt soft in the sides when running more aggressive with corning. The other problem i find with the DWS is Conti's issues with keeping inventory up with them other than that all around good multi season tire. I just picked up a 2006 Cabrio S w/JCW kit and it has 205/45/17 Conti SSR run flats now I'm going to ditch those and go with a set of General Exclaim UHP in 205/40/17 I have kicking around my store. Biggest reason being I can put them on my car for like $220 so can't complain about that.
 
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Old 11-14-2011, 02:45 AM
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The performance might improve with an increase in tire pressure. What PSI are you running the 215-45-17 CEC DWS tires on now?

I saw an earlier post or thread with Psi higher than what's on the door label.
 

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