Wife has 2011 Clubman non S. 15" Wheels, Getting a nice tax refund and she wants to put different wheels on. This is daily drive and getaway car, no track time, we have 2 other cars for track time. Stock suspension, no plans to up grade. The question is the tire will probably be a Michelin non run flat of the proper size for the car and wheel, how much harsher or rougher does the the 17" ride over the 15" or 16" wheel. Our roads are pretty good not a lot of pot holes. I have noticed a number a JCW 17" wheels for sale along with a number of OEM wheels for sale. We could get a after market wheel but prefer the OEM. WE are 72 and 68 and just want to upgrade the looks along with tinting and paiting the wheel arches.

Tom

 

Stock suspension, good roads, Michelins; ride difference from 15-17" diameters won't be likely to matter more than looks.

Check out these Continentals as additional tire options to consider:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....WSXL&tab=Sizes
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....DWXL&tab=Sizes

Don't know why the tire size sometimes changes when I post direct link. See the 205/45-17 DW for $102.

 

Thanks for the reply. Have Conti's on the Clubman now and they are fine had them on the Expedition as OEM tires, those were the worst tires I have ever had. Michelins on there now love them. The second Conti link was scary. $1300+ for a set wow. Will check the other out.

tom

 

TBRoye,

those links were not for the right size tire for the MINI so ignore the prices.

You have lots of options.

17" OEM wheels work with 215/45-17 tires, your choice for Summer tires or All Season tires if you have colder weather or some snow and don't have winter tires.

Generally the softer ride quality will come with tires that have a taller sidewall such as for OEM 15" or 16" wheels but it can also depend on the tire itself. Both Continental and Michelin make very good tires and some that are not as good, prices vary and don't always follow quality.

Wheel designs vary a lot and is subjective. If you can find a nice 16" wheel you like then you can use 205/55-16 tires with stock suspension and get decent handling and decent ride quality on any road plus tire selection is quite large which can fit any budget.

For example in 205/55-16
For Max Performance Summer tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N

For Ultra HP All Season tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wws=N&showcm=N


Otherwise in 215/45-17
For Max Summer tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N

For UHP All season tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wws=N&showcm=N

For 215/45-17 if your budget allows, Michelin Pilot Super Sport is an excellent street tire.

In either 16" or 17" sizes Continental DWS and DW are worth considering.

There is nothing wrong about keeping the 15" wheels and just changing the tires to something with more performance and better handling. 15" wheels tend to be lighter in OEM form than 16" and 17" wheels which is a plus for the base cooper.

Your choices of tire sizes can be-
175/65-15 OEM
185/60-15
185/65-15
195/60-15
205/55-15

All will fit OEM 15x5.5" rims with 195/60-15 having a good tire selection mix. If you want better handling and cold weather use then look at Ultra High Performance All Season tires.

Good tires do not have to be expensive-
In 195/60-15 Continental TrueContact Standard Touring All Season tires are $79 each.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....RUEC&tab=Specs
Tirerack test results-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=189
A good blend of comfort and handling with longer treadwear at reasonable cost.
Also comes in 215/45-17

 

Thanks for all the information will check all the links. Went out yesterday to some of the tire and wheel shops and looked a wheels. The 17's looked huge and I didn't care for some of the styles. The shop mainly cater to the large wheel crowd and even the smaller 17" size is along those lines and are not what I like. The tires will probably come from COSTCO as they have free rotation and balancing every 5K miles, only problem they have a very limited choice as the manufactures. Half th fun is the shopping and research for me so I will continue on.

Tom

 

Local tire and wheel shops will have just a limited wheel selection of "what sells".

Check tirerack.com and contact Alex at extension 4294 for more info-
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resul...All&sort=Brand

There are many finishes and styles, from classic (see Enkei classic) to modern (various O.Z.) to sporty (Sparco and others).

For Costco there are certain brands they carry, and they tend to only want to install tire sizes that match OEM specs.

For costco they will order and install-
Using 15" rims- 195/60-15
Using 16" rims- 205/55-16
Using 17" rims- 215/45-17

For MINI owners that had only OEM runflats originally, costco requires you replace the tires with runflats or have a compact or full-size spare tire in your car or in it's original location (for base cooper models). Otherwise they will not install non runflats in a Cooper S.

 

Don't know where you are, but Discount Tire does free rotations & balancing if you buy your tires from them. The local Discount Tire will match Tire Racks prices on tires & wheels. I'd recommend going with a 16" size. We run 205-50-16 Kumho 4x tires on my wife's clubman. Both she & I are happy with them.

 

if you want smooth ride and mpg, stick with the stock 15" rims. I am going to go back to my 15" rims in the near future. I am running 17" 205/45/17 Yokohama tires. They arent bad. They are a great performance tire. Just seems more road noise, rougher ride than the stock being much less rubber between road and rim than the 15" combo tire/wheel and noticeable worse fuel economy than stock. Looks good though. much sportier look than stock. If you go 17" rims, go ultra light rims. The heavier the rim- the more power it takes to turn them.

 

If you don't like the looks of your OEM 15" rims and want a change there are many good 15x7" rims that are reasonable in price and relatively low in weight. There are also some that are ultra light but will cost more.

 

We are leaning toward a Rots RB 15x7 rims and a suitable Michelin tires. We are older from the 50-60's era and want something a little retro, the Rota fits the bill, can't afford the Minilites like I want so the Rota RB are close in silver. Our 66 Mustang has the original American Racing Torque Thrust that I polished, the midget has polished Halibrands, that I polished many years ago. Will probably go with a 205/55X15 tire.or one that will not mess up the speedo to much. I would keep the stock ones but they suck. Will be ordering the wheels and tires in the next few day as soon and IRS deposits the refund, will also be ordering new wheel arch's and rocker trim so I can paint it body color. The Clubman has the Hyper Areo kit on it. Will be getting it tinted next week, talked to vendor who used to do our undercover cars when I was working so will get a brake on tinting and ordering some Dash pieces from ECS. Thinking of Brakes and suspension maybe. My wife keeps telling me you have two cars don't get carried away with the Mini. These cars are fun what can I say.

 

You need to look at the Michelin tires available that fit a 15x7. It's not pretty.

 

That's a problem. 15 x 7 is a hard rim to fit. It would be easier to use a 16 X7 wheel, which may happen. I am still researching so we will see. I imagine it not be the stock size tire but more like a 205/215 55 or 50 X15 tire.

Tom

 

enkei rpf1's

 

16x7 RB's with 205/55-16 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3.

Tire review for Tom:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hing-well.html

 

If using 15x7" rims then you have some options on tire sizes that will fit and work for you whether with Michelin tires or not.

Advantage of 15x7" wheels is less weight and more options for taller sidewalls up to 60-65 series for more ride comfort.

In Michelin for 15" wheels-

Grand Touring All Season tires-
Michelin Primacy MXV4
195/60-15 $99 each, 620 treadwear

Standard Touring All Season tires-
Michelin Defender
185/60-15 $114 each, 820 treadwear
tirerack test result-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=189

Otherwise in other tire brands-

Kumho Ecsta 4x (UHP all season tire)
205/55-15 $81 each, 420 treadwear
Tirerack test results-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=151

Yokohama S.Drive (UHP summer tire), not for cold weather use
205/55-15 $96 each, 300 treadwear
Tirerack test results-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=192


As for suspension for street use-
Koni FSD with OEM springs.

 

Tired of rattle and noises especially Hawaii's the worse when it comes to road repair..so i decided to downsize my rims to OEM 15", changed the entire suspension the other day with FSD and discover musrooming on the driver side. Pound the heck of it to level back to where it suposed to be, drove the car around and very disappointed.. still rattle noise the ride comfort did not feel any difference, i even changed the spring from Non Sport type. Maybe i did not pick the right brand of tires... That maybe a big difference...had to wait for next change-out.

 

What tires and what size? Where did you buy the tires?

175/65-15 is OEM but tire selection not that good.

195/60-15 is a good size for tire selection and it fits the OEM rim and most tire shops don't give you a hard time for not being the OEM tire size.

I have 195/60-15 with Bridgestone Ecopia 422 which are smooth riding Grand Touring all season tires with low rolling resistance. They are great for noise and comfort but squishy on handling.

 

Brad
I had 195-60-15, got it from co-worker, unfamiliar brand though, its experinental basis to see it will ease the annoying noises.

 

here's a pic btw

 

Looks like it won't be happening for while, go hit with an $800 Vet bill. It is at the shop getting tinted though. Probably 6 months down the road for now or I may get the wheels first and then the tires later. But nothing for now. Thanks for all the suggestion and advice.

Tom