Hi there, I am a new member of this forum.

I have recently inherited a 03 MINI which uses 175/65R15 tires. Apparently this size is hard to find in my area. It has been suggested to me I use the 10mm wider 185/65R15 which is half an inch more in diameter then my stock tires or the 185/60R15 tire which is one quarter inch of less in diameter than stock.

Taking advantage of this forum's vast experience base, and possible clearance issues, which 185 size tire should I purchase?

Thanks

 

I replaced my 175/65/15's with 195/60/15's. You should check out the tire forum and search through the posts. Lots of answers there.

 

The tire size calculator will help you here.

185/65 is 2.1% larger
185/60 is 0.9% smaller
195/60 is 1.1% larger

All are well within reasonable variation from stock. It comes down to what you want from the tires.
Larger will increase mileage slightly and reduce acceleration slightly
Smaller will decrease mileage slightly and increase acceleration slightly
(due to effective gearing)
The wider tire will reduce mileage slightly (more friction), but will give a wider contact patch.
Given that the MCS runs 195/55-16 or 205/45-17 stock, a wider tire won't be an issue with clearance.

 

Here's one:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html