Hello from a new owner in Columbus, Ohio
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Joined: Jan 2014
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Hello from a new owner in Columbus, Ohio
Hello from Buckeye Nation in beautiful Columbus, Ohio.
I'm a first time MINI owner and just picked up my 2010 MINI Cooper S on Saturday. It's Chili Red with a black roof and most of the options that were offered that year. After years of abusing my knees in the Marine Corps, high school and D1 college football, I'm having my left knee replaced this summer, so I decided to look for a car with an automatic transmission for the first time in many years. I'm glad I did. At 64 years old, I was getting kind of tired of shifting all the time anyway.
This car is an absolute blast to drive, like a go-cart with a windshield! I'm hooked! We have a saying here in Columbus, "Buckeye for Life". My new saying is "MINI for life"! I'm already starting to think I should have bought a brand new one.
My last two cars were a Porsche Boxster and a Jeep Wrangler, and my "speed racer" days are pretty much over, so I'm not going to do much to modify the car other than a K & N induction system and new wheels and tires for summer use. I'm going to keep the stock wheels and put winter tires on them. I've decided to get Breyton GTS-R wheels, but can't decide whether to put 17" or 18" on it. Any recommendations for wheel size and summer tires?
I think I'm going to enjoy being on this site. There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on here and I have so much to learn about these great little cars!
I'm a first time MINI owner and just picked up my 2010 MINI Cooper S on Saturday. It's Chili Red with a black roof and most of the options that were offered that year. After years of abusing my knees in the Marine Corps, high school and D1 college football, I'm having my left knee replaced this summer, so I decided to look for a car with an automatic transmission for the first time in many years. I'm glad I did. At 64 years old, I was getting kind of tired of shifting all the time anyway.
This car is an absolute blast to drive, like a go-cart with a windshield! I'm hooked! We have a saying here in Columbus, "Buckeye for Life". My new saying is "MINI for life"! I'm already starting to think I should have bought a brand new one.
My last two cars were a Porsche Boxster and a Jeep Wrangler, and my "speed racer" days are pretty much over, so I'm not going to do much to modify the car other than a K & N induction system and new wheels and tires for summer use. I'm going to keep the stock wheels and put winter tires on them. I've decided to get Breyton GTS-R wheels, but can't decide whether to put 17" or 18" on it. Any recommendations for wheel size and summer tires?
I think I'm going to enjoy being on this site. There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on here and I have so much to learn about these great little cars!
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Joined: Jan 2014
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Thanks for your recommendation. I've come to that same conclusion myself. What would you recommend for a good summer tire? I've read a lot of posts on here about switching from the run flat tires to non-RFTs. I have mixed emotions about that without a spare, but it's been over 30 years since I've had to pull to the side of the road and change a flat tire. Plus, I have AAA.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 191
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From: Midway, Utah
Go with your AAA and forget about the spare. I have a can of fix-a-flat, a plug kit, and a compressor in the back but have never used any of it.
I did the same thing as you and kept the stock wheels for winter and got 17's for summer. The 17's look good and are plenty firm. The ride would be too rough for me with 18's plus the low-pro tires can be very $$.
Black wheels would look great on that color combo. My summers are black and I also painted my winter wheels black using plasti-dip (which was super easy) because the silver wheels looked awful after having the black ones on there.
That color combo will also look great with your buckeye schwag!
I did the same thing as you and kept the stock wheels for winter and got 17's for summer. The 17's look good and are plenty firm. The ride would be too rough for me with 18's plus the low-pro tires can be very $$.
Black wheels would look great on that color combo. My summers are black and I also painted my winter wheels black using plasti-dip (which was super easy) because the silver wheels looked awful after having the black ones on there.
That color combo will also look great with your buckeye schwag!
OVERDRIVE - Racing Champion
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,262
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From: Mililani, Hawaii
Thanks for your recommendation. I've come to that same conclusion myself. What would you recommend for a good summer tire? I've read a lot of posts on here about switching from the run flat tires to non-RFTs. I have mixed emotions about that without a spare, but it's been over 30 years since I've had to pull to the side of the road and change a flat tire. Plus, I have AAA.
205/45-17
215/45-17
Summer tires worth considering:
Max Summer tires
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N
and
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N
The top 3 are all good, just different price points. Continental ExtremeContact DW has slightly softer sidewalls and ride more comfortable. Michelin Pilot Super Sport has great handling and is comfortable for street use.
Ultra High Performance Summer tires
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=163
Slight edge to BFG comp-2 for handling in dry or wet, edge to RE760 for ride and noise comfort. Both are very good tires for the value.
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport Comp-2 340 treadwear
205/45-17 $92 each, 21 lbs; 215/45-17 $99 each, 22 lbs each
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport 340 treadwear
205/45-17 $78 each, 22 lbs; 215/45-17 $107 each, 24 lbs each
If you want a more comfortable touring type ride and longer treadlife then-
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wws=N&showcm=N
Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus (grand touring all season tire) 700 treadwear
215/45-17 $141 each, 21 lbs.
Comfortable, Good handling in dry more than in wet
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=171
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