So I've been trying to hunt down the ideal tire to replace my Duelers with, as they aren't at all suited to winter driving. When I bought the car, the dealer told me that they were all-seasons, but one look at the tread blocks I knew they were wrong.

While I thought about going back to the dealership to exchange for the Pirelli or Continental all-season runflats, reviews on those tires are also poor. So I find myself interested in buying something else.

I looked at the Continental DWS, but the soft sidewall (I had them on a 2008 Saab wagon) turned me off - I don't want the Mini to handle like a milk float! One tire seemed to excel in most categories on Tirerack.com - the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. Of course, this tire doesn't come in a size recommended by the options listed on discount tire's website.

So while the 225/50-17 seems to be the smart choice, I wonder if a 215/50-17 would work out. According to the tire calculator on Miata.net, it would run .4" shorter than stock, and read 1.6% too fast. Does anyone know how this could negatively impact the Mini? Would it negatively affect anything? Should I just pick a tire from the 225/50-17 size class and be done with it?

I'm being pressured to do something by the end of the week by my other half...

 

Where's an emoticon for crickets when you need one...

So I'm guessing no, no one has. The idea of lowering the car via the tires is intriguing nonetheless, especially as it doesn't weigh that much. Then again, it might look under-tired.

Howabout those Continental DWS'? Anyone have experience with those? Those are avail in 225/50 after all...

 

I'm not sure how much snow you deal with but you might want to consider Nokian WGR2s. I'm lurking here in anticipation of ordering an ALL4 S soon, but just put a pair of these on our '05 Cooper. Just ran through lake effect snows south of Lake Erie and they ran fine. They seem to get great reviews, but often seem to only be available through small dealers. They also come in both the sizes you mentioned. Good luck.

 

If snow fell with any consistency here in Chicago I'd spring for Nokians: I had them on my first cars in upstate NY and loved them! Turned a open-diff RWD Volvo into a snowmobile. Well except for when the snow was actually too deep, but that's another story.

I don't see them being advantageous here, though. I'm leaning back towards the soft-sidewalled Continental DWS because previous experience with them in snow was surprisingly good, and dry-roading with Nokians wasn't that great.

Plus I'm hating runflats on the harsh Chicago road network.