I think in the excitement of getting my MINI (09 Cooper), I overlooked the fact that the tires are worn. :-\ I was spinning the front tires a bit on wet roads from a stop, but thought maybe I was still getting used to driving a stick, again. But holy crap- we had snow today, and I slid sideways taking a turn from a stop, and totally had no traction going forward another time. practically fish-tailed. I looked in the manual, and it basically told me to go to the dealer for tires. I went on town fair tires website, and it gave me Base, Base 16 or 17, and 205/40R18 82W or 86W. I drive 30 miles hwy each way to work... help me pick out tires! help!

 

We need more info. Is your MINI a Cooper or Cooper S? You could have 15, 16 or 17 inch rims. Read the size on the side of the tire & post the size.

 

The tires I have now, are Michelin Radial X 175/65 R 15 84H tubeless. They seem to have even wear. I have no idea on their history... my MINI came with 90K. It's a Cooper.

 

i worked at town fair tire for 5 years. i would suggest going up a size to 185/65R15.

the first number (175) is the width across the top/bottom of the tire.

the second number (65) is the height of the sidewall (the rubber between the open area and the top/bottom) in a percentage.

the third number (15) is the diameter of your wheel, in inches.

so going from 175/65 to 185/65, is going to give you a little more tire surface area on the road, and fill up the space in your wheel wells just a tinyyy bit. its a good idea and it wouldnt really cost any extra.

if you are going to buy from town fair tire, and you are only going to run 1 set of tires year round (rather than snow tires in the winter and summer tires in the summer) i would ask them about the "mastercraft strategy". its a great all season tire.

if you do swap out your tires seasonally, i would ask about "mastercraft glacier grips" for winter, and "toyo extenzas" or "hankook optimos" for summer.

 

I own two base Mini's and the 175/65/15 is still a good choice for your car. The oem tire is a Continental Conti Procontact tire. Expect to get about 20,000 miles from them. Tirerack has a good selection of other tires of this size and ask for Alex. He has been NAM's consultant for many years. Many owners go with a 196/60/15 tire. The diameter and circumference is almost identical to the oem 175/65/15 tire. This gives a wider profile and slightly more sidewall for a smoother ride. This also narrows the wheel gap with your wheel arches. They look pretty aggressive too. You can also use a 205/55/15 which is a close fit also. These would be the widest you can use on the stock 15 inch diameter, 5.5 inch wide wheel. I have used these also. Again, Alex would be very good resource for you.

 

Thank you so much! I guess I have a lot of work to do... any pros/cons about going to tire store vs. ordering tires online and having them installed?

 

agreed on the 195/60 amd 205/55.

both are good sizes. howver, keep in mind that in the winter, thinner is usually better. they will cut through snow better with less surface area. if you dont drive the car in the snow, the 205/55 will be a better choice.

having said that, the 205/55 is going to be more expensive. (wider width with lower profile sidewall usually means more $) the 195/60 would be a nice middle ground.

the pros/cons of ordering online:

+ usually the price of the tire is cheaper

- you will have to pay for installation, which will include mounting, balancing, and most likely an alignment if you havent gotten one in the last 10k miles. (itd be a shame to ruin new tires cause of a faulty alignment.)

+ there may be other tire brands available that arent offered in stores

- warranties. if that online tire goes flat, or becomes non-repairable, are you out of luck? have to send it back?

personally, i have the resources to do all my mechanical work myself, so online wouldnt be a bad idea. in youre case, i would suggest buying from a store where labor is discounted, and the services are available. over the years at town fair tire, ive seen it all. brand new tires come in popped the next day. with the warranty its replaced for free. also, town fair tire will not mount new tires purchased elsewhere. im not sure how other stores operate.

i dont want to sway you one way or the other. there are pros/cons either way. i would suggest going to a store though. whether its a town fair tire or somewhere else.

a general rule ive learned owning a mini for the past 2.5 years: dont sacrifice peace of mind to save a few bucks. (if possible)

 

I've always ordered my tires online and have saved money even with having them mounted locally. Tirerack posts a lists of qualified installers in all areas of the US. These installers typically back the installation as well as the tire. I've had nothing but good experiences buying this way.

 

I am SO STOKED!!!! I went back to the dealership, and told my salesman I think my tires are bald, he thought I had new ones, and after about 7 different people going back and forth to my MINI, the sales manager came back and apologized to me, that there was some sort of mix-up with the person that traded in the car, and snow tires, etc... but long story short, I'm getting all new tires! Yayy!!!!!!!! ;D

 

Good for you! Now, get out there and enjoy that Mini in what ever weather it is!

 

Hey!!!! A happy ending! Way to go!