Hi Everybody,
I have a 2006 MC with the 16" wheels (sport package). It came from the factory with runflats, and I have 15,000 miles on them. I think I'll be able to drive them another 5k miles or so, but I'd like to know what tires others have put on their MC.

I'm thinking NON-RUNFLATs at this point. I'm also thinking that I'd really like to have some really good performance tires, but I'd like them to be able to last a while and not be too expensive.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. One guy at the tire shop I go to sometimes suggested "Nitto" as a brand, but that was the limit of it. I have some time, but I'd like suggestions.

Thanks!

POWER to the MINI's!!!

 

Look at 205/50R16 sized tires.

Here are some of the summer tires I have used:

Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position - no longer available, but it was a great tire - maybe a bit expensive though. Possibly the Potenza RE750 would be worth looking at.

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 - almost as much grip as the S-03, and cheaper. Love it or hate it tread pattern.

BFGoodrich g-Force Sport - a step down in performance from the other two, but also a step down in price. They've been working very well for me. They'll grip good enough that you'll be able to go around corners irresponsibly fast.

I haven't used the Avon M500 or Yokohama ES100, but people like those also.

Tirerack has lots of good information...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=57
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=78
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=51
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=69

etc.

 

here are some more ways of looking at tire surveys at tirerack in
205/50/16's
Max performance summer
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...er=16&filter=y
Ultra high performance summer
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...er=16&filter=y
Ultra high performance all-season
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...er=16&filter=y

 

Check out Avon Tires, great tread wear, great traction

 

I have the same wheels/car and am normally not a Pirelli fan, but the Pirelli Pzero-Neros are really good.

Chad

 

I just ordered Kumho ASX in a 205-50-16, from Tire Rack, in an all season. From the reviews I read, its sidewall seems stiffer than most. I guess we shall see, since HPDE season is coming up for me again in July. The Kumhos were pretty competitive with the Pirellis, but a helluva lot cheaper at $67 each.

 

i bought toyo proxies 4's and they are a great tire the grip is about a 1/4 again what the stock goodyear nct5's are capiblae of and there 1/3 the price the tred ware is also very good i still have the nublys on the rears after 800 miles and i just wore the frounts off

 

Well, I have the Michellin Pilot Exato A/S and I like them. At the moment I have over 20K on them with at least that much more tread left. So I think I made a very good buy from the tire rack.


Art

 

Falken 452 if you don't need snow capabilities. If you do, ASX is cheaper than P Nero zero, but just as good.

 

If you're looking for the best handling, the experience I've had with the Yokohama ES100 is that they aren't the grippiest. I highly recommend Falken Azenis RT-615s if you can find a suitable size. They are extremely grippy, but have a slight problem with dealing with high tire temps. It's mainly an issue for autocrossing, but their so grippy, no one seems to mind. Another option that's supposed to be as good (maybe better?) than the Falken, though I have no experience with them, is the Hankook Ventus R-S2. If you want the latter, they come in a 205/50-16, a handy plus zero. Btw, all of the above mentioned tires are strictly for the summer, and dry traction is their main priority (except for the ES100s which are great in the rain).

 

Doesn't appear that he autocrosses or tracks his car. Note to the OP, you really should tell people what you do with your car, climate, expectations, etc. The best tire for a guy in South Florida maybe the worst tire for a guy in New England.

 

I daily drive my 05' MC, I also tour and travel, as well as autocross. So here is what I have for tires.
Summer touring (daily driver): BFG G-force sport; nice grip for whats necessary here, great tread wear of 360, Very low noise, Excelent wet traction!!! Minimal tire roll (under hard cornering) and good absorbsion of impacts from the road. Low cost around 110 ea. (depending on size), not very good in snow (but will get you by a few days without changing) and it BEATS the HELL out of RUNFLATS
Autocross: Falken Azenis (205/50 R15) Reduced outer Cir. over stock helps with low end torque and as mentioned before STICKY!!

 

I have heard nothing but GREAT things about the General Exclaim UHP tire, and they are top-rated by Tire Rack, too!

 

My research for a driver and not a racer:

205/50VR16 Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge $120 each tirerack.com ....GREAT REVIEWS!!!

Driver 90% racer 10%:
Nitto Neo Gen 205/5016 discounttiredirect.com get about 30K of tread life.

Driver 75% racer 25%:
Yokohama AVS ES100 205/50ZR16 $84 each good reviews. Gets a bit louder at 1/2 life.


I'm leaning towards new 16 inch MINI R90s with the Goodyears for our MC. They have the best dry cornering rating for their class of tire and the customer reviews are extremely positive. We have 4x4s for winter driving. I like hearing the intake and exhaust and not the tires. If I do any AutoX then I will shod the stock 15 inch rims with some sticky track tires.

 

Well I ended up getting the Kuhmo ESCTA ASTs 205-50/16 on my R50. They rock. Got all 4 mounted and balanced for $267. I've got a 4x4 for Winter driving. After a full day of driving these .... I like them a lot! The aggressive tread pattern is super quiet and very smooth riding at 30 lbs psi.

 

Where were you able to get such a good deal at?


Art

 

I have friends who run a tire shop here in southeast PA. His distributor had a special deal so he ordered them for me (no obligation) because he thought I might like them better than the General Exclaims he stocks. They came in at the same time I brought my new rims to him.

 

Do you need to do anything with the speedo when you go from 15" to 16" wheels?

 

No, just swap and go.


Art

 

My Kuhmo 205/50-16s are showing the same exact speed (2 mph greater than GPS measured) as with the stock 15 inch Contis. 205/55-16s would probably be a perfect speed match. I've got about 400 miles on the Kuhmo ECSTA ASTs and am quite happy! I did up the tire pressure from installed 30 to 32 psi.

 

I found out before I changed my first set of tires that I was 2 mph off. I was then told BMW sets all thier cars that way. Maybe that was just a rumor or was it a fact?


Art

 

First, check out the many many threads like this in the Tire and wheel forum on NAM.

Most things will apply to MC or MCS.

Ask yourself if you need a Summer tire (use it three seasons and winter tire) or you need an All Season tire (for use in light snow if needed). If you have moderate to heavy snow then get dedicated snow tires/wheels.

Next ask yourself what type of performance you need. Are you using the tire for street use only? What is your budget for 4 tires mounted and balanced?
How long do you want them to last? Do you have special needs- using the tires for autocross or track days?

For an average MC used only on the street an All Season tire in 205/50-16 or 205/55-16 would be most common. Ultra High Performance All Season is a good place to start and if your requirements are less than High Performance All Season tires are also possible.

Summer tires will tend to wear faster but offer more grip for dry or wet traction. Some have good comfort but many are a bit noisy or less comfortable for daily use- especially Extreme or Max Performance tires.
Ultra High Performance Summer tires are a good place to start with a good blend of value and performance with moderate wear.

It's hard to find good tires in the stock 195/55-16. Switching to non runflats gives you many more options but you have to deal with having a spare tire (comes with the MC) if needed for long trips. 205/50-16 is just a bit under stock tire diameter and is a good choice but tire selection is not as good as in 205/55-16 which is slightly taller than stock height (24.9" vs 24.3") but it's also a good choice especially for those with stock suspension- gives good tire clearance.

If you have a lowered MINI then 205/50-16 makes for better fitment.

Now you have enough background info to go shopping and make some sense of the various threads in Tire and Wheel forum.

 

I need new tires too. I think i might not do runflats as I hate them with the burning passion of a thousand stars. In my time with japanese cars I used primarilly Yokohama Avid H4s. They are great tires. I later moved on to Pirelli P-Zero Neros. For my needs in St Louis and its climate and unpredictable weather, these were amazing. I dont know if they fit he minis stock rims, but i
Im considering aftermarket wheels if thats what it takes to make it work. It all depends tho on your climate and driving needs

 

Assuming you have stock suspension and need all season tires-

If you have 16" wheels then
205/55-16 in Ultra High Performance All Season tires has good and wide selection with large range of prices. Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position is worth a look. Kumho Ecsta are good value.

If you have 17" wheels then
In 205/45-17
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 360 treadwear
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $126 420 treadwear (new-v good tests)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=87

In 215/45-17 there are many UHPAS tires that will fit.
Some better value or new tires
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $134 420 treadwear
Continental ContiExtremeContact $90 400 treadwear
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 360 treadwear
Kumho Ecsta ASX $90 420 treadwear
Sumitomo HTR+ $77 360 treadwear

If you want longer wearing tires with more comfort then-

Consider
Michelin Primacy MXV4
Grand Touring All Season tire
620 treadwear
Sizes to fit the MINI

15” wheels
185/65-15 $94 fits 5-6.5” rims, 20 lbs H speed rated 24.4” tire diameter
195/60-15 $101 H rated/$140 V rated fits 5.5-7” rims, 22 lbs H/V speed rated 24.2” tire diameter

16” wheels
205/55-16 $125 H rated/$141 V rated fits 5.5-7.5” rims, 23 lbs H/V speed rated 24.9” tire diameter

17” wheels
225/45-17 $170 fits 7-8.5” rims, 24 lbs H speed rated 25” tire diameter

Test results
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=86
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=86
Very Good ride and noise comfort for street use with good handling (dry and very good in wet)

 

I just swapped out Avon M500 215/45-17 w/15k miles. That was a rough ride on a stock '04 suspension. New tires are Dunlop Super Maxx 205/45-17 - and the ride is better.

The problem with the Avons was that they relayed every minor road bump, strip, crack, bug-on-the road directly to your butt. The Dunlops give a better ride, also seem to have less turning resistance. So far I give em .

Of course, whether the M500 and M550 are comparable .