OK, a few months ago I asked a question as to the optimum size of wheel for cornering and accelleration. Now that more people have experimented and raced, what is the new consensus for tire and wheel size?

 

I found that a 225/40/15 with 36psi works well.

 

NoBull60,

Have you tried other wheel sizes (16" or 17&quot? Any comments on the those as compared to the 15's?

 

>>NoBull60,
>>
>>Have you tried other wheel sizes (16" or 17&quot? Any comments on the those as compared to the 15's?

Also what are the width of your wheels? 7"?

 

I just want to know who makes a 225/40/15?

I know the Toyo T1-S is available in a 225/40/16 but not a 15. A search of all of Tire Racks tires shows none in that size also.

Back to the original question, the Falken Azenis has to be one of the best street tires for putting the power down. It has a wide tread area for it's size and very little groove space not to mention it's sticky rubber compound and stiff sidewalls. Sizes are limited at this time but may improve later this year or sometime next year. Current sizes the MINI owner may consider are a 205/50/15, a 215/45/16 and a 225/45/17, though the 17 wouldn't be the easy to fit and the diamater would hurt acceleration. In each case the widest wheel recommended for each tire size would be the best choice for handling. In the case of the above Falkens that's a 7.5" for the 205's and an 8" for the 215's.

If you don't care much about tire life or ride but must have the best acceleration and handling on a street driven tire get the Kumho Ecsta V700 in a 225/45/15. It's a "R" compound tire with a tread wear rating of about 50 and is only about 22.8" in diameter. I think it's rated for wheels up to 9" wide.

 

The falkens are great but if you live in an area with lots of rain and your driving these tires on the street alot I would skip on the falkens and get the toyos. If your in a real dry climate I'd go with the falkens or kumhos.

 

>>The falkens are great but if you live in an area with lots of rain and your driving these tires on the street alot I would skip on the falkens and get the toyos. If your in a real dry climate I'd go with the falkens or kumhos.

PHX, AZ here. Have you tried various wheel sizes? Which one works the best? 15", 16", or 17"?

 

>>PHX, AZ here. Have you tried various wheel sizes? Which one works the best? 15", 16", or 17"?

Not on my MCS but I have on my Subaru Impreza. Most important, get the best tire for the job! Then get the best wheel for the tire. Don't underestimate the value of a wide wheel just to save a pound or two for one a 1/2" narrower. This is even more important on tires with soft sidewalls like the Kumho MX or any of the Bridgestone tires I've ever used. On my Subaru I started with 16x7's but better tires were available in 17" sizes so I got a set of 17x7.5 Racing Hart CP-035's with 215/40/17 Bridgestone S-02 pp's.. It was a great improvement. Then Falken came out with the Azenis RS in good sizes for my 16's and I went back to them, Once again a great improvement. Then BFG started making the KD's in a 225/50/15 so I got a set of 15x7.5 Volk TE-37's. This combo proved to be just a little faster than my stock 16x7 wheels with the Falkens mounted.

 

Thanks for the reply. Do you think wheel diameter plays a role in how well the car performs? Some say that by having a larger wheel, the weight is further to the outside and therefor harder for the car to rotate therefor lower performance. So a smaller diameter wheel is better to keep the rotational mass as close to the center of rotation. But you don't want to go too small or the tire's sidewall will become too tall causing excessive flex. Have you found this to be true?


>>Not on my MCS but I have on my Subaru Impreza. Most important, get the best tire for the job! Then get the best wheel for the tire. Don't underestimate the value of a wide wheel just to save a pound or two for one a 1/2" narrower. This is even more important on tires with soft sidewalls like the Kumho MX or any of the Bridgestone tires I've ever used. On my Subaru I started with 16x7's but better tires were available in 17" sizes so I got a set of 17x7.5 Racing Hart CP-035's with 215/40/17 Bridgestone S-02 pp's.. It was a great improvement. Then Falken came out with the Azenis RS in good sizes for my 16's and I went back to them, Once again a great improvement. Then BFG started making the KD's in a 225/50/15 so I got a set of 15x7.5 Volk TE-37's. This combo proved to be just a little faster than my stock 16x7 wheels with the Falkens mounted.