Hello. I'm trying to understand how different wheel+tire choices will affect the handling characteristics of my (soon to be ordered) R56.

I'm looking at three possible wheel+tire configs:

1) 16" Bridge Spokes with 195/55R16 performance tires
2) 17" Crown Spokes with 205/45R17 performance tires
3) 17" Web Spokes with 205/45R17 run-flat tires

Can someone break down for me what each of these configs will give me as far as handling and ride comfort goes (or if it is always a linear sacrifice: one or the other)?

Thanks very much for the help.

 

1) Best Ride, not very stiff, very tall sidewalls
2) Decent Ride, Sticky, Short stiffer sidewalls
3) Bumpy Ride, not very sticky, VERY stiff sidewalls (The car can drive with no air in the tires because the sidewalls are so stiff).

The shorter the sidewalls, the better the handling, but the worse the ride quality (Not as much cushion). Runflats have to be VERY stiff to support the weight of the car with no air. They're also not very sticky.

 

The 17" crown spokes come with run flat tires too they just arent listed in the MINI configurator

 

All R56 MCS using 16", 17", or 18" wheels come with runflats.

The difference is in the tire sizes.

55 series sidewalls are better suited for street driving and the most comfortable choice for daily use.

45 series sidewalls are much stiffer.

Runflat sidewalls tend to be stiffer than non runflat tires.

The 17" tires will give slightly better handling but it's usually not worth the drop in comfort.

 

Will going 16" reduce my options for good aftermarket performance tires? I Looked on some tires manufacturers websites and saw a lot more tires available once I went up to 17 or 18". What are other people out there using for performance tires on 16" wheels?

 

The choices may be limited if you look at exactly the same tire size as OEM. For 16", many people use 205/50-16 and there are a lot of choices in that size.

 

195/55-16 definitely limited and more suited to runflats.

205/50-16 is a little under stock sized and works fine. A good place to start looking. See Ultra High Performance Summer tires. There are some Max Performance Summer tires- Like Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3.

205/55-16 is a tad taller than stock but still very popular and works with stock suspension and offers many good tires. See Ultra High Performance All Season tires or Max/Ultra High Performance Summer tires. This is probably the best one size for the MINI. It's not as good a choice for lowered MINIs due to the taller tire diameter of 24.9".

In 205/55-16 There are extreme performance tires like the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R which are very grippy. Treadwear is only 140 as a tradeoff.

Notice that these are 50 and 55 series tires so they offer more comfort for daily use. With 17" wheels you need to use tires that are often 40 to 45 series with stiffer sidewalls even if non runflat. You get somewhat better performance but you are really limited by speed limits and traffic congestion. It's much different if you go to a driving school event or track.
Then the 17" tires would do a bit better.

 

Fantastic information everybody, thanks

So perhaps 205/50-16 would be a better size if I'm thinking about adding the JCW suspension down the road?

I'm sorry, I don't understand the bit about treadwear being 140. What does this mean?

The tires that I think I'd be leaning toward, which I've used in the past and offer excellent wet traction as well as dry are BFG KDW NT's. They are available in a 205/50-16 size and I easily get 30K miles out of them. Those Bridgestones sound interesting though...

Again, thanks everybody for the help. I've been so impressed with the willingness of NAM members to share information. It's such a big help at my stage of the game when I'm just starting out. Cheers!

 

does anybody know if mini calibrates the Speedo for the different size wheel options?

 

IIRC, the tire O.D. varies only a few tenths of an inch between the different OEM wheel/tire sizes. The Dunlaps that come with the MCS Sports Package on Crown Spoke wheels have an O.D. of 24.5" according to Tire Rack. The OEM tires for 16" wheels seem to be 24.4"

 

205/50-16 is a good close to stock size (tad less than stock) and has good tire selection.

Treadwear is a relative number that varies with each tire and is a measure of that to expect from tires as they wear. So from the same manufacturer if you have two tires one rated at 100 and one at 300 then the 300 rated tire may last up to three times longer than the 100 rated tire.

Lower numbers usually mean softer rubber that performs better if it is designed to provide better grip as in the case of the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R. But soft rubber wears fast- maybe 12,000 to 14,000 miles only using daily street use. Maybe less if you are hard on tires and tend to corner fast.

Some economy tires are lower treadwear rated but it's because they are cheaply made. They don't provide much grip and they wear fast. Some good grand touring all Season tires provide good grip but last very long- it has to do with the tire design, tread design, tire construction, and rubber compounds used.

There are many good tires for wet or dry traction-
Goodyear eagle F1 GS-D3
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS
Prices and treadwear vary