I'm looking to upgrade to some 17"x7" Drag DR-11 wheels for my girls MCSCa, but I need help with the tire selection (215/40 or 205/45). My girl drives it mostly so they dont need to be super performance or any thing, but I would like it to be decent for when I steal it and knock the cob webs off you know. Really would not like to spend more than $115 per tire. What seems to work well with the MINIs?
Thanks

 

17x7 wheels with what offset?

Stock suspension? Any plans to lower it.

Any need for use in snow (need All Season tires?)

215/40-17 better for performance, harsher ride in general, more prone to rim damage if you hit a pothole, usually more expensive, smaller than stock tire diameter at 23,8"

205/45-17 is the stock size and a good bet for general use. Tire selection is not very good. Overall OK performance.

215/45-17 is an alternate size and is slightly larger than stock tire diameter at 24.7" but if you use stock suspension then it is OK. Tire selection is much better overall.

With the budget at $115 or less each tire then-

In 205/45-17 some choices:
In Ultra High Performance Summer tires
Kumho Ecsta SPT $99 each closeout, 320 treadwear W speed rated
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport $109 each 340 treadwear W speed rated

In Ultra High Performance All Season tires
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 each 360 treadwear W speed rated
and worth mentioning but higher priced-
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $122 each 420 treadwear Y speed rated

In High Performance All Season tires
Kumho Ecsta AST $68 each 400 treadwear H speed rated

 

How about the new Dunlop Z1 not 101.

 

For the OP these tires don't offer much value since they wear out faster and may not be as quiet or comfortable as other choices.

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 are Extreme Performance Summer tires meant for the highest performance applications such as track driving or autocross while keeping with street tires rated at least 140 treadwear.

Expect them to cost more, wear faster, and not be quite as comfortable.
Treadwear is 200
215/40-17 $119 each 22 lbs
215/45-17 $117 each 23 lbs
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....rezza+Sport+Z1

The main competition in this class of tires comes from-
Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R which are more comfortable and probably better handling but cost more and wear even faster.

Right now there are no tirerack tests on the Dunlop Z1 so it's hard to directly compare them.

 

Do 215/40/17 on stock 17" wheels fit R56 Ok without any rubbing?

 

Not trying to hijack the thread but I'm in basicly the same boat. 2006 MCS 17" R-98 wheels (I know heavy) stock runflats. I have to replace 1 run flat has a slow leak due to a nail. 10,000 miles on the set and they be lookin old. For the cost of 1 run flat I can almost get four good performance tires non run flat. Not hard to do the math there, the problem arises with stock 205/45/17 tires my speedo is off 5 % If my speedo reads 100 mph I'm actually doing 95 mph. Been checking against GPS and it's the same 5 % with every GPS used. If I go with 215/40/17 the error increases if I go with 215/45/17 it decreases but no enough to change the percetage more than 1 or 1.5 percent. What tire size would you think would allow me to correct most of the error. As it sits now the set up shows more mileage than I've actually driven and it will make the warranty I have run 5% less which over 50,000 miles is 2,500 miles.

 

Thanks guys especially Minihune. Very helpful, I was trying to figure out what size I could put on that would give me more cushion for those pot holes that claimed 2 of my girls rims on her last car. 215/45 sound perfect and are in mail so we shall see. Can the dealership adjust the odo, will it void any warranty. Thanks

 

I highly recommend Toyo Proxes 4 in 215/45-17. Excellent in wet or dry from a high performance all-season tire that wears well.

 

No need to adjust odometer or speedometer. Realize that you will be traveling slightly faster than your spedometer is showing so be a little careful- it's not excessive.

Changing to this tire size will not void your warranty, load rating is good and overall size is just slightly taller than stock.

 

on my '03 MCS I drive about 40K a year. it has the Sport package from dealer with 17" chrome (heavy) wheels. Last set was 215/40-17 Khumho SPTs that lasted a long time. I want a better handling/ride tire, but still want to get some miles out of them.

I'd like the Nav to be accurate, would 215/45-17 or 205/45-17 be best?

Any recommendations please?