My wife drives a '06 Cooper S convertible and needs tires again. The factory run-flats lasted almost 20,000 miles as did their replacements. At $800 a set I figured it would be very cost effective to buy another wheel and five conventional tires this time around.

Any suggestions on tire brands and models would be appreciated. She’s not a performance oriented driver so she doesn’t need anything ultra sticky, just something quiet with decent traction in the rain and that will last longer than the run-flats that doesn’t cost $200 each.

Also, I need to get another wheel. She has the seven spoke 16-inch wheels if anyone has one or whatever the factoy uses for a spare in the hardtops. We’re located in Elkton, Maryland so if you have one locally or know of a reasonable source other than the dealer any leads would be great.

Thanks in advance

 

I've been thru a few sets of tires, and the ones I keep coming back to are the Toyo Proxie 4's. For me they are an all around good tire, last a while, quiet, good in rain and some snow.... I'm running the 17s and they cost from 90 to 120 depending on where you buy them. Might be alittle cheaper for a 16"

Good luck,

Nik

 

Another good choice is the Falken 912. They are great in the rain, dead quiet and I've read that are pretty decent in the snow, but I haven't tried that yet. Under $75 each.

 

The cheapest tires I can get at Discount tire are Kumho Ecsta AST for $99,
so, so what are the best tires performance wise for around 100 - 120 dlls?

 

I put my vote for the Falken 912's. They are the best bang for the buck. Let me know if you have questions on them.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

Now if we forget about the "buck" part for a second, what are the best tires you can use on a Cooper S 17" wheel ?

 

Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R (Extreme Performance Summer tires)
205/45-17 same as stock size. Great handling but wears fast.

At both tirerack.com and edgeracing.com.

 

The Falken 912s were at the top of the list of Ultrahigh Performance all season tires tested by Consumer Reports.

1. Falken 912
2. Nitto Heo Gen ZR
3. Yokohama Advan s4
4. Falken 512
5. General Exclaim UHP
6. Continental Contiextremeconatct
7. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
8. Kumho Ecsta ASX
9. SumitomoHTR+
10. Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S
11. Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position
12. Toyo Proxes 4
13. Cooper Zeon Sport A/S
14. Avon Tech M550 A/S
15. Hankook Ventus V4 ES

(Nov 2007)

Fortunately, the Falken 912s were available in the wheel+tire package I recently ordered. So, I hope they are as good as folks claim them to be.

 

I had those... for a short time. Decent ride, look nice, quiet at first, then possibly the noisiest tire I have ever driven on. After 10,000 miles I had to replace them, to noisy to stand on my daily commute. Alignment was good, rotated every 2000 miles, just horribly noisy, and still had over half the tread left. Sometime you get what you pay for....

Nik

 

What about something that last longer, 40K or so? good all season performance? About the falken some people are saying they don't perform very well.. I'm not sure witch ones will be the best for under $130 a pop
I don't want so so handling just to save 30 dls per tire, or out of this world handling but only 20k of life.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

In 205/45-17
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $114 each 420 treadwear.
Good handling, a little firmer ride but OK.
Tests-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=87

In 215/45-17
Pirelli PZero Nero M+S $137 each 400 treadwear
Yokohama Advan S.4. $172 each 400 treadwear
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS $162 each 400 treadwear

 

How long do this Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season last? reviews are great, but I'm hoping I'm not going to have to replace them every 20K

 

The treadwear ratings (420 in this case) range from 60 to 500. So, 420 is pretty good. Whether it lasts 20K for you depends on the road conditions and your driving style.

 

Well then as soon as I wear this Run flats that come with the MINI I'll buy a set.

 

I have 17" S-Lites with General Exlcaim UHP tires and they are awesome, quite and handle the corners nicely.
Tires I hade before the generals were Yokahama Prada2's and they were nice but had a much harder ride and cost alot more than the generals at $67each.

 

where did you got them for $67 each?

 

Check out shopzilla.com query 215/45-17 and several options for various manufacturers will be displayed. The day I did it the link went directly to Tire Rack. I went onto TireRaccks web site and the same tire was $12 more.

Aslo check out bizrate.com...I checked on shopzilla and the same tire is now $72...that's still a good deal...4 very nice tires for <$300.

 

I also bought the Goodyear F1 all-season. I like them very much, quieter than the run-flats and a less jarring ride. I put one of my winter tires in the car for a spare but would like to find a compact spare at a reasonable price.

 

What would the best Summer tires be? I have the F1s and love them... but lasting 20K- barely

 

Bridgestone Potenza G-019 Grid's in the 205/45/17. Good handling and UTOG rated at 400. I paid a local; tire seller/installer $125.00 a piece out the door.
Evensteven