Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a 2003 MCS that currently has stock brakes, stock 17" wheels and run-flats. I need to buy winter tires/wheels as I live at the top of a very steep hill in the northeast, but am confused about my options. From what I've read, ideally I want a 15" basic steel wheel (i.e. http://www.tirerack.com/snow/WinterW...el#results_top) with 175/65-15 or 195/60-15 size tires. However, talking to local tire retailers they say either a)I can ONLY use 17" winter tires/wheels or b)I can only go as small as 16" because of caliper size (which seems incorrect because don't the standard Cooper's and the s's have the same calipers in the 2003 models? And the standard Cooper can run 15" wheels...). The less money I spend on this venture the better, hence the preference for a smaller wheel size. So if anyone can shed some light on this particular conundrum I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much.

 

Yes you can run 15 inch wheels on your MINI with no problems, provided you do not have a BBK.

You will also be able to find a narrow tire in 15 inch size. I have 185/65/15 Hakka 2 snows mounted on Cooper holie rims. That package works great for me.

Look here in the marketplace for deals on take off 15 inch wheels. That is where I found mine.