Winter tires:
I am debating whether to buy 215/45/17 or 205/50/17, since there are more options (cheaper) for winter tires. I imagine that 205/50/17 would be better because they have a slightly larger profile (car would be slightly higher in winter). I think I want the michelin Xi2.
There are lots more options for these 2 sizes. Which should I go with?

I have a 2009 JCW with stock rims and 205/45/17 tires. Would the 205/50/17's fit?
I don't think I need performance winter tires, do I????
I imagine I just need regular winter tires. I do drive her hard, but probably wont in the winter.

 

205/50 will fit, unless you lowered the car drastically. For winter tires, narrower is better (ever seen those rally cars during a winter race). As for performance winter tires, that's up to you. Personally, I back off of most spirited driving during the snow months... but that's just me

 

As dajiggalo said, narrower is definitely better in snow. I don't think the marginal height difference would make much of a difference. Where are you located? The depth of snow, frequency of snow-storms, frequency of freezing rain makes the difference in deciding if you need a standard winter tire or performance winter tire. Here in Boston, we only get "deep" snow 2-4 times a season and I live on a well-plowed street thus I went with more performance-oriented Michelin Pilot Alpine PA2s rather than deep-snow focused Michelin X-Ices. I was happy with the PA2s as they are great in the dry, great in the rain, quiet and handle surprisingly well. The X-Ice or Xi2 are great tires in snow, but are a little louder on the road, don't handle as well and don't give the same feedback. There were one or two times last winter when I wished for more traction in snow with the Pilot Alpine PA2s but I never got stuck and appreciated the other qualities of the tires for the 80% of the winter when there wasn't much snow. It all depends on what conditions are like in your area and what your expectations are.

 

I live in Minnesota and it's going to be my first winter, so I have NO IDEA what I need. All I know is that I need winter tires. I think the streets are pretty well plowed, but then, I do work very early.
I wonder what tire size would be best? (And cheapest!!!)

 

A "performance" winter tire, in simple terms, is geared to be driven on wet or dry cold roads, as opposed to a more dedicated snow/ice tire that will perform better on packed/soft snow and ice, but not as well on cleared pavement. Each will do better than an all season tire in the snow, however.

Some people don't like the way a regular snow/ice tire feels and the lack of grip when cornering, braking or at freeway speeds on cleared pavement, so a "performance" snow tire will better satisfy them.

Determine which tradeoffs and needs best suit your driving environment, and go from there.

 

You could make a post for winter driving in Minnesota and see what response you get or just ask the people you work with to ask how often snow falls and how much. My freshman year college roommate was from Minnesota and when I could bear listening to him it, it sounded like it definitely snows more there than in Boston and I'd probably suggest going for a standard snow rather than performance snow tire. In 205/50-17 TireRack has Blizzak (the de-facto standard) LM25s for $130, Michelin Xi2s (brand new I believe) for $125 and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Ds for $127. You'd be fine with any of them, although I'd call TireRack as they should have experience both with the tires and with knowing the conditions of where you are. Alex at tirerack frequents theses pages and knows a lot about MINIs. I'm PM him (Alex@tirerack) for questions as to which tire is the best for the $130.

Oh and don't wait to long to get your snows. The longer you wait the less likely what you want will still be in stock.

 

Bridgestone LM25's - best handing in dry and wet
Michelin XIce XI2 - most pure snow and ice grip of the group
Dunlop wintersport 3D - very good blend of deep powder traction and decent dry road handeling

It depends on your plow service, and how agressivly you'd like to drive on dry and crear roads.

For my region LM25's would be my pick.

Alex

 

i live at 8,000 feet north of Reno and for the last two years i'v been running a set of four bridgestone blizzaxs on four bbs 15 inch rims,i spelt that wrong but whatever. I have had amazing performance in both wet and dry but especially in ice. I bought them through tirerack.com and had them in less than a week for just under 600 for all four plus balancing. By personal experience, i would recommend these very highly.

 

Well, you're stuck with 17s on the JCW due to the bigger brakes, but for anyone else I'd highly recommend the Dunlop WintersportM3 on a 16. Not at all squirmy, quiet, great in rain/slush, really good in snow (far better than good all-seasons, and I've literally driven them back to back under controlled, winter testing conditions). They're a performance winter tire - all said above applies.

I'd go with the slightly narrower tire, personally, Width is your enemy in snow, slush and rain - though we're talking about maybe 3/8" of total width difference here...

 

Thanks everyone for the help.
I will call you soon Alex. Is there a skinnier tire that would be better for 17's?
I think plowers are pretty good generally.

 

Sorry to confuse you even more, but I just purchased a set of Pirelli Winter Snowsport 240's (non-RFT) Size: 205/45R17

They are fantastic...couldn't be happier. However they are performance winter tires, so the other posts above were right, they are not designed for extreme northern winters (ie. Nunavut, Northern Alaska) however for most people who see snow on and off in a Winter (such as Toronto) you would be fine.

I've got a MCS - however I went with the 17's because I plan on doing the JCW brake upgrade in early 2009.

On another note - the ride is so smooth on my winter tires (non-RFT) compared to my sh**y Dunlop DSST 01's RFT summer tires. They are terrible in comparison.

 

205's are as narrow as I'd recomend in 17's

Alex