I have a 2007 Cooper (non-S) with 15 rims and 175/65/15 tires.

After 20,000 miles the OEM Continental ContiPremiumContact's are starting to get near the wear line. I don't drive overly hard but the tires are wearing never-the-less. That's OK though, I don't really like them all that much. I'm in the process of looking for some new tires before we get hit with a huge snow storm.

No I'm not going the winter/summer tire route, all I really want is some all-seasons. The only problem is there are slim pickings when it comes to 175/65/15. I've bumped it up to 185/65/15's but I'm being told by some other member on another forum if I'm going to do that I need to go 185/60/15 in order to keep the diameter correct. I honestly have no idea what any of that means.

Also will putting wider tires on the car screw with the tire pressure monitors? I don't want the car to bong all the time about it.

Anyways here is what I've come up with in the 185/65/15 category, the General Tire Altimax HP and Pirelli P4 Four Seasons look like they are available in 185/60/15, however I don't think the other two are.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position's, about $70.00 a tire. The reviews are favourable on Tire Rack getting a 7.45/10. Snow, slush, and rain traction ratings are much higher then the tires I have on the car now. The tread pattern looks cool too!



The General Tire Altimax HP, about $60 a tire. The reviews are similar on this tire as they are to the Potenza although the Potenza's are slightly higher in some areas, but the Altimax are better in the snow. I've had a lot of people tell me General Tires are crap because they aren't name brand, but from what I've researched they've been around since 1915.



The Pirelli P4 Four Seasons, about $65 a tire. The reviews are similar to the other tires that I posted, although the dry traction seems to be a bit lacking comparatively.



Michelin HydroEdge's, about $110 a tire. They are the same tires I had on my Blazer and they worked excellent in all weather conditions and gave me great grip. My only complaint is that they are really expensive for about the same reviews as the other tires.



I live in Michigan so the weather is always changing and I want something that will do decent all around. Any suggestion will be apperciated! Thank you!

 

I don't think you should have any qualms about General Tires. They are an old, established brand which is now owned by Conti. I have been using their Exclaim UHP tires on my 07 MCS for over a year and find them very good. They are an excellent bargain for the price, and I note that the General all-seasons you listed from Tire Rack are also quite reasonbly priced. If you are looking for a reliable, economical street tire which can also handle snow - and high performance is not a big consideration - I think you should give the Generals a good look. A lot of bang for the buck.

 

Check http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html for tire sizing questions.
It will let you plug in the original size and compare it to alternative sizes.

You would be ok with either the 185/65 (2.1% larger than stock) or the 185/60 (.9% smaller than stock), though the latter is obviously closer to the OEM size. Because it's smaller, the speedo (and odometer) would read slightly high.

 

Thanks for the help/input fella's!

 

Do your tires have rubber or metal valve stems? That will indicate whether you have in tire sensors or the earlier passive system. IIRC, it changed in Sept. 2007.

Wider tires shouldn't make any difference to either monitoring system. You just have to calibrate the system whenever you change tire pressure or change tires.

Have you looked in the Tires, Wheels, and Brakes section of NAM? You should find lots of good tire info there.

 

I have the Bridgestones on my R56. I love'm.

 

They are the metal stems, my car is an October 2007 build.

Oops, I overlooked that. Perhaps a mod can move it to it's proper place.

I don't know what kind of weather you get in St. Louis, but I assume you get some snow. How do they work for you?

 

We get quite a mix of weather. Not much snow as you do up north but some. I feel pretty good in the snow with them.

I did a track day this summer in the rain on these tires and they were awesome.

 

Suppose I should update this a little since I haven't been around here in a little while. After talking with several people and reading various reviews I ended up on getting Yokohama Avid TRZ's in 185/60/15. They are awesome tires so far although it hasn't been dry enough to give them a go yet. We've had a ton of snow since I got them and there hasn't been a time where I've gotten stuck yet. We has 8" on Saturday and I was driving around with little problem (I was getting a little high centred at times).