Definitely, I am not tire expert as the title suggested. I am currently running a set of aftermarket 17"s on 205/45/17...my friend suggested I should give either Dunlop Direzza Star Spec or Kumho XS a try...

I checked and found that they don't actually come in 205. Can I go with 215? One local tire shops told me my car will be taller and slower...is that true or they just want me to go for something else in stock?

Thank you!!

 

Have you tried any of the tire size calculators to see the difference? I swapped out my OEM tires for 215/50's with no problem, then went to 225/50 with just a bit of rub (mine is lowered) and after those were stolen, I went to 235/40's which fit great, are the same diameter as OEM and the rubbing was taken care of. The Star Spec's do run a little wider than others but you can get pretty good specs from tirerack.com.

Good luck,
Craig

 

I pretty much want to go with the Star Specs cos' they are comparatively inexpensive and received great reviews.

My car is lowered with H&R springs, so one of the concerns is potential rubbing issue...besides the local shop's comments of taller and slower...

Anything great in the 205/45/17 range?

 

Here's the tire size calculator. You can check to see how the tire(s) you want stack up against what you have now. When I was shopping around, I made and excel spreadsheet to figure out what I wanted.

Tirerack.com has specs for just about every tire they have. Looking what what you've got and what you want, the 215/45-17 appears to be about .3" taller than the OEM and it looks like the 215's would roll over 831 times per mile compared to the 819 for the OEM. I think if you could tell a difference, you'd be awfully well calibrated...

The 225's that I was running were .9" taller than OEM and the rub that I had was in the back of the rear wheelwell. I've got the OEM mud flaps and when I hit a dip or bump that compressed the suspension, the larger diameter tire would rub at the top of the mud flap inside the fender flare.

Local friends who have run the star spec's rave about them as well. The only reason I didn't go with them is because I needed tires that would at least "behave" in snow and still work well in the summer.

Good luck,
Craig

 

try a continetal ssr3 235/40/17 will fit and is same height as a 205/45/17 .the 235 is made for 7inch to 8.5 rim according to their
website.

 

Yes you can. How do 235/40/r17s ride? I had 215/40/r17 at one time they were to ruff. I am thinking of 225s as my next tire

 

235/40's ride nice

 

I run 225/40/18 on my 7" wheels.

 

What tire shop said is true in theory, the taller 215/45-17 tire would require more rotations thus leaving you in higher gear. But not sure how noticeable on day to day street use.
They are both the cream of the crop performance tires for auto-x. The XS is supposed to be the ultimate grip tire but needs some heat to attain it. XS sucks in rain. Star Spec as good as XS even cold, much better in rain and it comes in 215/40-17 for better gearing. The Star Spec comes in 235/40-17 as well, you may need spacers depending on your offset. Again these are top performing tires so they wear out quick, so don't expect a long life from them. For street I would prefer the Star Spec. If I were doing a Time Trail or something similar that required street tires I'd go with shaved XS.

 

Thanks everyone!! This is awesome, I can't believe I've got all these advices in a few days...now I can comfortably try out the star specs. Since 205 choices are very limited.

For Mini questions, I should always stay here since I can't expect much from 6speedonline.

 

will the 225 not rub? i thought 215 was as wide as you could go as not to risk rubbing on oem wheels that is

 

Moving from stock 205/45-17s:
1. 215/40-17 for a slightly smaller diameter, lower gearing, and more harsh ride
2. 215/45-17 for a slightly larger diameter, higher gearing, and less harsh ride
3. 235/40-17 for an OEM exact size diameter

As you have a 2nd Gen car I would go for the 235s, that size looks awesome on a MINI. 1st Gen cars just can't fit that size without plenty of pain. Also wheel offsets are a factor, make sure you are running something similar to OEM.

 

235 is 3 centimeters wider isn't it? Is the rubbing a height issue? I was always under the impression it was just as much width as height. But I'm no tire pro either. If the 235 doesn't interfear with the car(rubbing) at all I'd go for more grip with that!

 

I am also considering 235/40-17 to replace the OEM RF's on my '10 MCS. I am slightly concerned about rubbing since it is wider especially in the front during hard/full turns. All inputs greatly appreciated.

 

what about 225. is there a 225 tire that works? 235/40 only has 2 options at tirerack.

 

For the 2nd gen MINI several peeps have done 235/40-17 depeding on wheel offset, with or without spacers. Maybe mini_racer can chime in if the 48 offset oem wheel fit with 235s. There are really no viable options for 225 tires just a track tire and a drag tire. With the 40 series tires the heigth will not be issue.

 

I have done some research on this topic as I would like this size, but alas I have a 1st gen MINI.

For you 2nd Gen guys, 235/40-17 is a viable tire size. It will definitely work on a +45mm offset, +48mm should also work, but I would try it first, any tire store will allow you to try a size on for fit.

Any possible fitment issue will manifest in the rear first.
Offset too high and you will have interference with the trailing arms for a smaller diameter wheel, or the springs for larger wheels. This can be remedied by wheel spacers. If you ever use spacers keep them as thin as possible, if you go thicker than 5mm then you will also need to get longer lug bolts.

Offset too low and you will have interference with the fender right at the top outside corner of the tire. Some of this can be remedied with camber adjustments, but the OEM lower control arms have a limited range.

The largest OEM wheel is only 7" wide, 7.5" is generally recommended as the smallest width for a 235 tire, especially for a 40 sidewall ratio. A 7" wheel will fit, but it may look pinched a little, so not optimal. You would also not get the full benefit of the additional treadwidth, but the difference is small. Again, try it on for size first to see if it looks ok to you, likely it will.

Also, keep in mind that tire dimensions vary from tire to tire even within the same manufacturer given the same specified size. So a tire can measure out as skinny or fat for it's spec'd size.

 

Mini Racer - Your inputs and opinion is greatly appreciated.

 

Sure, happy to help.
Also, one more thing to consider is ride height. For a 2nd gen car you will have little to no issues, of course depending on your wheel selection, with a stock or up to a ~one inch drop. More than that can significantly increase fitment issues.

Good luck............

 

I'm running 225/45/17 Hankook SP2 with Team Dynamics wheels with no rubbing problems. I do have camber plates and adjustable rear control arms.

 

with a stock set up will 225/45 rub on a r56?

 

225/45-17s are generally considered to be too large, but some use them anyway.
For both gens: They are too tall and significantly throw-off the speedo and odometer by 3%. Likewise these tires will effectively change the gearing to be higher. So a little better for highway cruising economy, but a little bit worse for acceleration.

For the 1st gen: Additionally this size will have rubbing issues at the outside top corner of the tire. Sometimes it is a little bit more rearward of the top/center location. Aftermarket adjustable lower control arms are required to provide significant rear negative camber to clear.

So, for your R56, with a stock suspension and stock wheel offset this size will not rub unless you completely compress the rear suspension, and then maybe only a little bit. So, no they won't rub, but this is not an optimal size for a MINI.

 

I think they are fine for a R56. Lots of people have themwithout any real issues. The R56, especially the MCS and JCW, should have enough torque to compensate for the very slight increase in the diameter.

WRT speedo error, there is so much error in the speedo (speedo shows you are going faster than you are) that the 3% change is still not enough to get accurate speed.

 

what??? i could have went with 235s??? DANG IT!!

I got my tires replaced about a month ago... 215/40/17 on my 17" konig feathers... blah, i guess when my tires go bald im gonna get new wheels in 17.5 and a 235/40 tires.

No rub even lowered though? that surprises me since even now it looks pretty close

 

For you folks running 225 or wider tires you might need spacers to prevent rubbing on the inside wheel well at full lock. I found this out the hard way and burned right through the paint down to the shiny metal.