Considering buying Cooper R3S-AW tires for my Clubman. Size is 215 45 17. Anybody have any feedback for me on these?

 

The Cooper Zeon RS3-A is a new Ultra High Performance All Season tire
500 treadwear

http://www.cooperzeon.com/pdfs/Zeon_...spec_sheet.pdf

You can pick from-
205/45-17
215/45-17

Of these both will fit the Clubman but 205/45-17 is the stock size and will do better overall through all seasons- especially snow and is stock height tire diameter for better speedo and odometer readings. This size fits the stock 17x7 wheel better.

215/45-17 is a little wider but will look a little tall due to tire diameter of 24.7" which closes the wheel gap a little but raises center of gravity of the car. You may need to pay a little more and the tire can weigh a little more.

Rough cost $150 each

see
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...ginMethod=auto
Most owner's reviews were favorable.

It's your choice. If you plan to lower the suspension on the clubman then 205/45-17 will give more clearance.

How much are you paying for these tires?

A comparable tire would be-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....WSXL&tab=Specs
205/45-17
$113 each 540 treadwear, excellent all season use
or
Kumho Ecsta 4xX (great value in this class and a decent tire)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....4XXL&tab=Specs
$101 each 420 treadwear, better handling dry or wet, less comfort

If you really like the 215/45-17 then
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....PPXL&tab=Specs
$144 each 400 treadwear

 

I can get them for $138/tire installed.

I'm not planning on lowering. Do you think 205 50s will fit?

Thanks for all the info in your reply.

 

205/50-17 is not a good choice.

see
http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Perfo...EON-RS3-A.aspx

205/50-17 fits rims 6-7.5" wide, tire diameter 25.11"
205/45-17 fits rims 6-8" wide, tire diameter 24.25"

You don't want your replacement tires to be nearly 1" taller than your stock tires which closes the wheel gap and reduces clearance for rubbing especially in the rear under load or over uneven roads.

There are some owners that install taller than stock tires about 25" but I do not recommend it. Also if you have snow then there is less room for that.
If your tires are too tall you disturb the tire proportion to the car and it may look like the car has tires that are too large. And taller tires mean your ride height is raised and center of gravity is raised, good for road clearance like an SUV but back on handling around corners.

205/50-17 doesn't sound far from stock but it is a much beefier and likely heavy tire, it's load rating is 93 or 1433 lbs vs the stock 84 or 1102 lbs. This means the larger tire can take up to 321 lbs more load per tire than stock but it does this by having an extra stiff reinforced sidewall- this is marked by an XL on the sidewall of the tire meaning it is built for Extra Load. All this makes for higher price, heavier tire, and really more tire than you really need under normal street conditions that likely reduces handling and performance for the MINI.

215/45-17 is not as tall as the 205/50-17 so it would be OK as a substitute size vs stock.

 

Thanks again.