Hi everyone! I have a 2012 Countryman S ALL4 with OEM 17" all-season runflat tires on her. Due to the typical harsh winters here in MA, I am looking into getting a set of winter tires and wheels for her. The OEM tire size for my MINI is 205/55-17. Since we get both ice and snow, I am looking for tires that perform well in both conditions, in addition to wet and dry conditions. I would prefer run-flats since I don't have a spare tire and drive a distance through some remote areas. Should I be looking at tires that have the BMW/MINI approved "star" on them? I have heard great things about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R tires, but don't know if they will fit on my MINI. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

if you lack knowledge of winter tires and options, i highly suggest calling
Alex @ tirerack

Alex Mouroulis | Sales Specialist
__________________________________________________ ________

Tire Rack
7101 Vorden Parkway
South Bend, IN 46628
O: 888 428 8355 ext. 4294
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F: 574 236 7707
Alex@tirerack.com
i bought 16" mini oem alloy wheels from ecs tuning
http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2011-C...oys/ES2159816/



and mounted 205/70R16 winter dunlop grandtrek tires from tirerack
i added tpms sensors so the computer would be happy

stock on left, winter on right



they fit with no rubbing or interference

scott

 

Wow- how much taller than stock are those?

 

the oem summer 225/45R18s are 25.9" OD
the winter 205/70R16s are 27.4" OD

with the oem tires, the speedo reads 1.9 mph OVER GPS speed
with the winters, the speedo reads .6 mph UNDER GPS speed

there is no rubbing, even at full lock with the 205/70R16s, even with 4 200+ pound guys in the seats and 2 more 200+ pound guys sitting on the boot edge

a 205/75R16 rubbed at full lock

i picked up about 3/4" of ground clearance

scott

 

Interesting. Good info. I went with 195-60-16 which is 25.2" for a R56 hardtop vs. OEM size is around 24.5". But have not installed them yet. Snow season is getting a slow start out West. My skis are collecting dust at this point...

 

Thanks!

 

hello Scott, thank you for the testing. I have a 2014 Countryman with 18" sport run flats, seems like you also have the sports setup.

Thanks to your message, I'm going for the same setup here in Manhattan, to increase clearance and improve winter abilities.

Much obliged!!

Michael

 

hi Michael

to confirm, i do have the lower sport suspension

the only 205/70R16 winter tire i found was the dunlop grandtrek sj6 ... dunlop call it an AT truck tire

$83 ea at tirerack

fantastic tire in snow and on ice

not bad on cold dry pavement and good in rain