Hi. I have an 08 mini non-s. I have a set of 16" mini rims. Can I put any tire on them (size of 195/55/16) or do I need to have run flats?

Out of the 4 rims I have, two have brand new Sailun Attrezzo tires and the other two need replaced. Can I just put two Sailuns on the bad ones?

Reason for my confusion is when talking to a couple tire places, they both said I needed to have run flats. I found two Sailun's on Ebay for only 150 and if they'll work, I'll just put those on and have 4 brand new tires.

Thanks for any input.

 

No need to install runflats. Some tire guys here only want to sell runflats to me.
Most MNIN's have ditched the runflats for a better ride.

Just be aware you have no spare.......

 

Thanks for the reply! Greatly appreciate your input.

 

you can upgrade the tires to 205/55/16 and stay away from runflats!

 

Sounds good. What size could I upgrade to on the stock 15 inch rims? I have those too and I'd like to put wider tires on but I'm not sure how wide I can go.

Thanks for all your help.

 

I would expect an '08 MINI non-S to have a space-saver spare under the car. The default tire for the car was 15" non-runflats. If you don't have the owner's manual you can read or download a PDF copy at the MINI owner's lounge ol.miniusa.com. Registration is required but free as is the download.

 

The regular Mini does not have to have runflats. It has a spare tire. The S lost is spare so it could get the dual exhaust system in the center of the rear.

 

The 2008 US R56 (non-S) came standard with 175/65-15 non-runflats and has a donut spare.
If you got the Sport package it had an upgrade to 195/55-16 runflats. You could also do just a wheel and tire upgrade separately. Still has a donut spare.

When my 195/55-16 runflats wore out I replaced them with 205/50-16 non-runflats. Others have reported replacing with 205/55-16 or 215/50-16 with success.

There have been reports that some tire retailers won't install non-runflats on rims that have runflats currently mounted on them - corporate liability concern. Just find another tire store.

For 15" the following are considered +0 sizes and should work: 185/60-15; 185/65-15; 195/60-15 and 205/55-15.

There are tire calculator tools at tirerack.com and discounttire.com that might help you.

 

Many thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate it. I think I am going to stick with my 15's and find some 205/55/15's. That should give it a nicer look and better handling than the 175's. Thanks!