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I have Enkei Imola's (17X7.5 - ET40) and have been running Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports to the tune of 32K so it's about time for a new set. I want to go to 215/45 but my tire guy gets nervous.
I am lowered on H&R's (1.4"). Seems like TONS of you are running 215's. Why's my tire guy so nervous??
I have found Tire guys, in general, are nervous by nature. I think there is too much liability with going to another size that isn't OEM. You'll be fine.
I have Enkei Imola's (17X7.5 - ET40) and have been running Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports to the tune of 32K so it's about time for a new set. I want to go to 215/45 but my tire guy gets nervous.
I am lowered on H&R's (1.4"). Seems like TONS of you are running 215's. Why's my tire guy so nervous??
Your tire guy is nervous about 215 because you don't have much room for them with a lowered suspension. 215/45-17 is not a good choice since it is taller than OEM 205/45-17.
Your choices are-
215/40-17
or
stick with 205/45-17 (your best option)
or go smaller
205/40-17
If you roads are bad then 205/45-17 makes the most sense, since any 40 series sidewall will be harsh riding.
What did you like or not about the Bridgestone RE760 Sport tires?
Why not use them again or are you looking for something with better handling or longer treadlife? Those two are traits in opposite directions from the RE760s. Grand Touring All Seasons and UHP all season tires will give you more treadlife and a relatively smoother ride but don't handle as well as the RE760. Max Summer tires will handle well but some have a firmer ride and all will wear much faster than the RE760.
If you don't mind the faster wear and you like or can get Bridgestones easily then consider the S-04 Max Summer tire. Treadwear 280, $115 each
see http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...wdp=N&showcm=N
If on a budget and ride comfort is important then-
Continental ExtremeContact DW Max Summer tire, 340 treadwear is $99 each
So the basic problem is lowered MINIs don't do well with any tire sizes with taller than OEM tire diameter and that includes 215/45-17.
But if you are willing to use a minimal drop about 0.8" if you have coilovers then you can consider 215/45-15 which opens up a lot of tire choices.
You'd need-
A fully ride height adjustable Coilover suspension- adjust height to fit the tall tires, start with minimal drop then adjust down if possible.
Add more negative camber front or rear to tuck in the top outer treads of the tire so that it doesn't rub the black plastic wheel arch, a dremmel tool will work for that. If you need front negative camber then add an adjustable front camber plate that works with your coilovers.
If you just have lowering springs then it won't work with 215/45-17 or if it does then under full load or over dips you may rub especially in the rear.
minihune - thanks for all of your info. Truly. First I'll say that I'm uber happy with the RE760's - as a UHP summer tire, they're real grippy and have a decent treadware rating at 340. I'll get most of this summer out of them which will put me at 35K on the set. The max performance and extreme performance summer tires just don't have the life span I need out of a tire.
The question for me is do I want to be safe with the 215/40/17 (no 15" wheels for me) and deal with a harsher ride or wing it with the 215/45/17 and deal with occasional rubbing. Or do I just take a file to the inner wheel arch - I'm assuming that's where it will rub?
I also found these Dunlops in the same UHP class as the RE760's with a treadware of 460. That's my kind of tire - just not sure how it compares to the RE760's in terms of handling and noise - the RE760's are a nice quiet tire. And I don't want to repeat the mistake I made with a set of Falkens that were RIDICULOUSLY NOISY after just 10K...
Worries me that there are no customer ratings on TireRack for this tire, but plenty of feedback on the RE760's and, of course my own experience. I'd get another set unless someone tells me the Dunlops are a comparable tire.
I have 215/45/17 42 offset with stock suspension and it so far even when loaded clears, my factory 195/55/16 where 24.4" and 215/45/17 are 24.6" , but again I'm not lowered but when I loaded 200 pounds in the back of my clubman my calibrated finger clearance goes from 2 to 1 finger and still no rubbing.
minihune - thanks for all of your info. Truly. First I'll say that I'm uber happy with the RE760's - as a UHP summer tire, they're real grippy and have a decent treadware rating at 340. I'll get most of this summer out of them which will put me at 35K on the set. The max performance and extreme performance summer tires just don't have the life span I need out of a tire.
The question for me is do I want to be safe with the 215/40/17 (no 15" wheels for me) and deal with a harsher ride or wing it with the 215/45/17 and deal with occasional rubbing. Or do I just take a file to the inner wheel arch - I'm assuming that's where it will rub?
I also found these Dunlops in the same UHP class as the RE760's with a treadware of 460. That's my kind of tire - just not sure how it compares to the RE760's in terms of handling and noise - the RE760's are a nice quiet tire. And I don't want to repeat the mistake I made with a set of Falkens that were RIDICULOUSLY NOISY after just 10K...
Worries me that there are no customer ratings on TireRack for this tire, but plenty of feedback on the RE760's and, of course my own experience. I'd get another set unless someone tells me the Dunlops are a comparable tire.
If you have 205/40-17 now, how does it fit, how much clearance do you have front and rear? Tire diameter for that is 24.4", do you think you have room for a tire a little wider at the shoulder and taller by 0.3"?
Depending on which tire in 215/45-17 you choose many are 24.7" tall. Some tires come with broad shoulder blocks while others have a rounded shoulder.
If you have the capability of changing ride height you could-
Chance the 215/45-17 and use a dremmel tool to wear down the rubbing areas on the rear wheel arch if any. If that doesn't avoid rubbing then use more negative camber in the rear by adding rear lower adjustable control arms. If that doesn't work then raise your rear suspension a little for clearance. If you do change negative camber you will need to do an alignment to set the toe correctly.
The Dunlop Direzza DZ102 is new, hence only a few owners have posted reviews. The DZ101 was not a particularly stellar tire in it's class. The DZ102 looks decent enough and has a different more performance minded thread design than the DZ101 it replaced. You never really know if a tire will wear as good for you when switching to another tire company.
Did you rotate tires to get the best wear out of your RE760 Sports? If so you'd probably do OK with the DZ102.
I've tried 215/45/17 et40 but on my slightly lowered R53. Rubbed the rear part of the rear arches occasionally. During spirited drives, sounded like they'd be ripping arches off. Went back to 205s.
The 56 should have more arch clearance than Gen1s. I think you can take em. Camber adjustment can also free up more space.
1. If you are happy with the tires that you have, then don't change to a different brand. 35k miles is not too bad.
2. If people are consistantly indicating that the clearance issue will be on the rear outboard, then see how much room you have now. Have a large friend sit in the trunk and another one in the rear seat and check clearance again. See if you have room for half the additional width (half in and half out), as well as the extra height (half above the wheel, half below).
3. If you stick with the same tire brand, then the construction should be about the same. If you change brand, then there may be less or more clearance, due to the configuration of the outer tire blocks.
One more thing: If you run a second set of adjustable control arms (as the upper link), then you can adjust the track a bit to create clearance. Move the front of the wheel inboard with the toe adjuster (front of the trailing arm), and the upper/lower control arms to reset the toe and camber.
If you have 205/40-17 now, how does it fit, how much clearance do you have front and rear? Tire diameter for that is 24.4", do you think you have room for a tire a little wider at the shoulder and taller by 0.3"?
Depending on which tire in 215/45-17 you choose many are 24.7" tall. Some tires come with broad shoulder blocks while others have a rounded shoulder.
If you have the capability of changing ride height you could-
Did you rotate tires to get the best wear out of your RE760 Sports? If so you'd probably do OK with the DZ102.
I'm running 205/45/17. I can fit one finger between the tire and the arch. I'm not on coilovers so the rears will be the problem. And I did rotate my RE760's. I attached a pic below to give you a sense of where I'm sitting now.
Originally Posted by minsanity
I've tried 215/45/17 et40 but on my slightly lowered R53. Rubbed the rear part of the rear arches occasionally. During spirited drives, sounded like they'd be ripping arches off. Went back to 205s.
The 56 should have more arch clearance than Gen1s. I think you can take em. Camber adjustment can also free up more space.
That's interesting - I just don't know how much more I can adjust the camber. I'm still on stock control arms. While the R56 stock ride height is higher than the Gen 1, the H&R's drop it below even the Gen 1. We may be very close if you're slightly lowered. I do push this car around on occasion and the last thing I want to hear is a rub. I've never rubbed EVER with my current set up...
Originally Posted by mbwicz
A couple of points:
1. If you are happy with the tires that you have, then don't change to a different brand. 35k miles is not too bad.
2. If people are consistantly indicating that the clearance issue will be on the rear outboard, then see how much room you have now. Have a large friend sit in the trunk and another one in the rear seat and check clearance again. See if you have room for half the additional width (half in and half out), as well as the extra height (half above the wheel, half below).
3. If you stick with the same tire brand, then the construction should be about the same. If you change brand, then there may be less or more clearance, due to the configuration of the outer tire blocks.
Have fun,
Mike
I'm definitely a fan of my current set so I think I will be sticking with them regardless of my decision on width. I'm glad you guys have brought up the outer tire block design. I would only consider a change in brand if my tire guy can tell me about a brand that has a more rounded shoulder. I doubt he'll be able to do that.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who is running 215's now and more so 214/45's and lowered on springs. I'm guessing everyone on coils can pull this off with no worries.
I'm lowered about inch and a half on coils and im running 215/45 - 17 with 42mm offset no spacers and I dont rub at all even on large bumps. have my damping set about half way as well. you should be fine. If anything you can always trim the inner plastic frnder a bit so that you dont rub.
Beautiful! I was hoping someone would check in with H&R's. Now to see if there's much of a difference between the shoulder of the Pilots and Bridgestones...
Just put a set of 215/45-17 BFG Sport Comp 2s on my 12 Cooper S and there is a small rub problem...
I'm not lowered but do have the factory Sport Suspension package springs on a set of Koni FSDs. The rub comes from the front at full lock on the steering in either direction... I will be looking under the car today to see what is making contact.
Otherwise, the swap to non run flats has been eye popping!
E
Problem was the drivers' side splash shied had come adrift...
Lesson was that it wasn't far adrift- no more than a cm - 1/2" at most - where the tire contacted at the bottom of the shield inner corner.. There isn't a lot of room under there even when the shield is back in place!
I suspect this rub pattern would be easily possible on a bone stock car, meaning the hesitation shown by the fire guy over the OP's lowered suspension isn't completely out of line.
I've tried 215/45/17 et40 but on my slightly lowered R53. Rubbed the rear part of the rear arches occasionally. During spirited drives, sounded like they'd be ripping arches off. Went back to 205s.
The 56 should have more arch clearance than Gen1s. I think you can take em. Camber adjustment can also free up more space.
How long did you have your 215/45/17s on you R53? I just got a set on my R53 with the sport suspension and noticed a little rubbing on the rears. Not sure if I should keep them or not.
That's my kind of tire - just not sure how it compares to the RE760's in terms of handling and noise - the RE760's are a nice quiet tire. And I don't want to repeat the mistake I made with a set of Falkens that were RIDICULOUSLY NOISY after just 10K...
Now to see if there's much of a difference between the shoulder of the Pilots and Bridgestones...
