I have been searching the forum with a lot of great results and a lot to look thru ,purchased a 2004 r53 coopers s ,, it currently has 17" run flats ,well lets just say the north east is real hard on the roads pot holes are wicked and its a challenge to dodge them,i like the look of the wide tire and wheel , looking to swap out the 17"s for 15x8 or a 16x8 with a tall side wall tire to attempt to soften the ride and not have the strut towers come thru the hood , the sizes that I came up with are
16x8 et20 215/45/16
15x8 et25 225/50/15
the suspension/brakes/ride height are stock ,need to know if these sizes will fit with out interference of struts/brakes/balljoints I would like to see other member's car pictures and info would be great ,, thanks gmonde

 

Anything offset lower than ET35 is pretty extreme for the 1st Gen MINI.

You won't find many tire choices in the sizes you've listed.