I need some help.. what are the largest tires i can put on these stock rims?
i wnat to keep the 15'' rims , however would like something a little wider and taller.

 

You mean wider and lower, right? I personally would go for either 195/55/15 or 205 tires in lower profile.

 

The limiting factor is the stock 15x5.5" rims. When you look at tires that fit 15" rims a few will fit 5.5" widths. These include-
195/50-15 Overall diameter 22.7" (small) max load 1047 pounds (low)
195/55-15 Overall diameter 23.5" max load 1135 pounds
205/50-15 Overall diameter 23.1" max load 1278 pounds
205/55-15 Overall diameter 23.9" max load 1235 pounds

So the widest (205mm) lowest profile tires (50 series) that fit would be OK for street and autocross use. They barely fit so a performance tire shop could handle the mounting and balancing- not a regular garage or costco.
I got mine (Kumho victoracer V700 205/50-15) on stock holey rims done for $20 a tire mounted and balanced.

205/50-15 also gives you a large selection of tires to choose from.

 

THANKS FOR THE INFO...
Are you happy with daily performance, i do a lot of hwy driving and want a smooth ride..

 

My Victoracers are for track/autocross only. They ride smooth enough on the track. If you want street use tires and smooth ride then also consider the 55 series tires. You can ask Alex@tirerack for what they might carry in 195/55 and 205/55 suitable for hwy use and smoothness.

 

Does anyone have pictures of 205/55/15's mounted on hollies? I want to go with these because the sidewall height is closest to stock, therefore it will not mess with the speedo, but I am worried about the bulge of the tire looking strange. I also am greatly concerned about using a tire that is the max width for the rims. Thanks for any help. Also, would 195/60/15's work better than the 205's. Thanks.

 

Otter215,

I don't have pictures of a 205/55-15. The bulge of the tire when mounted should not be strange.
195/60-15 is possible but again it is at the max width for tires that fit the small 5.5" wide rim. Rim width range is 5.5-7" and outer diameter is 24.2" which is fine for a normal suspension MINI. The selection of tires in 195/60-15 isn't very good for performance tires.
http://edgeracing.com/tire/918/

 

My car has H&R springs and a slightly neg camber.

 

H&R springs usually give the MINI a 40mm drop.
I'd think that your best bet would be 205/50-15 for the extra clearance.
Try talking to Alex@tirerack to get feedback about what would fit for you.
Let him know how you will be using your MINI- street vs autocross or track.
The selection of tires varies with the size you pick. Also consider if you need all season tires for use in light snow or if summer tires will work year round for you.

 

It's not 205/55-15s, but in the thread here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...2&page=2&pp=25 there are some pictures of 205/50-15s mounted on 7-holeys. See the posts by erik808 towards the bottom of the page.

 

I have original 15" rims.. and found the Contis wearing out very fast... I've got 26.5k on my car (bought in May 03) and nothing else was available in the original 175/65-15 and while I did not want the conti's again.. I wanted something what was better in snow and all weather...
having a plain cooper was good enough for me.. so I was not looking into ultra top performance tires...

I bought (yesterday) the Assurance TripleTred for use all around. And for use in Snow in a 195/60-15

under TireRack's comparison.. I found them listed as all deep green.. across the board!

much surprised... the ride is smoother.. and so far.. they are very nice and gripping the road. I'm waiting for rain and snow..

R

so.. anyone thing I did wrong?

 

Thinking of buying a set myself for stock 15" wheels

 

I am currently in the same situation. Bought Holeys with tires last month and want to go wider then stock, will wait until spring though.

Here is a pic from member "oldschool" with 205/50/15 tires on holeys ...

 

I love the 205/50 azenis, if I didn't put so many miles on my car I would use them for daily driving.

 

Just my 2cents - I have the 15" holeys on my '06 Cooper with the 175/65/15 Pirellis. Have researched this thing thoroughly and since mine is a street car with no intension to track, and I want to stay as close to stock as possible, and (rightly or wrongly, there are differeing opinions) I think 205 section width is realllllly pushing it on a 5.5 in. width wheel, I'm going to go with 195/60/15, which is the closest to the stock (24 to 24.2"). There aren't a lot of tires to choose from in that size, but the Falken Azeniz, Toyo Proxes (available in a vr speed rating from Edgeracing) and Michelin Exalto are all decent options. 195/55/15 is available in more hi-perf. applications, but is about a 1/2 inch shorter wheel tire combo. Your speedo is going to be slightly off, and you're going to be turning slightly higher revs at equivalent speed - nice if you're concerned about gearing off the line, not an advantage at cruising speeds.