So I tired a BF Goodrich G-force Comp 2 A/S and it only had about 2 mm clearance to the strut, dealer and myself don't feel this is sufficient clearance. The tire measured 8-5/8" wide but was advertised at 8-3/32".
My P7 measures 8-3/32" as advertised and has 5mm clearance. So how do I know which manufacture (adheres to their and tireracks specs) tires will fit this car?
Thanks folks!

 

Perhaps you can install a spacer to get more clearance

 

I shouldn't have to space a factory wheel. Now that I can't trust the manufacturers or Tireracks info I might have to try Town Fair tire.

 

The factory 17" tires are 205mm width, so barring any crazy weird tires, virtually any 205/45-17 tire will fit assuming you're using OE 17" wheels. In fact, there are threads where people are fitting 215mm and 225mm tires on factory wheels (17" and 18").

 

That's what I thought that 205 meant 205 but the BF Goodrich was 219mm not mounted (couldn't measure it mounted). As I noted there's only 5mm clearance to the strut so I don't know how's these other folk's are getting 215 or even 225 on stock rims and don't have issues- or maybe they do have interference issues and don't realize it.

 

Not sure what's up, but there are definitely confirmed instances of folks fitting 225-width tires without issue. Here's one example: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4493624

 

Those Goodrich tires run wider than their specs would suggest. You can get the listed specs on Tirerack.com and compare to the OEM tires. I find it hard to believe it would be that tight against the strut...

 

I can tell you that the Conti
ExtremeContactSport in 205/50/15
is about 7mm wider than the
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in 215/45/17
both on 7” wide rims.
The Contis have a much thicker
rim protector on the sidewall.

actual measurements mounted and
pumped to about 35 psi on 7” rims:
Conti 205 = 220mm
Mich 215 = 213mm

 

Thanks Cristo. Your info is helpful. TireRack specs did not match the actual tire. I was hoping more people will share their "tire discrepancy" stories.

 

Just installed a set of Michelins Pilot Super Sports in stock 205/45/17 size, they do interfere with the front strut (made contact). Handling, ride, noise cornering everything's better, only negative is they pick up junk on the road and of course could flat.
Purchased thru Tirerack dealer installed.

 

Wait, you bought them in the stock size and they rub the struts?

(I realize this thread is old, but I'm shopping Michelins)

 

I noticed that MikeMJCW, who was having the clearance issues with multiple tires, has the JWC Pro Coilovers.

Could that reduction in ride height be causing clearance issues that others aren't seeing when running 215's, etc?

 

MikeMJCW, what offset and width wheels do you have?

 

That's a good question. And since I'm considering the JCW Pro Suspension, I'm quite interested. Especially since he said the stock size (205) rubbed!?

Guess I'll stick with the stock size rather than the 215s, although I can only get the Pilot Sport 4 in 205 and was thinking of going to 215 to get the Pilot Sport 4S. Guess not.

 

Stock 17x7, 54mm offset rims. The pic below are the Yoko A502 next to the stock Pirelli Run flats both stock size 205/45/17 (Mich PSS same size as Yoko's). I tried to upload a video but couldn't, do you guys know how to do that? The JCW pro struts are the same thickness (diameter with flattened side) as the stock setup. When I saw how soft the Michelins were I put a piece of clear packing tape around the strut and after one ride (a MINI ride not a mini van ride ) it rubbed the tape and left the mark shown in the pic below, it was in there good. My thought is any non MINI tire is rubbing the strut but no one is noticing unless they're looking for it (or the MINI tires run smaller)? The A502's didn't rub as much but my thought was a tire shouldn't interfere/touch anything except the ground. The video would help explain a lot if I could upload it.

 

Mike, I'm running A052 225/45-17 on 8" rims, and also run the JCW coils.

No issues, and very good autocross performance.

The wheels are RSe05 with a +45 mm offset.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I found an online 3GP to MOV converter, check out the video of the Mich PSS sidewall. The A502's were stiffer than the stock Pirelli's but did mar the tape just a bit.

 

Wow, that seems like a pretty significant difference! Sure enough, I checked the two tire specs on TireRack and the A052's have a noticeably wider tread than the OE tires (see screenshot I attached, OE tire on the left). I don't understand, if the tires have the same width, how are the tread widths so different?? I have 215/45-17 Firehawk Indy 500's on OE 17" wheels, no spacers, and I'm not experiencing any rubbing.

 

Hmm, this wheel should be ~3.7mm further inward than the stock wheels... and with wider tires. BUT the tires are less wide relative to the wheel diameter so they're more "stretched".

It's a conundrum.

 

The section wide vs tread with seems ridiculous on the OE tire. The tire is 8.1" wide at the widest point, but only has 5.6" of tread?

FWIW, the PS4 and PSS Michelins both have the same 8.1" section width as the tires above. The PSS has tread width of 7.7" per tire rack.

Now that I think about it, the section widths HAVE to be wrong. If they have the same section width, then they would stack to the same height. The tread width is the width of the actual tread, so that doesn't affect stack height.

 

Thanks for the pics and info, Mike. The difference between the Yokos and Stock for the same size is crazy.

 

Here's another data point, perhaps:

This guy says: "I went with Pilot Sport 4s in 215/45/17 on the OE F56 17” JCW wheels. So far no rubbing or anything undesirable."

 

I tried a BF Goodrich, Michelin PSS & Yoko A052 all are within a 1/16" of each other. The MINI "star tire" was much smaller (mounted or not) and lighter than the others mentioned. Keep in mind that I had suspicions which caused me to tape to strut, if not I'd might have never noticed (or if I drove like a "normal" person ). FYI: the Yoko A052 gripped the best but were harsher than the stock tires, so stiff I could barely move the mounting bead. The Mich PSS caused the car to bounce/rebound after initial turn in as they're soft, very quiet and comfy tho. At the time I checked out other "new" MINI's/tires in the showroom all had the same strut clearance as my F56.
Had also thought of putting some grease/lube on the strut but decided not to go that route, then thought about Motegi Traklite 1.0 2 piece, they only make that in a 18x7 or 18x8 ($2600 ). Maybe if I get the itch this spring I'll try a Goodyear Eagle F1 3R,(treadwidth is shown as 6.7")

 

Certainly odd that numerous people are running 215's with no issues and the OP has had issue with multiple 205's.

 

I’m usually not a fan of spacers,
but it certainly seems that a 3mm
or 5mm spacer would be a good
idea in your case.
Probably just in the front unless
clearance in the back is tight, too.