Hey guys.

Going along with my 215/40 vs 215/45 accel question, has anyone put a 215/40 on a 17x7 webspoke? I know it's supposed to go on a 7.5".

My thought is if I stuck it on a 7" rim, the added sidewall flex would negate any benefits I would have picked up by the lower profile. Not to mention the added harshness.

So this is just a 215/40 on a 17x7 question, not a 215/40 vs 215/45 debate.

Thanks.


ZM

 

Not a problem at all...maybe one mph slower relative to speedo but that's it...it gives you lower drive ratio and the car will sit 1/4" lower...all good

 

So we can swap the 215/45 17s for the 205/45 17s on stock rims(Flame Spoke) with no issues?

 

215's fit just fine on a 7", my TSX OEMs are 215/50/17 on 17x7

 

I have 215/40's on my S-Lites... The sidewall looks perfect IMO.. plus the car does sit a little lower which is nice..

 

what would a 215/45/17 do for mph and odometer reading compared to the 205/45/17?

 

It's going to be somewhat taller - so you're going to be travelling a bit slower than your speedo indicates. 205 X 45% = 92.25 mm, = 9.225 cm.
X 2 (sidewall each side of tire) = 18.45 cm, plus your 17" wheel (43.18 cm) for a total of 61.63 tire/wheel diameter (24.26 inches). 215/45 tire adds an extra .45 X 10mm X 2, which comes to 9mm, or .9cm. So your total wheel/tire diameter becomes 62.53 cm, or 24.618 in. The increase in tire/wheel diameter is only about 1.5%. No problem, very minor speedo dif.

 

on H-Sports i would do 215/45/17.
on M7's or coilovers i would do 215/40/17

 

I am running 215/40/17 BFG KDW2 on my S-lights with a 1 1/4 inch drop and no problems for 10,000 miles now.

 

S-Lites are 17x7.5", not 17x7".

Taller tires will make your speedo read slower, not faster.

 

You have any pics of your car with your current setup? I wanna see how the drop looks cause I'm looking at swapping my H-Sports for some M7's...

@zack, are you sure their not 7" wide?

 

You might be right:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f...factory_wheels

I thought I came across something that said the S-Lites are 17x7.5". Maybe the official MINI accessories book? Can anyone comfirm that? I don't have my book close by.

 

I don't have any pics with the drop and I put the stock springs back on to raise it up for the winter.( Front aero kit doesn't work well as a snow plow. )

 

Haha I don't have to worry about snow down here in Florida... Where did you buy the Zenn springs?

 

He's right, that's what I meant to say

 

Check out the wheel page in the '06 MINI accessories book.

S-Lite listed as 17x7.5".

 

Thats what I thought but was not 100% sure... That would make the odometer read less miles than actual correct? Off by only 1.5% though...

 

Despite many references in the MINI advertising literature dating back four years to the R85 S-lites being 17x7.5"... the wheels themselves actually are marked 7JX17. If I had one unmounted I would measure it.

But a 215 would look and work just fine on either a 7" or 7.5" rim.

 

That's interesting.

Yeah, at the beginning of this post I was trying to hear from ppl who had mounted a 215/40 vs 215/45 on a 17x7, since it's supposed to go on a 17x7.5".

I've mounted tires on smaller than recommended wheel widths before to find too much sidewall flex, effecting steering response. Sounds like no ones complaining too much here, though.


ZM