I've worn out my stock runflats. What do you guys recommend? I don't want the runflats . I love good cornering and we get quite a bit of rain. I'll stick with stock rims 16" . My dealer recommended Hankook good? bad?

 

Your stock runflats are history. Good.

Now you can have some fun. Good

You do spirited street driving and you have some wet and dry weather.

You have 16x6.5" rims and I assume stock suspension with no plans to lower it.

You didn't mention a budget and you didn't mention if you want the tires to last a long time or not.

Usually highest performance means slightly higher prices and faster wearing, best wet traction, excellent dry traction, sometimes a little more noise as the tire ages and some reduced comfort.

All season tires allow for very good wet and dry traction and performance with more moderate prices, longer tread wear, usually less noise and more comfort. You trade off longevity for some performance. All season tires also can work in light snow if needed.

For your rims often 205/55-16 tires are used not 195/55-16. It's slightly larger than stock tire diameter with slightly wider tread section, good selection of tires, good fit for the stock rim and a comfortable 55 series sidewall that allows for decent overall performance.

I don't really recommend any of the Hankook tires except for the performance based Z212 which is used primarily for autocross and track/street applications.

In your case-
At one end of the spectrum are Extreme Performance tires:
Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R $116 each 140 treadwear A traction, excellent handling wet or dry but wears faster due to soft rubber, 26 pounds, V speed rated.
Test results from tirerack.com
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=71


In Max performance Summer tires:
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position
$126 each 140 treadwear AA traction, excellent handling wet or dry but wears faster due to soft rubber, 24 pounds, Z speed rated.
Test results
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...lay.jsp?ttid=1
Slightly higher cost than the RE-01R but in my opinion this is a great tire.

and
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
$131 each 280 treadwear AA traction, excellent handling wet or dry, slightly more treadlife, 23 pounds, W speed rated.
Also comes in 205/50-16 for slightly smaller outer tire diameter and slightly stiffer sidewall.

In Ultra High Performance Summer tires:
General Exclaim UHP
$63 each 380 treadwear AA traction, Very good handling wet or dry, 20 pounds, V speed rated. Also comes in 205/50-16

Or in Ultra High Performance All Season tires:
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
$108 each 400 treadwear AA traction, Excellent handling wet or dry, 24 pounds, W speed rated.
and
Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S
$103 each 400 treadwear A traction, Very good handling wet or dry, 21 pounds, W speed rated. Comes in 205/50-16.


Try calling tirerack.com and talk to Alex about the Bridgestone RE960 due to overall blend of performance and longer treadwear.

 

question: would you use 205/55/16 on a 16x7 wheel with all season tires? or a larger size?

 

205/55-16 will fit rims from 5.5-7.5" wide so 16x7 rims should be no problem. 6.5" wide rims would be a perfect fit for this sized tire. 7" wide rims would add a little to the width of the mounted tire which is fine.

What is the wheel offset of the 16x7 rim?
Do you have stock or lowered suspension?
If in doubt about fitment talke to Alex@tirerack.com

All of this will apply whether you are using All season or summer or winter tires.

225/50-16 will also fit the 16x7 rim and offer the same outer tire diameter as 205/55-16. This adds cost $108 vs $127 and more weight. In snow you want tires that are more narrow so if there is any snow the 205/55-16 would be a better choice. The 50 series tire is more performance oriented and slightly stiffer on the sidewall so slightly less comfortable for daily use.

 

just want to pick your brain as you seem knowledgeable on this subject. what about 215/45/16? stock suspension

 

215/45-16 is fine. Fits rims from 7-8" wide. Outer tire diameter is a smaller than stock 23.6" or about 1" smaller. Good for performance but not as accurate for speedo or odometer readings. More performance oriented, 45 series sidewall is very stiff, not so comfortable for daily use. Not good for poor road conditions and potholes.

The problem is the selection of tires in that size doesn't allow for many choices.

Tirerack.com lists-
only four Ultra High Performance Summer tires
Bridgestone Potenza RE010 $194 each
Bridgestone Potenza RE040 $169 each
Dunlop Direzza DZ101 $115 each
Yokohama A022H0 $234 each
If you look at this list of tires in the same category you will see the highest rated of the four is the Direzza at #11 out of 46 tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

And no other choices.
Tirerack doesn't carry Falkens or Toyos

For those who autocross the 215/45-16 is an ideal tire for street and autocross or light track duty without having to switch wheels.

While these won't wear as long they are fun tires-
Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 for $85 each
200 Treadwear AA traction 20.5 pounds each
MAX PERFORMANCE
W Speed Rated

or
Falken Azenis Rt615 $98 each
200 Treadwear A traction 21 pounds each
MAX PERFORMANCE
W Speed Rated

 

I did a ton of research comparing tires and decided on the BF Goodrich g-Force sport. They are very close on outside diameter (to keep your speedometer accurate), performance and wear very high marks, and they are a great price with a good looking tread.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=0

 

Any thoughts on the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A in 205/55/16? How does this tire differ form the Potenza RE050A Pole Position? Tirerack is closing this tire out at $77 a piece.

 

The two tires are not the same. That is why one is a closeout.

See
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=88115
Post #11

The RE050A Pole position with UNI-T is a superior tire but sizes for the MINI are a problem. Tell tirerack.com you want to see this tire in better sizes.

The RE050A you mentioned doesn't have as good reviews and didn't do as well on tirerack.com's tests. Hence the cheaper price and closeout.
Also has different sizes to choose from.

It's confusing to name tires so closely.

 

while we are at it what offset is correct for the 16x7 wheel ?

 

The wheel offset for 16x7" rims that will fit your MINI will depend on your suspension, tire selection,brake caliper/rotor size, and the design of the rim itself.

The range of offsets that work for 16x7" rims sold for the MINI with stock suspension/brakes by tirerack.com is about +35mm (BBS rims) to 37,40,42, and +45mm (Kazera).

For the wider 16x7.5" rims the choices are fewer only +40 and 42mm offset.

4x100 bolt pattern, hub bore is 56.2mm for the MINI.

 

Thanks minihune. Great info. It looks like I will go with the Bridgestone RE960AS pole position.

 

Another note about offsets. Ever notice that the numbers are pretty different from brand to brand? How come 16x7" rims will fit the MINI when the offsets vary from +35mm to +45mm? Is there that much clearance?

The answer is partly based on the size of the brake caliper and wheel well and partly based on the exact dimensions and design of the rim cross section. More or less offset works with the spoke design in relation to the position of the mid point of the rim. Wheels vary alot in design, some with deep dish and others not.

Tirerack.com does a good job at checking for fit for all of the rims they sell.

Bridgestone RE960AS pole position tires are good, I'm looking for an excuse to get them on one of my sets of rims as soon as I can wear something out. I had the RE950 on my older family sedan for three years and it was great in the wet or dry. Treadwear was excellent.

 

i gather from your comments that the all season tires are the best for street use. i lowered the car about 1 inch and use the original 195-16 run flats. WHAT size should i go to in the all season tires?


\

\\

 

For a stock 16x6.5" rim, The 205/55-16 is 24.9" tall and is a bit too high for a 1" lowered MINI. Better to use 205/50-16 which is shorter at 24.1". In this size for All Season tires, a good choice would be:
Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S
$103 each 400 treadwear A traction, Very good handling wet or dry, 21 pounds, W speed rated.

There are many tires that will perform well for general street use.

The "best" class of tire will vary with your needs, budget, and requirements.

If you don't care how much tires cost or how fast they wear and you want to drive like Porsche on the racetrack then the higher performance tires like MAX or Extreme Performance Summer tires are where you can start looking. Not all tires will be made in sizes that you can use, depends on your rim size and width. Wider tires need wider rims. Summer tires are not for snow but will tend to do very well in the wet.

All season tires are fine for the street but you will give up some performance and handling for more comfort and more grip in all season weather. They will wear longer than Summer tires. They usually offer most drivers the most balanced compromise for a Sporty car like the MINI.

Within All Season tires are many classes from Ultra High Performance to High Performance to Performance tires. Speed ratings are another clue as to the performance nature of the tires. Anything H rated is more for passenger tires and street use. Z, W and Y rated tires are made to handle heat better than H rated tires and will perform better at high speeds.

 

thank you for the info minihune.

 

Pirelli Pzero Nero M&S

that's my favorite tire in history. I have 15x7 rims now that I cannot get them for. Only regret selling off the stock 16's.

very quiet, great wet, good life, and they are pirelli's so it makes you feel sexy knowing that.

bridgestones are supposed to be great in those models, but... totally unsexy.

I use the cheapest tire possible that has a lot of performance. Falken 512 all season. its a 70 dollar tire about, lasts really long supposedly, so it's even cheaper than 70 dollars comparitively. It is SICK in the rain and wet roads. It holds great in dry in the cold weather. I would go 400 a piece tires if they existed, cheap just is a bonus for me. Tire rack doesnt sell them so you wont hear much about them. After 2000 miles so far of pyschotic driving, I look at the treads closely and notice that they still look fresh with no little fringing or odd wearing. That's a first for me and I have driven lots of speedy cars in the past with supposedly good tires.

p zero's would fair even better I would guess. my suggestion.