I'm on my 4th set of tires since I've had my mini, and so far the best set I've had is the most recent set I have on it....Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2's. I've managed to get around 25,000 miles out of them, but they are getting loud, and the tread is about to the indicators in a few spots. I keep an eye on the pressures, and rotate them every 5,000 miles.



The other tires I've ran (BFG G-Force, Nexan, Bridgestone, etc...) have all been worn out by 15,000 miles....or they got so loud I just couldn't stand it anymore and I replaced them.



The "Touring" tires like the Ventus V2 sure seems to last longer than the "High Performance" tires like the BFG G-Force tires...but that's to be expected.



Is there anything else out there I should try, or just buy another set of the Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2's? This is my daily driver with 95% of the miles being on the highway to and from work.

 

Don't know how you are running down the BFG's in 15K miles? I have the BFG's Comp 2 A/S with over 30K miles, looks like I'll get another 30K out of them.... Can't really tell if they are loud, put in a Borla Exhaust about 15K miles ago. Engine, Exhaust and Whine, that's all I hear

 

Not sure, maybe I got a bad batch or something? They were horrible......got annoyingly loud after around 10,000 miles...by 15,000 miles they were shot.



I'm running -2 camber on the front tires, but that really shouldn't eat up tires that fast.

 

IDK?? It's my DD, put about 30K in less than 2 years, they grip like glue, couldn't break the grip even in the rain, I've tried.... Moving up to a 17in 3-Piece BBS, and that's what will be on those as well, BFG Comp2 A/S.

Good Luck with your search.

 

Really? Do you have a front LSD? In the rain, I can brake my front tires lose in 2nd gear pretty easy....3rd if I'm just playing around. But I don't have a front LSD, I just have one tire that spins

 

Same here. I've been running BFG Comp2 A/S as well and I think I'm going to get alot of life out of them.

 

No LSD, seems like you got a bad batch.

 

Did you have Comp2 summer tires?

 

Sumitomo HTR Z ll in size 235/40/17 (yes) . These tires are GREAT.They're sticky but wear like iron and are quiet. Best of all ,they're only about $70 from tire rack. Check spex on website.
ISAMIN

 

6 months on are you still happy with these?

 

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is also a great alternative. One thing to consider is that AS tires are going to last longer than a summer only tire. Refer to the tread wear rating. 200 is a max performance summer tire, so you want a number higher than that.

 

Tire wear is very subjective.. Something to keep in mind is how you drive compared to the other. Been talked about a bunch over the years.

Driver A his car is mainly a daily driver with a few club/spirted runs here and there with stock alignment.
Driver B his car is mainly a play toy so he drives it much harder and might even have a "sportier" alignment setup so of course his tires aren't going to last as long.
-2.0 Camber on the front is a bunch more then stock so compared to a DD person there will be a big difference in wear..
It's hard to compare mileage of tire from one person to the next without knowing how that person truly drives. We all think we are Mario Andretti at times....

 

I have Continental Control Contact Sport A/S tires on my MINI and am very happy with them. They have a 50,000 mile warranty, I have 20,000 miles on them and they are hardly worn.
I drive a combination of freeway and thrashing around on back roads.

 

What are your toe specs? That's what scrubs tread.

 

Oem specs. anything else is crazy.

 

How are you defining this? I ask because the typical alignment shop has a range, and frankly that's too poor for enthusiast use / consideration. .1* in either direction is significant when it comes to 10,000mi of tire wear.

That said, the standard range should be acceptable to get expected mileage out of most tires. What are the road compositions where you are? That differs based on location (climate). What tire pressures, how hard do you drive, etc., also heavily influences tire wear and use. I hardly ever get more than maybe 20k miles out of a set of stickier tires (<300tw), and that's due to issues between seat and steering wheel.

I also rotate my tires every oil change and check my alignment at least seasonally (DIY - it's easy with 4 floor jacks, string, and a caliper).

 

I have done alignments and I always set the alignment measurement in the middle of the oem specified range. I can see that if you use your car for the track only that you could experiment with different alignment setting from stock, but it will cost you in tire wear. For a daily driver you want to get the longest tire life, manufacturers specifications are the only way to go.

Most of the roads in my rural area are chipseal, potholes are rare to non-existent. When I drive, I avoid spinning the tires or scrubbing them sideways. I run the higher of the two recommended tire pressures from the sticker on the inside of the driver's door frame. I don't rotate my tires except for when I do the brakes as the tires actually wear pretty evenly front to back. I can see no reason to check the alignment unless You have done suspension work on the adjustable suspension components or hit a curb or a pothole hard. I have a Volvo wagon that hasn't had an alignment in 200,000 miles, I get over 50,000 miles out of a set of tires on it, That tells me that the alignment is just fine. I do keep an eye out for uneven tire wear as an indicator of the need for an alignment, but I rarely see it.

 

I'm running Goodyear eagle sports. 35000 so far. Fairly grippy, good in rain and ok in snow. 50000 rated

 

So to me, the next question that immediately popped into mind, was "how are your inner and outer tie-rod ends?"

Sounds like you may have some wobbling somewhere that's creating a little... dynamic toe gain and loss... :laugh:

I'm in Massachusetts, so potholes, undulations, frost heaves, etc., are a part of daily driving - as to why I'm on top of my alignment as often as I am.

 

To throw out another option, i just got a set of GENERAL G-MAX RS summer tires on my s2k. Wow, what a difference! They're quieter than my old Continentals, and have significantly more traction in the wet. Haven't pushed it too hard on my favorite on-ramp since the tires still have less than 150 miles, but I'm sure they'll give me some more grip. I have a LSD, and in the wet the car felt like it had as much traction as the old tires in the dry.

I also have a set of Indy 500 on my Honda S2000, (that replaced the Sumitomo HTR Z II on them before, which was also a big improvement) and they both feel pretty similar in feel. Of course they're very different cars, but you should definitely give them a shot. Also got a set for 345 after mail in rebate! Can't beat that.