So when I got my 2013 S it came with Continental ContiSportContact 3 SSR 205/45/17 tires and they were epic. The SSR meant runflat though and they rode so hard. The grip was unbelievable even down to the wear bars.

They are incredibly expensive to buy again though so forget that. I just ordered myself 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports and here is why...

My friend has a tuned 2013 BMW 335i and he runs Michelin PSS (pilot super sports) and after driving his car I absolutely fell in love... And also, I figured out that buying 215's are far cheaper than buying 205's because they are much more common. So, since it is winter, I found them online for 129.99 a tire.

Also, since the "45" in the tire spec is the ratio of how wide the tire is, so 45% of 215 is slightly thicker sidewall than 45% of 205. I wanted something to fill out the wheel wells a little bit more and this will do the job nicely. 215 will add a nice bit of width which I think will look perfect. I'm also running ECS 8mm spacers on all four corners and the combo of wider/thicker tires and the spacers and the car will be about as flush as I would want, and enough to make it stand out against other MINI's.

What have you been thinking about getting?

 

Dunlop Direzza ZII's! http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....20Valve%20Stem I love these tires. Probably one of my favorite that I've run so far. They stick so well and really give you the ability to drive aggressively. I've run them on the track, but run a set of Nitto's for my track wheels. When it's time for new tires, I'll be trading up the Nitto's for the Dunlops.

We also have some great wheel spacers for your MINI HERE. Gives it a good little something extra.

 

Thanks for the purchase of the 8mm wheel spacers, post up some pics, would like to see the fitment.

 

For customers who want a strict summer performance tire we put all of our customers into the Dunlop Direzza ZII, you just have to be prepared to see 2-3 seasons out of them if you're ginger. Most of our customers who are running the cars hard on the streets and occasional track days see 1 season, 2 if they're lucky.

But they are an amazing street performance tire, I personally don't like their hydroplane safety, but you have to realize what you're driving on when you get into that exact predicament.

 

I've been thinking about getting a set of spacer, just to give it a little more aggressive look.. but iv always been pretty ant-i spacer. mostly from the vdub days. been a big fan of Nitto's..
been thinking about trying a set dunlop .
i have a few months be spring so i have some time for homework

 

I've been thinking about getting a set of spacer, just to give it a little more aggressive look.. but iv always been pretty ant-i spacer. mostly from the vdub days. been a big fan of Nitto's..
been thinking about trying a set dunlop .
i have a few months before spring so i have time for homework

 

I have 15mm ecs spacers on the r58 and it about flush on 17" .

 

I know what you mean about spacers. I run 5mm due to wheel/coil spacing issues and that's the only reason why. Definitely do your research, but if you have any questions about the Nitto's and the Dunlop's let me know. I run both on the street and on the track so I've been able to see how both compare in my personal opinion.

 

So this is what ECS Tuning's 8mm spacers with 215/45ZR17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports looks like and I think it sits perfectly.

 

Looks great with the 215 wheels, thanks for the picture.

I went 15mm with 205/45/17 for a flush fit. Those Michelin Pilot Super Sports tires are nice.

 

I was worried about the 15mm rubbing, does it fit well enough to not rub? Sometimes I have my car loaded up and so it squats a bit in the rear and on road trips I didn't want there to be an issue.

 

No rubbing, If you go with 25, 30mm ECS spacers, if you are lowered you will rub, which can be fixed by shaving the wheel arch plastics. Based on 17" with 205, 20mm is about the limit without rub on stock suspension.

I have loaded up the R58 JCW with four wheels and tons of ikea stuff, hit some big bumps on the highway, no rub with 15mm on stock Cooper S suspension

 

From what I remember about seeing your car at the PVGP is that I really did like the look with the 15mm spacers. Maybe I will switch over to those at some point if I decide to go with the GP brake kit.

 

Yea, the PVGP is so much fun. We had a great time. Summer cant come soon enough.

The 8mm look good , it depend on the wheel and tire size, since you are 215 the 8mm look about flush, i would bet even with the 215 you could do the 15mm. The GP2 brake kit is awesome, Its the best brakes I have ever felt on a MINI. The first time you switch over from the 4 pistons ( factory JCW full kit ) to the 6 piston gp2 kit , it was like wow. When we went form the Cooper S brakes to GP2 it was even a bigger change in dynamics.


BTW how is the C&C crowd at the Pittsburgh North location, still some MINIs up there, been so busy have not made it there since beginning of last year. Hope to show up sometime in the future. I know the guy who runs it got an R53, which is cool.

 

I think the brake kit is definitely going to be my first big upgrade, after seeing how they look on yours and on the GP's, and wanting more braking power it's perfect!

Cars and Coffee continues to grow and grow. First event is on April second and you should try to come out if you can! And yep Cliff bought a decent R53. Not too many other MINI's though.

I did the GP diffuser and GP steering wheel on mine and I think it made such a difference... I will start setting aside money for the GP brake kit today haha

Hope to see you around and see what other cool stuff ECS has for the MINI's

 

Awesome, if you drove a new GP2 you will know the feel. Great test for feel.

Yea hopefully I can make it out. We need more MINI at the C&C, there was some but they all show up at PVGP. I told him to bring out the r53 , he said that his daily.

If I come out to C&C, you can go along for the ride. That way you can see how it feels.

Thats great, i have the GP2 diffuser on my list also , hopefully this year. Since I already have the GP2 belly pan kit. Completes the underbody set up since i already have the center underbody belly panels. I did get the MINI Rolls Royce ( Goodwood ) interior bits, have to show you those. And I have been messing with the new schwaben tool, does allot of test function for the MINI Navigation and CCC module.

Glad to show you stuff, hoefully get to check our your R56. Got some H&R lowering springs going on sometime soon for the R58, might not be in time for C&C. Its a great event.

 

Honestly, if you are upgrading to a BBK, skip the GP2 brakes. The rotor options are severely limited. Brake pistons will crumble and dust boots will melt if put under repeated hard use (like at the track). They are heavy (oe rotor is 20lbs). The only thing that is good about them is the look. Of course you can fix all those issues by rebuilding the calipers with much stronger components and replace the rotor with a custom lighter 2-piece, but its a lot more money.
Just get a set of wilwoods from Todd@tce and call it a day. Much cheaper and much better quality out of the box.
You can probably get the brembo GT kit for less than the GP2 brakes with upgrades too.

 

Is this from experience or have you seen this happen? I honestly have not heard anything but praise about GP2 brakes. I would go with the Brembo kit as a second best to GP kit. Do you have the Wilwoods? If so how do you like them?

 

Its a known problem. If you plan on going to the track with the GP2 brakes, you will need to rebuild your calipers with full SS pistons and high temp dust boots.
I am running GP2 brakes with custom 2-piece rotors from TCE and rebuilt calipers using the RB kit.
I have tried the 11" Wilwoods on a R53. They were great. Small but very effective.
If i didnt have a GP2, i would be running the Wilwoods.

 

Do you have any final pics of the rotors or install feedback?

I've had a couple others ask about doing this but been reluctant to move until we knew for sure the fit was completely correct on this first set.

 

I have r56 s with OEM 16 inch rims on it. I run BFG sport comp 2 225/50/16. A lot of grip. Stock height but any wider it will rub on the struts