Hello all, I have a '13 base cooper (yeah I wish it was an S too) Its come time for me to replace the current tires as Ive owned it for 1 year now. currently it has 205/45/17 on the conical mini 17x7 wheels. It is slightly lowered (not sure what the previous owner did to it as he didn't know much about the car). I have been debating between replacing the tires with another set of 205/45/17s but if there is any performance benefit to 215/45/17s or if that will cause rubbing? I have read the 215/45/17s are slightly taller than the stock 205/45/17s. I have attached a couple photos to show the fender gap right now.

 

I chose 215/45/17 because the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S iss available in that size,
but not in 205/45/17. The Pilot Super Sport, which is almost as good a tire, is
available in 205/45/17. I have had no problems with rubbing or clearance on a 2009
JCW Cooper Clubman with +45 offset wheels.
215/45/17 should fit well, many others have done it also, but the performance difference has
more to do with the model tire you're using than with the small difference in size.

 

Ok awesome, just wanted to clarify before I started looking. The pilot sport 4s are a little pricey for me, I was looking at the ContinentalExtreme Contact Sport for some performance bang for my buck.

 

I had the Conti ExtremeContact Sport in 205/55/16 on my previous MINI.
They are excellent tires, especially for the price, and a significant improvement
in dry handling and response from the Conti DW that I had on before them.
Depending on where in California you live, you might not get to appreciate their
fantastic wet performance very much.

 

Down in Costa Mesa just south of LA literally never rains. The tires I bought the car with are Sumitomo somethings they are OK Im sure I will notice a difference with the Contis. Im looking for the best dry performance for a reasonable price.

 

Just go 215 and don't look back. I love them on my 2009 JCW

 

Here's another +1 for the Conti Extreme Contact Sports in 215/45R17.

With the 215's, not only are they less expensive (yay!), but I think they fill out the wheel wells better, and are square on the lip of the wheel instead of having a slightly "stretched" look. 215's all day long.

Here is a pic of my car when I was putting my rear bumper back on. You can kinda see how the tires look. (IDK why it's rotated, sorry about that.)

 

i'd go 215's....you shouldnt have any rubbing issue...

heres mine with 225/45/17 on a 7"wide wheel (front only) Conti Contact DSW's , no rubbing issues at all...

 

Go with 215/45-17s way better ride.

 

I've run 215s on both my R53 S MINIs for years. I like the slightly beefier look