Has anybody found out what tires will be used and the sizes for the R56? I'm looking for info all across the board. From the cooper 15's to cooper s 17's.

 

For the peformance tires for the web spoke, my MA said there's a high chance it's going to be the run-flat Pirelli's

 

I'm not giving a difinative "No, your whong" here...

...but I STRONGLY suspect... based on BMW's current contract with Dunlop... that they will be the SP Sport 9000 (or somthing very similar) unless specified as somthing different during the spec process.

 

From this post on mini2.com the MCS 17's are fitted with Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST tires.

 

Since the R56 was designed for runflats, does anyone have an idea how fitting standard performance tires will affect the handling characteristics of the car?

 

The issue with Runflats is that they have a really stiff sidewall. I think this means they softened up the shocks somewhat to account for it. The car should do fine, but you may be investing in performance shocks to control the body roll eventually.