Lol go to the racetrack, cars run 5-15mm spacers to clear big brakes and run more camber

 

ok thanks i'll take a look
that's where I saw the msw type 27 wheel..didn't think it would be that bad since its only 3mm off

 

I just ditched the Pirelli RFs that came on our new-to-us '14 CMS All4 and put Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season Plus 215/50-17s on. Here is my take.

With the Run Flat tires, the car handled GREAT in the dry, which is all I've had during ownership. Very, very flat in turns and grip far greater than I expected the OEM tires to have. I railed on it a few times and was impressed. Seemed that losing grip was very progressive, too, and made for extremely predictable handling. I did NOT like the harshness of the daily trips around town. I knew one didn't get the RF benefit for free and I'd heard that MINIs in general were rattle traps, but wow--harsh/annoying. Still, the handling was great.

Driving away from Discount Tire, it was immediately obvious across the parking lot, curb cut and into traffic that the new tires had way more vertical compliance. Gone are many of the vibrations and slight rattles this car had (50k miles) and clipping a pothole, manhole cover, etc, etc, are no longer the harsh impacts felt before. So...fine. Gone also is the super-flat handling. Grip is still there, but hello body roll. It is not huge, but dramatically increased as tire sidewalls flex under cornering loads. It will still corner very well, but is definitely not as go-kart flat as with the RF tires, the only thing that was changed. FWIW, I tried the RF tires at 32 and 35psi. Tried new tires at 35 for a bit. Think they are at 37 now.

My choice of the Cinturato P7 All Season Plus was based on being super happy with the Cinturato AS RF tires that were on it when we got the car. I wanted to get the most similar tire I could. Maybe it is not 100%, but it is pretty damn close. I chose the 215/50 rather than a 225 or 55 aspect ratio, because I simply didn't want to deal with any rubbing issues (of which there are none. Yeah!)

My overall? As a year-round, daily driver, the switch is one worth doing IF the smoother ride is something you want. There is no free lunch. I'd say anything you gain in smoothness, you give up in flat cornering. I will totally admit that there may be another tire out there that would have retained more of the flat cornering, but still been a bit smoother. For better or worse, I don't get to wear out many sets of tires, did my best at internet research and pulled the trigger. I am still happy with the choice I made and expect I will be happier after next winter's choppy roads and mixed surfaces. It's not that car doesn't handle well any more, just a bit different. YMMV

 

thank you for the info. I was thinking maybe to keep the handling aspect of it a little closer to the run-flats, I was looking into maybe a high performance all season as an option. I don't know how much better that would be compared to a touring all season
how do you like the new tires? Its one of the ones i'm considering..get a chance to ride on them in the rain yet? that was one of my concerns with them. there were a couple others that were rated better. and we get a whole lot more rain than snow(except recently) throughout the year. hydroplaning is is something I look at closely

 

I do like the new tires, but haven't put much time on them at all. As I mentioned, I was hoping to stay as close to the handling of the RFs as possible and assumed that the tire I chose was pretty close, which is perhaps a false assumption/my mistake. I have never done a RF>nonRF switch before, so I don't have anything to personally compare it to. Haven't driven much in the rain yet either. I was considering a Cooper CS5 tire, too, but the Pirellis had loads of excellent reviews and many of them mentioned snow specifically. With our Outback, we could easily manage our winters with good AS tires. I am hoping the All4 and these Pirellis can do similar.

In short, I wasn't sure how much of the Mini's handling was suspension and how much was the tires. I found out that it was more stiff sidewall RF tires. More than I thought. I may never go back, but will always remember how it used to corner.

Actually, I just remembered that Pirelli had a 30 or 45 day trial period on these. I may need to go back and talk to tire dealer...

 

I've never had to do the switch from a run-flat either. I was just talking to a guy at work the other day about the cornering and were discussing whether we thought it was the suspension, tire or both.. so your comment was very helpful. maybe i'll look closer at a high performance a/s...I have been looking at the Pirelli, general altimax rt43 and nexen aria ah7,they actually come with roadside assistance warranty if you get a flat or blowout which I thought would be a plus since no spare. I plan on getting one of those portable tire repair kits that has the compressor when I make the switch

 

FWIW--

I stopped back at Discount Tire and talked to a guy I trust. I told him I felt in the switch from RF to nonRF tires everything I gained in comfort, I gave up in flat cornering. I asked if there were any other nonRF tires I should look at, for the next set, that would hit more middle ground. In short, he said no. RF tires have mega-stiff sidewalls, etc, etc. It is not that I am taking his word as gospel, but he sees lots of car/tire combos and I don't. I was also sure to phrase this question in a future/next set sense, to help eliminate any feeling on his part that I wanted to return the Pirellis I just got. So, in my limited experience, I am still at...

Switching to non-RF tires is good 99% of the time for my daily driving. Not perfect, but there is no free lunch.

 

runflat tires handle terrible, they have much worse grip than non runflat I tried to do an autocross on a set, wow was that an experience, they have terrible grip

if you want stiffer sidewall step up to a performance tire

 

that's unfortunate. I wonder if a performance all season or a tire that comes in XL would be just a little closer
after your message about the Pirelli's you got I was looking at the Pirelli P zero all season plus and BF Goodrich G-force comp 2 all season
or maybe look for a tire brand and size that comes in extra load
I really don't want to do the whole summer/winter tire thing

 

I'm using Comp2 A/S because I won't do the summer/winter tire thing.

 

Yeah, I should have phrased my comments in an "all season" perspective, too.

 

how do you like them? what size?

 

I love them - 205/45/17 - stock size. Pics here.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4377517

 

Here is another calculator

https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?whe...-55-17X7.0ET50

This will show you the different options and which direction to take as a starting point

 

I see you got after market wheels...do you know what the offset on those are? did you find 50mm? the closest I found was 47mm offset with the same 5x120 bolt pattern
I didn't think it would be that much of a difference if I went with them but the guy at the garage didn't feel confident in it. he had concerns with maybe having issues with suspension parts down the road

 

that's one of the sites I used when I was looking at the wheels with different offset. to see how it compared to the stock wheel and tire

 

I did notice an improvement when ditching RF's on my '13. I currently have 225/45-18 Bridgestone's. But two flat tires later (the last left me stranded for a bit) I'm considering going back.

 

yeah that pretty low profile. don't think I will go below 50's. I would actually like to go to 215/55's to help to avoid that. I was also thinking of getting one of those portable safety repair kits..obviously wont help with a sidewall blowout though

 

They're 40mm offset.

Motegi MR116
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resu...2F06+And+Later

 

I just wound up getting the reconditioned OE black wheels. even those look a lot better. didn't switch tires yet. just had the RF's mounted on them for now..they're pretty new so I was just gonna maybe run them thru the summer or until I have an issue with them(or get sick of them)
trying to decide between 3 tires-
Pirelli P zero all season plus
BF Goodrich g-force comp2 a/s
Cooper zeon rs3 g1 (heard coopers in general had some bead seal issues in recent years)
all offer something a little different but all got great reviews
the 4th would be Michelin pilot sport a/s 3+. Prob the best but only 4th cuz they may be out of my price range
any opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

I have these Firestones Indy 500's installed on my E30, and plan on switching to these for my Countryman soon. Still torn on sizing though. Either I'm going to go 215/55/17 or even meatier at 225/55/17.

As far as these tires, man they cannot be beat for the money. I run Michelin PSS on my E46, and these def give them a run for its money. They are basically rebranded Bridgestone RE003


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Thank you for the info
I did see how good these are.. just not sure I want to do the summer/winter tire thing..looking more for a high or ultra high performance a/s

 

I see that Vredestien Quatrac 5 comes in the stock 205/55r17 size. seem to have very good dry/wet rating and pretty good snow rating. the closest comparison on the tire rack reviews are those that have Subaru's since mine is an All4 CM
anyone have any experience with them on their Mini's?

 

which tires did you with?

 

1. can I change tire size from conventional to a more beefy look and what brand is a good choice for R60?