Hey all you mini experts out there .....

I went to dealer to pick up my mini today and the car had Pirrelli 17 inch run flat tires on it. I ordered 17 inch tires but car came in with white wheels and they are going to change them since I didnt order white.
Anyway I was surprised that the tires were Pirrelli. Is this considered a really good brand? Does everyone get these for 17inch wheels??

Also wondering about the 17inch tires? One of the reasons I ordered these is because I liked the look of the wheel better than V Spoke or star spoke (which comes on the 16&quot wheel. I ordered( S light alloy wheels) and they only came with the 17 inch. I've read the 17inch isnt as nice of a ride. Is this true?
Just curious
Momentum . Waiting to pick up my car which is sitting at the dealer waiting for me
Ha Ha

 

I haven't picked up my MINI yet, so I'll let others tell you about ride quality (I've seen many posts on this...you'll have plenty to read).

I can tell you that I've had Pirellis on BMWs and Saabs, and they have always been great tires for me...fantastic stick, and good wear too. I got the 17s myself, and am hoping for the Pirellis...

 

My MC came with 15" Continentals. I like them. :smile:

 

mine came with, hold on let me go look. dunlap9000 sport, size p205-45-17, any one have comments on these?

 

I got the 17's with my S and they came with Goodyear all season. Are yours all season? I think they are fitting both the goodyear and pirelli for all season(not sure what determines which ones you get), and Dunlop for performance.

My ride is a bit harsh, but I don't mind. I haven't rode in a MINI with 16's or 15's so I couldn't tell you how they compare.

 

I have the Pirelli Euphoria's on my S. Not a bad tire overall but I will definately try another tire when these are done in. I'm running mine at 40 psi because I felt they were very spongy and not particularly responsive at the recommended inflation. At 34 psi I hydroplaned so badly a few times that I thought I was going to crash :smile:

Check out the tire forum here on MCO. Tirerack has a good configurator to help choose wheels and tires. The Yokohama rubber looks really nice.

 

Thanks CCm Thanks everyone. i did go to the tire forum . It indicates that pirrelli's may not be the best. I dont know if i havre all season . i know they are runflats. .I have sport package so i assume athey are performance run flats???
momentum

 

>>Thanks CCm Thanks everyone. i did go to the tire forum . It indicates that pirrelli's may not be the best. I dont know if i havre all season . i know they are runflats. .I have sport package so i assume athey are performance run flats???
>>momentum

You can specify either all season or performance tires with the sports package. The performance tires are either Dunlops or Pirellis. The all season are Goodyears.

 

Thanks Ocr.... Gues mine are performance. Does that mean the ride will be bad?? I hope not.
momentum

 

17" Dunlop runflats

 

>>The all season are Goodyears.


Really? Are you certain? I have the Goodyears (16" runflats) and the tread does not look to me like an all-season tread. More significantly, they were horrible on wet and in snow.

I purchased someone's take-off 15" wheels with all-season Conti's and they aren't wonderful in the snow, but they are a lot better than the Goodyears and I like the non-runflat ride better overall. Addtionaly, the weight-loss and smaller wheels have contributed to noticeable off-the-line improvement (butt-o-meter).

 

Look on the sidewall for "M+S" (mud & snow). These are the "all-season" tires. If not you have the performance tires.

 

My MCS came with 17" Goodyear M+S Runflats. Good in the rain, fair in one encounter with the snow. I recommend pressures arount 35 PSI

Tom

 

Here's a link to the GY Run-Flats http://www.goodyeartires.com/catalog/products/runflat/
Notice the mention of "MINI" as an OEM user.

 

I should have said that the 17" all seasons are Goodyears. I don't know what's what on the 16".

 

I have the performance Pirellis, they seem to be pretty good. As far as ride quality goes it is definiteley a bit stiffer than with the 15's or 16's, but I actually prefer it that way. You might want to play around with different air pressures, when I picked up my MINI at the dealer the tires were way over-inflated and the ride was awful, jarring and bouncy. I lowered the pressure just a bit and now the ride feels great.

 

My MCS with the Sport Pak. came with the Dunlop 17" 9000 Runflats.

Harsh, hard ride. Seem to stick OK - but there are some reviews that say they are not sticky enough. You will feel EVERY bump in the road and crack in the pavement, I'm afraid.

I recently had Pirelli SuperSport high performance tires on my Celica GTS. They were the BEST hi-end tires I've ever had. Great ride and sticky as hell. Absolutely silent on screaming fast turns.

 

Ocracoke: That's OK, I also didn't notice the "S" in the thread title when I first responded. (I have a Cooper.)

SMKKVK: thanks for the link.

I checked and (for anyone who is curious about the 16"s) the Goodyears are the NCT 5 run-flats. They are listed under the Performance list on Goodyear's site. However, the tread looks nothing like what they picture. Although still not quite the same, the tread resembles that on the F1 GS.

 

Yes Yes YES!!
I was not sure about the Dunlops. But I'm a believer now!
I've always been a Pirelli man but I was never a fan of the softer compounds Pirelli used. I loved the for their great stick, especially in the wet but they didn't last long. The last set I ran was on my 1972 Ford Pantera.

I've only had the Dunlops for 600 miles but I can say without a doubt they stick as good but probably better than the Pirelli's. On the down side they are a bit noisey (Yea!) and a bit harsh with the small sidewall on my 17's (Yea!) A great tire. Now let's see---only time will tell as to how they wear. BTW, I have the 17" Pirellis sitting in my garage mounted on the 17" white mini-lites I had them take off the car in exchange for the R90's. But I see no need to keep them in reserve now.

Now that I've tasted the Dunlops I'm selling the Pirellis mounted on the mini-lites.
BTW, check out that aggressive tread pattern on the Dunlops! Cool!!

Marty

 

17" Goodyear all season RSA on s-lites. A good all around tire but definately not a performance tire. These will be my winter wheel/tire combos. Will go with a more agressive combo for summer use. (I'm thinking SSR's on Yoko AVS)

_________________
cb


Greta...DS "S", premium, cold, 17s on all seasons, DSC, fogs, lapis blue leather, chrome mirrors