The front tires (especially the left-front) are very worn out on my mini and need replacing. The tires on it are the OEM run flats and I'm looking for something a bit more forgiving and comfortable. I live in South Carolina, so I'm not very concerned with "winter" performance as it rarely gets below freezing here. Max handling isn't my #1 priority as I have a Miata I autocross that gets those kind of tires - the MINI just gets me around and may once every month or two do some spirited driving. The rest of the time the MINI is only concerned with going from home to work to the grocery store and where ever else I need to go. If I have to nail down priorities, I definately want better traction than a $50 special at Walmart, but I don't see the need to throw on some $200 tires just because they grip better; wet traction is good because I will have to drive in rain occasionally; comfort is also a high priority (I was planning to install some Koni FSD's but I'm hoping this will smooth out the ride enough). Any recommendations?

 

I run 205/50/16 Yokohama ES100's. There are tires out there that provide better grip but my main concerns are price, longevity and traction and the ES100's don't seem to give up much for the other. I get roughly 20k miles per set by rotating every 5k miles. At just over $80 a tire from Tirerack they are a good choice for me. The only problem I have with them is when they are nearing the end of their life they become very noisy. Yokohama is replacing the ES100 with the S-drive and the noise level is one thing that is said to be corrected.

As for wet traction. I've never been let down by them in the rain. Even when going quicker around turns than I should in the wet.

 

Michelin PE2 should meet your needs. Very good traction both wet and dry, quiet, and a comfortable ride.

I used ES100s for a while, but found them to be twitchy on wet pavement, and noisy on the highway. Check the tests on the Tire Rack - they compare these two specific tires.

Also, the FSD's are outstanding - comfortable and great adhesion on bumpy real roads - highly recommended.

 

I have a set of 215/50/16 Dunlop DZ101's for sale...$200+ shipping and only 3k miles. Excellent tire for the money and half of new since mine just came off the car yesterday (went to 18's and sold the 16" wheels)

 

I'm running Kumho AGX all seasons in 205/50/16. I believe they would fit well with your driving requirements. They are comfortable & are good value. If it gets below freezing where you are I'd want an all season. Summer rubber gets hard as rocks in cold weather & doesn't stick well. If you don't want the all seasons then I'd suggest the Kumho SPT summer tires.

 

I just looked them up and the Michelin's got good reviews in the survey plus I have a lot of respect for Michelin. I'm assuming the 205/50-16 would be the size for me to get as it's only ~1.5% off (smaller) from the stock size of 195/55-16.

Being in college my funding is a bit limited. I'll see if the non-runflats can help smooth out the ride and if I feel it still needs work then I'll get the FSD's (I'm trying to not blow my summer savings from my internship before the first month of the semester's over)

 

Hey PGT - look for PM.

 

As I'm looking at tires I realized I didn't know exactly how wide the wheels are. It's an '04 MC with the sport package 16" wheels. After googling (a lot) I think they're these wheels: link (at least they look like those). This would mean they're 6.5" wide. Does that sound right?

 

you should take these off of him...if shipping isn't a killer . i;m on my second set. i put 30,000 miles on the first set, super quiet and less harsh. good wet traction and very good dry. plus they are exactly the same overall diameter as the stock tires, so no speedo differences. they do take a little time to get used to though because they have much softer sidewalls than the runflats.

 

That would be a wise investment right there. Good tire, good price, and helps a fellow NAMer!