I'm currently running Michelin 215/45 ZR17s. When they finally wear out I'm thinking of going to 225/45. Is there any problem with this size on 17X7 wheels on a MINI that's been lowered 1.2"? Thanks!

 

Inner clearance problems (tire rub on strut) and wheel arch rubbing may occurs which depends on your current camber settings.
Remember with a 225/45, you're increasing BOTH the sidewall from 3.8" to 4.0" and the overall width of contact patch, which bloats the tire.

Measure and determine what areas have available room to grow and report back with specific dimensions of your current 215/45 fitment.

- Erik

 

I am running 225/45-17's on stock Mini 17 x 7's. Like yours, a second gen car. From looking at posts about this when I did it, my sense is the gen 1's are a tighter fit, so if you get other actual experience feedback, be sure you know to which gen. Mini it applies. But, per below, your lowered ride is still the primary question mark.

Specifically on mine, I fit Michelin PS2's in 225/45 17. My suspension is the "sport" option (not just an "S", but the actual optional sport suspension). It is otherwise unmodified. The tire clearance is closest in two places, both up front:

o between the tread and the perch of the strut tower just above it, as well as toward the inside. All servicable and w/out any doubts (mybe 1/4 - 3/8" clear), but I would say running even tightly fit cable chains would be a no go as a result.

o on the inside of the tire when the steering is turned to full lock relative to the wheel liner. It does not rub there but it is quite close--call it as little as 1/8 inch.

Have driven the car 5,000 miles plus since, and there has been zero rubbing. No scuffs on any tire or any fender liner, and I have been under and around the wheels several times, including a JCW front brakes swap.

The watch areas:

o everything mentioned is specific to a gen 2 and stock wheels + factory sport suspension. Particularly if you are aftermarket lowered or running other offset and width wheels, my experience is not transferable. Since you say you are lowered, I guess that remains your biggest question mark area.

o be VERY careful on the max tire width at the "bulge"--the widest part of the tire body when it is mounted (and I do NOT mean the tread width, which is different). TireRack's specs include this for many (but not all) tires. I noticed in 225's many tended to have either a "narrower" width like the Michelins, or sometimes a broader width. Some popular choices may also fall into that broader width (perhaps Conti DWS's??--been a while so you would have to look again). Both the strut tower clearance and especially that inner fender liner clearance are close enough already, I wouldn't push it further. The rear clearances appear tightest on the sidewalls at some suspension points, so same possible issue there. Don't know how your lowering would play in there.

And yes BTW, very satisfied. Way big difference from the supposed performance summer Dunlop factory RFs to the Michelins. Softened up the ride some as expected; great handling, great braking. In retrospect, not just the RF nature of the Dunlops but also their tread compound were not up to what I wanted. I like the wheel wells filled up somewhat more too, and it eliminated any debate for me about any spacers.

 

Thanks MP1.6T! I have the same suspension setup and plan on going with 225/45/17 tires. After many searches I could not find a definitive answer if 225's would rub.

Thanks AXO

 

It's going to depend on many factors. Mostly, what's the offset on your wheels? Good chance you'll rub on the struts especially if you're running tires that tend to run on the wider side of things like star specs.

 

i will soon be runnin on 205/40 ZR17's...8.25 rim width and 3.5'' of drop...gotta check your offset like stated before. but i'm just into poke nd stretch, gunna have 12mm spacers and das mini will be hella flush

 

Wouldnt you want to go with 225/40 vs 225/45? The 225/40 would give you much closer dimension to stock with the same width advantage of the 225/45.

 

i cannot find tires on tire rack for 225/40/17 but theres a million for the 45 size. im also wanting to run the 225 for my next set, and hope it doesnt rub with the eiboch spring drop

 

It has been my experience that 225s can be too wide for the 7" rim, even assuming no clearance issues. It may not matter to you, but back to back testing of 205 versus 225 on my 15x7 Kosei rims confirms that the 225s actually have less grip.

Most folks that I've sought advice from in the racing community seem to share my view that cantilevering the contact patch that much results in deformation at max lateral loads, thereby limiting the capability of the theoretically wider tread.

I'll not be returning to the 225s until I get an 8" rim to support them.

My observations are based on two competition seasons - one on 225 R1R, and the other on 225 RS3. I am presently running 205 Z1.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

so you are telling me 225 would have less grip than 205? thats really hard to beleive. i somewhat understand where you are coming from but i would still think it would have more grip.

 

it was hard for me to believe also, which accounts for my stubborn persistence on the matter. ultimately however I had to admit that my own measurements using G-Tech as well as competition results were telling me that, and listen.

once I levered my mind open on the point, I found numerous accounts within sccaforums.com telling me essentially the same thing. Andy Hollis makes that point clearly in several posts.

In Stock classes, where the Hoosier DOT-R tires rule, the structure of the tires (particularly the sidewall strength) permits the successful use of very wide tires on relatively narrow rims. Not so the TW 140 tires that are mandated in the Street Touring classes.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

so what would be the best size for the stock 7 inch wheel ? 215?

 

perhaps so, I haven't tested 215s so I could not comment. I run 205/50-15 at present.

the plan for this coming year is to get some 15x8 rims out front, and run 225/45 RS3 on dry days, with the 195/50-15 R1R on the back.

asymmetrical is the next step...

on wet days I'll just throw the 15x7 back on the front and use the 195 R1R all 'round.

we shall see...

 

What are you doing with the car that makes you think you need a 225 tire? If it's for the track then get a set of Hoosier A6 or R6 tires, and call it a day. If it's a street car, you don't probably need them...

 

killjoy!



Cheers,

Charlie

Ps: I dunno about the OP, but obviously I run Street Touring with the SCCA, so no Ho Ho crack pipe for me. When I was banished to ASP for a couple of years though I did run the Hoosiers - that was fun while it lasted...

 

for the track better grip = cornering on two wheels

 

Guys, I have a new set of Goodyear Eagle GTs waiting for me at the Tire store and 2 sets of wheels to choose from. The tires are 225/45/17's (V rated) and I can use the stock Crown spokes with 48 offset that weigh 22lbs each or I can put them on a set of Enkies with 42 offset that weigh 18lbs. Anybody have any experience with the trying 225's on 42 offset wheels? I'd like to loose the 4lbs but I don't want to have a problem with rubbing on the outside? Thanks,

 

I have a quick question about this. Are you assuming that you have less grip because your lap times were sacrificed?

 

To a degree yes, but the lateral G numbers were also down a little.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

225 widths seem to be near the border line of rubbing, especially with dropped suspensions; some get rubbing and some don't. The 225/45/17 size is also a little taller than stock, so rubbing could also occur at the fender lining above the tire tread at full suspension compression.

As Charlie suggested, a 225 street tire may not get all the available tread width down on a 7" rim, while a Hoosier might. Assuming one plans to use an Extreme Performance street tire like the Star Spec or AD08, the 215/40/17 size might be another option, as they're somewhat smaller in diameter (a shorter sidewall provides somewhat sharper turn-ins) and weigh about 3# less than the 225/45/17.

BTW, the thread's OP last posted on NAM in August 2011, after a hot flurry of posts for about a year. That's okay; the thread lives on without him.

 

Thats very interesting. What have you done to your car performance wise?

I have also run into a similar problem like this in the past (not with the mini). But the conclusion I came to was not that I was losing grip, but that it was too much grip for my car to the point where I was losing straightaway speeds. Obviously it was a much more under-powered car and I was comparing a 195 to a 205 series tire. But because my acceleration was killed with the wider tires the car was slower in almost all parts of the track.

As I went up in power I ended up utilizing the wider tires better and the thinner of the 2 just didnt compete.

 

ninjlao,

My mods are in my signature. Mind you I run autocross with the SCCA in the STX class, so what works for me may not translate well onto a road course.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I'm running 215/45/17 RS3s this year, and they are an ideal size to fit in the stock 7" wide wheel. Any wider would likely feel mushier, less responsive, and less confidence-inspiring, even if they did fit without rubbing.

And cmt52663's point is absolutely correct. It's definitely possible for a tire that is too wide for the wheel to actually impair vehicle performance. The problem will be espcially bad on tires with a softer carcass/sidewall.

Which Michelins are you considering? Most of their tires are very soft sidewall...

Edit - Doh. Just realized that the OP posted this a LOOONG time ago... Well maybe it will help someone else...

 

My 215s rub. When I first got them they rubbed with just me in the car. Now with 3 people it will rub just barely. That's with Konig Feathers 17 x7 with 40 offset and nm springs.

 

^^^ Might be helpful for others to post to the tire model and exact size. There can be a large variation in actual measured width of various tires brand and models that all have "215" width marked on the sidewall.