i was looking to replace my 16s with 205/50/16. i dont drive the vehicle much in the winter so im looking for summer tires only. aside frfom eagle f1, any suggestions? thanks

 

bfgoodrich kdw2's

 

They tend to be LOUD. You experience may differ. Yes the Goodyear Eagle's are a great tire. Also look at the Falken Rt615's, Hankook Rs2Z212 and the Kumho Ecsta MX, all great bang for the buck tires. I've tried the Flakens and the Kuhmos myself and prefer the Falkens. If your really on a budget, try thr General Exclaim UHP. They wear great and handle predictably for the money...great in the rain too.

 

For a great price the general exclaim uhp. I had previously run the BFG KDW2 which was a great tire, exellent handeling but got noiseier as it wore. would have replaced with same but cost was an issue at replacment time. went with general exclaim uhp. great tire, although they squeel a lot in the twisties, they are very pridictable to when they break loose, soft sidewall, nice ride and great $ from tire rack. good in wet

 

Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R. Check the review at tirerack.com.

 

i also drive a jeep with large mud tires, so these seem very quiet.

 

Yokohama AVS ES100

Love them!

 

True enough

 

I had the AVS ES100 for 10,000 miles. They had good dry performance, so-so wet performance and were very noisy. I replaced them with the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs which are the best performing tires I have ever owned.

 

Falken Azenis RT615. They deliver a huge, sticky bang for the buck.

 

i cant find these tires in 205/50/16. either the re01s or thert-615??

 

The Falken is available in 215/45/16 and 205/40/16.

 

What about the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 ??

 

Nitto NT01, NT555RII, NT555,
http://www.nittotire.com/#Home

 

This is osrt of like asking, "which color is best?"

...okay, not really... but there are a few variables that need to be addressed:

Is budget a concern?

How many miles to you drive?

In the rain?

To that end, I can think of no better all-around tire for the MINI that the F1, which is what we have on the MCS for summer tires. Next year will be their 4th season of somewhat aggressive driving (many, many spirited runs) - over 30K miles... and although we're definitely planning on replacing them in '09, the longevity and consistancy of performance has been stunning.

I was even caught in a snow storm a few months ago and they weren't as bad as I would have guessed... and a LOT better than I would have expected for 3 year old summer tires.

 

i think im going with the dunlop direzzas. they look great and seem to be prices good. we will see how they perform soon enough. i appreciate all the help. its better when other mini owners tell you what they have good experience with other than reading reviews on tire rack.

 

205/50-16 is a good size.

205/55-16 can be an alternative size but a little tall. Works with stock suspension and reduces wheel gap by about 0.5". A little speedo and odometer error. Not bad.

Summer tires are fine. Some owners still consider Ultra High Performance All Season tires for longer treadlife with moderate comfort.

There are so many choices from-
Extreme Performance Summer tires like Bridgestone RE-01R
to
Max Performance Summer tires like Falken RT-615

But any sticky tire is going to wear out faster- treadwear about 180-200 for those mentioned above.

Some tires like the BF Goodrich KDW2 are good on handling but a bit noisy.

Think about your own priorities-
Handling wet vs dry
Ride comfort
Ride Noise
Treadwear
Budget
Sizes that it comes in- 50 or 55 series more comfortable and friendlier for bad roads.

 

I've really enjoyed mine. I was originally concerned how they would be in the rain but they surprised me to be pretty decent.