I am wanting to get off of the run flats as soon as they run out, Would a 205/55/16 be too large for the stock sport package 16" 5 spokes?

 

Yes that would work fine with no fit issues at all. Many people run 205-50-16's, me included. If you are looking for the best ride quality the 205-55-16 should give you that with its slightly taller sidewall.

 

Will this throw off my speedometer at all? I know I went to larger tires on my truck and it threw the speedometer off.

 

I can't tell you if it will. My 205-50-16 make my speedo read 3 mph fast, verified by gps. My guess is that the 205-55-16 would be very close to being correct.

 

Also, do any of you have a good recomendation for tires to replace run flats? Only real requirements is it must fit my stock wheels, and it has to have a decent degree of winter traction due to the conditions here.

 

Heres a helpful tool http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

I have the stock 16's too, and will be putting them back on with a new set of http://www.thefuzionzone.com/hri.asp by Firestone. I've had them on for over 35K and think I could get another 10K easy. 205 50 16's are a great size. The Fuzion is a nice tire for the money, get road hazard, worked well for wet AutoX too.

 

205/50-16 is a common replacement size but runs a little less than stock at 24.1" while
205/55-16 is another choice but runs a little taller than stock at 24.9" so you can get a little speedo and odometer error either way.

195/55-16 isn't a good size except for runflats.

Many owners with stock suspension could mount either 205/50 or 205/55 so it comes down to what tire you want to use and if you want the wheel gap to be less or more (205/50-16).

For street use either will work. If you have a lowered MINI or plan to then 205/50-16 is better.

Summer tires will work for anything by snow, all season tires better for longer wear and general street use with some chance or colder weather or any snow. If you have snow tires then either will work fine too.

Search for 205/50-16 and you will find many many threads about various options for tires that are suitable for both MC and MCS.

 

This may be a redundant question - I have 15" hollies for an 05 non-S with conti tires. After 1ok miles the fron tires are worn significantly more than the rear - why? Also I would like to replaed the contis with a wider profile tire, based on this discussio I could use a 205/50/15 or a 205/55/15 tire with the hollie rims?

Also I have the tire pressure monitoring system, will this feature factor in on my tire selection?

 

The MINI is front wheel drive so power from the engine will wear the front tires plus you are using them for turning and braking. Wear is always more in the front on any front wheel drive. Also most of the weight of the car is over the front tires. Just rotate wheels every 4000 miles and reset TPMS due to change of position of each tire. If you have NAV screen you can reset it yourself, if not then your dealership can do it- but they can charge you.

You're not really looking for a "wider" profile tire. Rather a wider tire with lower profile than the 175/65-15 you have now. Wider gives more rubber to contact the road and lower profile has a stiffer sidewall that reduces comfort but improves handling and cornering response. 55 series sidewalls seem to work pretty well. With the 15" stock wheel you can choose tire sizes that allow for a wide range of sidewalls from 50 to 65 series, the smaller the number the lower and stiffer the sidewall. Lower sidewalls will transmit force when hitting a pothole so if you don't have smooth roads then don't choose a really low profile tire.

TPMS is for the rims not the tires. If you reuse the Holey rims and just change the tires then you are fine. Make sure you put each wheel back to the original position on the car, i.e. front right goes back to front right.

Search for 205/55-15 and you will find many threads on possible tires.
205/50-15 will also fit but it runs about 23" which is 1.3" smaller tire diameter which increases wheel gap and speedo/odometer error.

For daily use and good tire selection 205/55-15 works for most MC owners.

Alternatively you can also look at other sizes less wide but still fit fine-
185/65-15
195/60-15

 

Wow...awesome information.

Now if I understand this the 205 is the tire width in (mm) or 8.01" and the 55 is the cross section ratio or side wall distance. The current stock tires I have are 175/65/15 so the current width of 157mm is 6.89", is that correct?
So I could purchase a tire like 205/65/15 or 205/75/15 that would result in a wider tire (1.12" wider than a 175) with a larger wall profile much like what I have now 175/65/15...I would get the benifit of more tire/road contact (205) and comfort with (65,75) sidewall profile.

I travel ~ 55 miles a day so comfort is required, but I want a wider tire width than the stock 175's I now have...does anyone see any issues with this combination?

How wide can I go before I start getting into fitness issues like rubbing?

 

No, you cannot use wide and tall tires with the MINI, you are limited to tires that are about 24.3" tall for tire diameter.

Best is 205/55-15 or 195/60-15 or 185/65-15 for the Holey rims. Other sizes won't fit or don't have a good selection of tires that will be suitable for the MINI.

 

Once again thank you for all the information.

Your respose was very detailed, now I have a clear understanding on what size tire I can purchase. I located a "spec" chart on tire rack for the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S High Performance All-Sreaon tires that provide every aspect that the tire provides. I also see the other tire sizes (195/60-15,185/65-15) tires that you recommended that will fit on my mini.

Many thanks aging for your inputs.

 

I'm running 205/55/16 Michelin Pilot HX MXM4's on my stock 5 star rims. Fit fine, minimal speedo error and great ride. Also fills the wheel well nicely while retaining the low profile look.

 

How do they handle in the snow? Do you see an improvement over your previous tires?

 

Don't know, the MINI stays in the garage if it snows and the Jeep comes out. They are rated as all season and have a well siped tread so I'd expect them to do OK. Handling in the wet is very good and the ride is better than the GY run flats that came on the car. I have Michelin's on all my vehicles, cars and trucks, and have never been disappointed.

 

I tried to have 205/55/16 Michelin Primacy MXV4's mounted on my '06 MCS. No mods and it has stock webspokes. I was told that the tires rub a large area when turned to limit under load. The guy placed several blocks under the right front tire for the test while the other tires sat flat on the ground. I thought the size would work. As I'm sure you all know, this size is much less expensive--with many more options--than the stock 195/55/16. Any suggestions?

 

try 205/50/16
195/60/16

 

The difference in size compared to stock is less than a half inch. In light of previous comments about 205/55/16's working, was the load test performed realistic as a fit test?

There is $50 difference in cost/tire and the Primacy MXV4's aren't made in a smaller size. Any suggestions on how to make the 205/55/16 work? Can spacers be added, etc to provide more clearance?

 

Those tires in that size should fit a MINI with stock suspension. It's not the best size for snow use as narrow is better.

Other than 205/55-16 there aren't other good sizes for the
Michelin Primacy MXV4 (Grand Touring All Season).

Other Grand Touring All Season tires for the MINI.
If you want or need a runflat usable for winter and snow then-
Continental ContiProContact in 195/55-16 $122 each 400 treadwear

In 205/55-16
Bridgestone Turanza Serenity $118 each 740 treadwear. Usable in snow and winter. Long treadlife, comfortable for street/daily use.

Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 is also a Grand Touring All Season tire but isn't top rated. You can do better for street use, comfort, handling or winter use.

For a better size like 205/50-16
Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge $108 special priced each 440 treadwear, read the owner reviews, might be good for light snow, not too deep. Maybe a little noisy.

Alternatively if you need better handling but you get some snow then
In Ultra High Performance All Season tires- 205/50-16
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S $118 each 400 treadwear
Kumho Ecsta ASX $75 each 420 treadwear

In that class there are even more choices in 205/55-16
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...=16&type=UHPAS

Maybe email Alex@tirerack.com for more info.

 

I have no fit problems with the 205/55/16 Michelins on my '05 MCC. The diameter difference is only 0.5 inch and the width increase is about the same with about a 1.8% variation in revs per mile/speedo reading according to a tire guide I checked (http://www.miata.net/cgi-bin/tirescgi). I didn't do any fit tests but my installer was happy with the size and fit and on a recent trip to the dealer for 30,000 mi. inspection service and alignment there was nothing mentioned by the tech or service writer about the tires other than to note I had new tires when they did an alignment. I have not noted any rubbing in driving the car. Maybe they would rub if I jumped up and down on a fender but that's not representative of normal driving. I think a number of owners run the 205/55/16 size with no problems.

 

If you have NAV screen you can reset it yourself, if not then your dealership can do it- but they can charge you.

I thought you could do this without NAV using the button on the end of the turn signal?

 

Anyone running 205/60/15's on stock suspension? I have a friend who insists they will fit and is considering ordering a set for his '04 MC. I'm not so sure.

 

I found looking in tire racks site several tires that I liked but with the 205/45-17 spec the hight exceeds 24.3". Scrolling down the spec sheet I see 215/45-17 that meets the height requirement. At what point does the width of the tire exceed manufactures specs with a stock suspension?

 

205/60-15 has a tire diameter of 24.7" which is the same as 215/45-17 which is slightly taller than stock by about 0.4"/

205/55-16 is also tall at 24.9" and some owners do use it with stock suspension.

205/60-15 doesn't offer much in the higher performance tire classes but has good selection in-
Ultra High Performance All Season tires
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true
Grand Touring All Season tires
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ireSearch=true

As far as tire diameter is concerned- you want your replacement tire to fit the MINI's wheel well without rubbing and be close to the stock tire diameter of about 24.3".
If you get a little smaller it is OK maybe 0.5" less is fine but wheel gap is increased a little, taller can work up to about 24.9" but there is less clearance for the suspension and if you ever lower your MINI or have 4 people in the car it will be very tight clearance.

Tires 205 and 215mm wide usually will fit the MINI in various wheel sizes depending on sidewall height. You also want to match the tire size to the rim size.
For stock 15x5.5" and 16x 6.5" rims the 205 width works, aftermarket rims that are 7" wide or stock 17" rims will fit 215mm fine.