I need to replace my stock Dunlop Runflats on my 2005 Cooper S. I do not want run flats. I have winter tires so I am looking for performance summer tires or all season. Tire size is 195/55-R16. I have been looking at the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01 tires but the size is 205/45ZR16. Would those fit on my wheels? If not can I get some recommendations for tires? Thanks.

 

What suspension do you have? Stock? Any plans to lower?

205/45-16 is smaller (23.2") than stock (24.3") tire diameter.
This leads to speedo and odometer error and increases wheel gap with stock suspension. You can put it on the rims and you can drive it OK otherwise. If you lower your suspension you'd look and handle better.

A better size for stock suspension would be 205/50-16.

In Extreme Performance Summer tires
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec $107 each 200 treadwear $50 rebate
Hankook Ventus Rs2 $92 each 200 treadwear

In Max Performance Summer tires
Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 $129 each 280 treadwear
Dunlop SP SportMaxx $99 each 240 treadwear $50 rebate
Pirelli PZero Nero $129 each 220 treadwear
Continental ContiSportContact 2 $120 each 280 treadwear

I'd suggest considering these for handling with street comfort-
1 Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec
2 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3
3 Dunlop SP SportMaxx

 

Thanks for the info! I don't plan on lowering my suspension and it is the stock sports suspension. I will look into those tires. Thanks again.

 

Minihune,

Can you explain the number differences again? I thought 205 tires would be larger than 195's. Is that the tread width? or is that the diameter of the tire, as in if you were looking top down on the circular tire like a pizza pie? Plus I'm still kind of confused on the secondary number, 45 vs 50? Is that the height of the sidewall? Cause that makes sense that the 45 would be smaller. But I thought the 205 wouuld make it larger regardless.... Help!

p.s. I'm planning to lower my suspension by around .75 to 1" If I stuck with the 195's would it cause any problems? I was also thinking about going to 205's also... I wish I could find some comparison pictures so I could see!

 

The first number in the tire size is the width and the second is the aspect ratio, a percentage that when multiplied by width gives sidewall height.

195/55 has a sidewall height of 107.25mm or 4.22".

205/50 has a sidewall height of 102.50mm or 4.04".

205/50-16 tires are wider than 195/55-16 but 195/55-16 are taller (greater in overall diameter) than 205/50-16.

 

ahh.. so 205/50's will increase wheel gap if i stick with stock suspension?

 

Yes by 4.75mm ... but they'll also lower the ride height by that amount

 

Nice! Why do tires have to have shorter sidewall as they get wider?

 

Because you want to keep the overall diamenter close to stock. A ±3% variation is recommended to maintain accurate speed data going into the computer, thus keeping odometer and speedometer changes negligible.

 

205mm tires are wider than 195mm tires.

205/50-16 tires are less tall than 195/55-16 tires in tire diameter.
sidewalls are 50% of 205mm= 102.5mm vs 55% of 195mm= 107.25mm which is taller in tire diameter. 205 is only the width and is not taller unless you increase the sidewall profile. 205/55-16 is taller than stock at 24.9".

For any lowered MINI you want tires that are no taller than stock and a little smaller is also fine. 195/55-16 is OK but tire selection is more limited since this is a runflat size. Better variety to choose from if you pick 205/50-16.

 

Thanks minihune!

 

Minihune,

What is your opinion on 215/50's running on stock 16" rims? I checked out one of the online tire calculator sites and the stats compared to the 195/55's are pretty similar.

 

215/50-16 is fine for stock 16x6.5 rims. Tire diameter is OK but tire selection is limited. 215mm wide tire is OK but offers more rolling resistance and likely less good mpg vs 195/55-16. Load rating is OK.

There are some good summer and all season tires in that size.

 

Right. Now, vs. a 205/55/16 tire, the 215/50 tire would hypothetically produce worse gas mileage because of rolling resistance, correct?

How much of a factor does the revs per mile play in terms of mpg? I ask because 205/55 has the lowest revpm out of the 195/55, 205/50, and 215/50 tire sizes. Would the increase in diameter improve mpg despite the slightly larger rolling resistance?

 

The difference in sizes of these tires is fairly small and not likely to cause a big change in mpg. However if you take two extremes such as 175/65-15 vs 215/45-17 then there is about a 2 mpg difference that I have found.

You'll get the most accurate odometer readings from tire sizes that are stock, or about 24.3". 205/55-16 has the lower rev per mile because it is taller than stock at 24.9" tire diameter. You'll need to adjust your miles for this taller tire if you want to get accurate calculations for mpg.

Over time you may wear the tread on a taller tire a little less than on a smaller tire that will turn more revs per mile. Some wear will depend on inflation pressures, rubber compound softness and treadwear rating and road conditions.

As I mentioned the biggest difference is the tire selection for a given size.
215/50-16 gives you very little to choose from. Not too bad but very limited.

Rim width also is a factor. Stock rims are fairly narrow vs aftermarket rims. A 16x7 or 16x7.5 rim would make any tire tread wider and increase tire contact patch for cornering but also increase rolling resistance. A more narrow rim would help mpg not to mention that a narrow rim would be lighter more than likely.

That's why for street use and daily driving I use stock 15x5.5 rims with stock 175/65-15 tires and for track use I have 17x7 rims and 205/45-17 tires (or autocross in 15x8 with 225/50-15 tires).

 

Thanks again Minihune. You are awesome!

Will 215/50/16's fit on my stock R84 V-spoke 16" rims that come with the '05 MCS? Or do I need to have 16.5 or some other different non-stock size?

 

215/50-16 fits rims 6 to 7.5" wide and is a perfect fit for 7" wide rims.
Stock R84 rims are 16x6.5" so that size tire will be fine. Tire diameter is good at 24.4". Load rating is 90 which is higher than stock so that is fine. Tire weight is about the same as a tire in 205/50-16. Sidewall height is good for comfort and is the same as stock 195/55-16 tires.

Tirerack.com shows only five tires in that size.
Two are summer tires and three are All Season.
All are suitable for street use.
Prices are good to moderate.

 

Yeah, been thinking about those Kumho's in the 215/50's on Tirerack. Time will tell. Thanks again!