Are there any 18" tire fitments that have nice daily driving characteristic - mainly in the NVH area.

 

Sure but you have to look at the whole picture not just the tires.

The answer will depend on your-
Intended use- urban, highway, short or long trips or combination
Your suspension- stock or upgraded- either for performance or for comfort or adjustable
Your alignment settings- stock vs aggressive negative camber for performance
Your wheel and rim size and offsets- this allows for more or less room for the tires while contributing to risk of rubbing in some cases.
Your road conditions- smooth vs full of potholes and hazzards

If you look at the stock 18" MINI wheel options-
18x7" 205/40-18

You can go with 18x7.5 or 18x8 about +45 mm offset, the tires can be about 24 to 24.5" tire diameter if you use stock ride height. Otherwise if you lower your suspension less clearance mostly allows for stiffer sidewalls.

You can also get a slightly less stiff sidewall in a given sidewall height that might also help with ride smoothness. You will be compromising better crisp handling for some comfort. Softer rubber can wear fast and handle well. Noise does vary with tread pattern and rubber compounds. Older tires usually get noisy. A loud stereo helps to distract from the noise.

Non runflats will likely offer good handling and more comfort.

Will this be used year round or only for non winter months?
Summer tires are not for any snow and only for temperatures more than 35 degrees- otherwise all season tires are better suited for 12 months per year driving.

Using a 18x7 rim
Tire size can be -
205/40-18 fits rims 7-8" wide 24.4" tire diameter
Includes Michelin Pilot PS2 (Max Perf Summer tire)
and Yokohama S.Drive (Ultra High Perf Summer tire)
04
215/35-18 fits rims 7-8.5" wide 23.9" tire diameter
Includes General Exclaim UHP- comfortable and low priced
Or
215/40-18 fits rims 7-8.5" wide 24.8" tire diameter
Includes Pirelli PZero Nero M&S
and Yokohama Avid W4S (very good street tire)

Using a 18x7.5 or wider rim
Tire size can be-
225/35-18 fits rims 7.5-9" wide 24.2" tire diameter
Includes Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric and Eagle F1 GS-D3

 

Thanks for the recommendations.

I currently have the Direzza's on there now in 17" fitment. They are great tires, but for daily driving on short trips, they are a little noisy/harsh.

I have a rather stiff suspension setup which doesn't help.

 

Then you want to give yourself more clearance and a softer sidewall.

So-
Using a 18x7 rim
Tire size can be -
205/40-18 fits rims 7-8" wide 24.4" tire diameter
Includes Michelin Pilot PS2 (Max Perf Summer tire)
and Yokohama S.Drive (Ultra High Perf Summer tire)
04
215/35-18 fits rims 7-8.5" wide 23.9" tire diameter
Includes General Exclaim UHP- comfortable and low priced
Or
215/40-18 fits rims 7-8.5" wide 24.8" tire diameter
Includes Pirelli PZero Nero M&S
and Yokohama Avid W4S (very good street tire)

Maybe checkout the General Exclaim UHP in 215/35-18 first.
205/40-18 is also a good size.