I hops posed this in the Cabrio section, probably not the right location.

Time to take off the snow tires and put on the summer tires. The stock tires that came with the car were garbage in my opinion and not going back on.

’08 JCW ‘vert 205-45-17

Ideally I would put run flats on the car but pending choices I could go with non-run flat and a can of fix-a-flat in the boot. Any opinions?

I am looking for straight up summer tires since I run snow tires in the winter.

Someone has suggested Goodyear GS-D3.

 

Assuming you want to use your MINI 17x7 wheels then you have tire choices of-

205/45-17
215/45-17
215/40-17

Those are usually the best and more common sizes run.
Other sizes are possible but might be relatively taller or wider and give less clearance and more chance for rubbing. The tire selection in the above sizes is fairly good.

205/45-17 is the stock size and worth looking at. It is the size for the runflats so anyone looking for that route needs to stay with this size. There are both summer and All season tires in this size.

215/45-17 is quite good and will fit fine for stock suspension MINIs of all types. It is slightly taller than stock but very close and should work for all street use. The sidewalls are a little taller in height than stock and usually in non runflat tires will give a smoother ride than stock runflats. Tire selection is very good in most tire classes. A very common choice when not using stock sizes.

215/40-17 is more aggressive and mentioned for those that want to lower their MINIs using 17" wheels. This size is slightly smaller than stock tire diameter at about 23.9" so more clearance for a lowered MINI but more wheel gap for a stock suspension setup. It is usable for the street but a little firmer ride. It is more aggressive looking with a small and stiff sidewall 40 series. Similarly 205/40-17 could be used but has even smaller 23.5" tire diameter.

For your case I would suggest-

If 205/45-17:
In Extreme Summer tires (excellent grip but faster wearing- lasts about 14,000 miles with rotation)
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 $166 each 180 treadwear

In Max Perf Summer tires (good handling, lasts a little longer)
Bridgestone Potenza RE-050A Pole Position $169 each 280 treadwear
Continental ContiSportContact 3 $178 each 280 treadwear
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx $109 each closeout 240 treadwear

In Ultra High Perf Summer tires ( still pretty good handling but longer wearing and some with more street comfort- a good street tire)
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 $133 each 240 treadwear
Yokohama S.Drive $105 each 300 treadwear
General Exclaim UHP $90 each 380 treadwear (comfortable)

Of note- in runflats
Kumho Ecsta SPT XRP $148 each 340 treadwear
A good choice for those that must have a runflat


If 215/45-17:
In Extreme Summer tires-
Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec $133 each 200 treadwear
Bridgestone RE-11 $175 each

In Max Summer tires-
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric $144 each (excellent handling) 240 treadwear
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 $163 each 280 treadwear
Yokohama Advan Sport $170 each 180 treadwear
ContiSportContact 3 $161 EACH 280 treadwear
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx $119

In Ultra High Perf Summer tires
The choices are similar to 205/45-17
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval $125 each 320 treadwear
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 $177 each 240 treadwear
Yokohama S.Drive $108 each 300 treadwear
General Exclaim UHP $85 each 380 treadwear

For the same sizes Ultra High Perf All Season tires will allow for good handling/comfort and longer treadwear with good traction in dry, wet, colder temperatures, and some snow. The compromise is handling is not quite as good as the better summer tires.

Do not run summer tires in temperatures under about 35 degrees. They won't be happy. Neither will you.

You didn't mention:
Your budget
Your intended use- only street or some aggressive mountain driving or any high performance driving school events?
Your weather- any wet
Your preference- handling, smooth and quiet ride, long lasting tread

All of these requirements have a bearing on which tire to choose. We can modify the list based on more information later.

You can contact NAM vendors that sell tires for more info.
Alex@Tirerack.com is helpful.