My '07 MCS spends much of its mileage on SoCal Freeways.

My dreaded Dunlop run-flats have thankfully reached the end of their miserable life.

Can anyone recommend a tire that will be the best balance of performance and wear from high mileage?

Assume a summer, or all-season tire.

I don't want to lose the character of the ride, but I also don't want to buy tires every 10,000 miles...

Thanks in advance!

 

What wheel size?

Alex

 

Oh, sorry. I have 17" wheels, 205/45 R17, OEM Dunlops today.

 

You wont find much snow on SoCal Freeways, so I'd go with a summer tire. There are summer tires that handle rain quite well.

I have Michelin Pilot Pilot Exalto PE2 205/45ZR17 (non-runflat) on 17x7 wheels. They replaced Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST runflats. The PE2 were quieter, better ride, and better grip.

I carry a Slime compressor and a Dynaplug kit, but haven't needed them yet.

 

I had a couple of friends try the new Bridgestone Potenza RE11 and they really like those. However, they can wear rather quickly. They are not run flats and come in the 205/45/17.

Otherwise you can go to 215/45/17 size. There are a lot more tires to choose from in this size.

 

Ive heard good things about the Nitto Neogen tires...but theyre designed for lowered cars (which is why i looked at them lol)

treadwear might be a tad on the low side too....hmm

 

Just put -- Falken Z912 's on Minnie -- very good performance -- I have about 4,000 miles on them so it is too early to tell on wear.

 

I'm liking my Nitto Neo Gens in 215/45/17. You don't need to be lowered unless your going for a look.

I had a set of 912s, they got noisy after about 11K miles, better rotation may help, but I think they just got hard in a year of usage.

I still have my new Dunlop RF on the webbies, but I refuse to put those (tires) back on the MINI. I will put RE11s on them and use them as a track wheel/tire before I run with RFs again.

 

Here are my top 2 pics! Both are 215/45/17

Bridgestone RE960 AS Pole Position 40k expected



Michelin Pilot Sport AS+ 45k Expected



These are the contenders - enough grip on the track to make me nauseous!

Alex

 

Alex -

I've got a 2004 MCS. Would these tires fit my car without having any rubbing issues?

The Michelins you listed look to be a good fit for the climate we have in Alaska during the spring/summer/early fall. (I've got a separate set of winter wheels/tires)

Thanks!

 

Bought a set of Goodyear F1s from Alex at Tire Rack and I absolutely love them. I commute 30 miles each way to work. I rotate every 3000 miles. Can't believe Mini still uses those stinking runflats. Got a Dynaplug and Compressor off the Dynaplug website just in case.

 

This review of reasonably priced summer performance tires just arrived in my mailbox yesterday. It's useful because it covers tires that most of us can actually afford:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...omparison_test

 

I'll be putting the Bridgestone RE960 AS Pole Position's on my '08 JustaCooper 16" in 3,000 miles.

Thanks for the recommendation Alex, I'll be giving you a call when I'm ready to get those puppies ordered.

 

You might look at General Exclaim UHP's in 215/45/17 size, great bang for the buck and wear well.

 

So, the Dunlop Direzza Star Spec is impressive as an overall tire, and the
Kuhmo XS is an extraordinary dry tire outpacing the Star Specs, but they looked horrendus when introduced to H2O.

 

The TireRack tests have the Star Spec beating the XS in almost all categories. They are tied for dry track time.

 

I'm thinking star specs for their overall capabilities, but XS is tough to beat on dry, GRM had the XS at 34.030 seconds while Star Specs at 35.061 seconds.
The GRM test is not real world testing, just dry climate auto-x and track times type testing though.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=118

Slalom time dry XS: 4:00
Slalom time dry Z1: 3:97

Lap time dry XS: 29.05
Lap time dry Z1: 29.05

 

215/45/17 will fit on stock wheels with no issue!

Alex

 

so what's your/tireracks's stance on the 225? what fits or what won't rub on a stock r56 S @17"

 

For OP the tires that Alex suggested are probably the best for your needs.
Both are 215/45/17:
Bridgestone RE960 AS Pole Position
Michelin Pilot Sport AS+
As for the Dunlop Star Specs and the Kuhmo XS are probably the fastest wearing tires due to treadwear ratings and are only summer tires and probably noisy compared to the ones above.