Thanks, are they 205's. 215's or 225x45x17's, once I decide on a tire I just want as wide as will fit.

 

bugman: The 225/45/17s would probably be iffy. You might have to "adjust" somewhere to prevent rubbing. The 215/45/17s should fit without rubbing, and may have other advantages over the 225s. They are smaller in diameter, weigh and cost less, and are actually molded for a 7" rim. The 225/45/17s are about 25" in diameter (about .7" more than the OE size), and are molded for a 7.5" rim. Both sizes offer a wide selection of high performance summer rubber.

 

I am running Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus all seasons and like them. I also run winter tires. The AS's replaced a set of summer-only Michelin PE2 Exaltos that wore out. I don't track or auto cross my car, so what's the point of summer-only tires with their ride and tread wear trade-offs?

 

I just love my Kumho's 4X tires, they do well in the snow,rain and dry grip is great.
Tire Rack is a great site for compairsons and data review.
I went to the MOTD this year, they performed very well.
They are quite, and ride well,and have very good hydroplaining resistance.
Check them out, they are a very good all around tire, and they have a $50.00 rebate going on right now.

 

Just as an update-

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...5&diameter=17&

The latest tirerack owner review rating chart for Ultra High Perf All Season tires

Bridgestone Potenza RE-970AS
Continental ExtremeContact DWS
Kumho ecsta 4X
General G-Max AS-03
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus

Some tirerack tests

For Bridgestone RE-970AS vs Continental DWS vs Michelin A/S plus
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=147

For General AS-03 vs Kumho 4x
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=151

A note about Summer vs All Season tires-

If you have any snow or very cold weather you do not want to risk using any Summer tires for street driving. All Season tires do vary with their ability to perform in the snow, some are quite good so choose carefully, otherwise use snow tires.

For the MINI even the base cooper, the better the tires you use the more you can do with your MINI, handling is much improved and sometimes comfort as well. So Ultra High Perf tires are going to do much better than High Perf tires or Grand Touring tires.

It is possible to consider Grand Touring All Season tires for the MINI. This is more for longer treadlife and good street manners. Still good in wet or dry.

If you do drive aggressively or need to do any High performance driving events then an Ultra High Performance All Season tire will work. In general UHP All season tires will have longer treadlife than summer tires of similar grip.

 

thanks to all for your advice, I am leaning toward the 215/45/17's Pilot Sport Michelins, or the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS, when I get the $$$ saved up.

 

So far my Bridgestone Potenza RE970 A/S Performance tires are pretty nice. Can't wait for rain to come and light snow, then I'll really test them out

 

Rob-
What size are you running?


-Steven

 

I am running 205/55/16 great handling and traction is amazing so far. Better than Any other tire I had to be honest plus I got them for a good price.

 

Better wet handling.

Summer tires can run a compound optimized for warmer temps and do not have to have sipes or tread pattern for snow and ice, which are not optimal for rain/wet.

But yes, if you are not a spirited driver then you will probably not be taking advantage of the added dry performance of summer tires over HP all-seasons.

 

my cms all4 with 18" turbofan wheels is my first experience with "summer" performance tires and i say that "All season performance tires" is an oxymoron, there is no such thing

i am sold on "summer" performance tires, just bought a second set of rims to run with winter tires

info for cms all4 owners

i bought a set of mini oem 16" countryman rims from Jay Gusic - Sales Representative (Phone: 800.924.5172 ext. 237) at ECSTuning (i have no affiliation with them) because my mini dealer said they A) would not fit and B) are not available in north america

the 16" rims clear the oem brakes

the tpms senders fit no problem

my local tire dealer agreed to fit up tires of different sizes until we found a size that fit

i wanted to run 215/65R16 michelin x-ice-x3i winter tires (27" od) so that is what we started with (i will be switching my summer tires to 225/50R18 michelin pilot super sports, 26.9" od and wanted a similar sized od winter tire)

we fit up the tires and put 4 180+ pounders in the seats to check front clearance, no problem, even at full lock

then we added 2 more 180+ pounders sitting on the boot lip to check rear clearance, no interference at all

even if you don't want to go so large on the tires, the selection of 16" winter tires is far larger than either 17" or 18" winter tires

i'll be posting photos when i change over in a month or so (hopefully longer)

scott