Hi - I have an 09 Cooper S hardtop and looking for a new set of non-runflat tires. Two questions:

1. Selection seems to be very limited for this tire size. The Bridgestone Pontenza G019 grid seems to be one of the few choices out there.. and it's more of an all season performance tire rather than maximum performance (summer) tire.

2. I see many people stepping up to 205/55/16 , even though the stock tire is 195/55/16. What is the advantage in doing thing? Any drawbacks?

I'm looking for maximum performance keeping the same rims. What are my options in tire size and models? Thanks in advance.

 

You can use a 205 55 16, that will give you a better ride as the sidewall is a bit taller, a 205 50 16 will give you a bit less sidewalla and better handling, there are many good tires in this size. I just switched to a 215 50 16, but tires are limited in that size. I met a guy who has same year as you with factory wheels and he was running 225 50 16 with no issues. You may want to check the posts here and contact Alex at tire rack, he is the best source as to what will work for you

good luck

 

that is great info nightflyR, thank you. I am definitely after performance, so sounds like going with a wider tire would make more sense for me. i will look into 225/50/16. any drawbacks when doing something like this?

 

Advantages/Disadvantages of 205/55/16 vs. 195/55/16

1. Gives better handling being wider. (205 vs. 195)
2. Gives more accurate speedometer reading because of bigger overall
circumference.(approx. 2mph off only)
3. Gives a softer ride because of greater rubber on the sidewalls.
4. bigger is usually heavier
5. Gap between rubber and wheel well is closer by approx. half an inch,
based on the stock height of the car.
I'm not really sure if you will feel/see all the difference.
Hope this helps.

 

Advantages/Disadvantages of 205/55/16 vs. 195/55/16

1. Gives better handling being wider. (205 vs. 195)
2. Gives more accurate speedometer reading because of bigger overall
circumference.(approx. 2mph off only)
3. Gives a softer ride because of greater rubber on the sidewalls.
4. bigger is usually heavier
5. Gap between rubber and wheel well is closer by approx. half an inch,
based on the stock height of the car.

I'm not really sure if you will feel/see all the difference.
Hope this helps.

 

205/50-16 prolley the best size for oem wheels and best selection. Under hard cornering think 225/50 would degrade handling.

 

Your OEM wheels simply won't accommodate 225's. The OEM wheels are only 6.5 inches, and I think even 215 would be pushing it. I would say 205/50R16 is a good pick. I currently run that setup with Nitto NeoGens, but when they wear out I'm going to switch to Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs.

 

will 205/50R16 actually be better performance than 195/55-16 and 205/55-16?

 

Yes the 205 50 16 will be better performing, also will be a tad quicker off the line. the 55 will give a better ride.
You can look at the specs on tire racks website
also you can use this link and type in different sizez tires and it will show you apx differences
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...foTireMath.jsp

 

NightFlyR, that link is very helpful. Would it be a true statement then to say moving from 195/55R-16 to 205/50-16: I am gaining performance since it is wider, but could be losing a bit of ride comfort since the side wall height is lower? How does it affect my mileage?

The tires I am considering btw in 205 50 16 are: Bridgestone Potenza RE760, Yokohoma S Drive, and bfgoodrich g-force sport look somewhat appealing also. Leaning towards the RE760 at this point due to what seems like consensus best reviews on tirerack.com for both performance and ride quality.

 

Forgot to mention also considering the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, which performance wise seems to be the top choice. But when life of tire, comfort/noise are all factored, the RE760 seems to be a good compromise..?

 

Yes that is a pretty accurate staement for the 205 50 16, you will have a bit more gap in the wheel well area.
If you are just starting to Autocross, dont be so concerned about performance, learn to drive smooth and keep a log of your times and mistakes, very sticky tires hide alot of driver errors, just my opinions as i have been autocrossing for well over 25 years.

Good luck to you

 

I went to 205/50/16 and have been very satisfied all around, including the selection of tires to choose from.

 

Hit submit too quickly...

I run the Potenza 760s right now. Very happy with them. Have used them for three track days, plus about 10k miles, and they are still in good shape. I highly recommend them. I have a set of Specs in the garage and will use them when the Potenza's wear out. My guess is that I will get slightly better performance at the expense of tread life.

 

I replaced my 195/55R-16 Continental OEM A/S runflats with BF Goodrich GForce SuperSport AS 205/50R-16 87H. Have about 12K miles on them now and have been very pleased with them. I am not a performance driver - most of my miles are on long interstate drives. The BF G's have done well in slush and on snow packed highways. Smoother riding than the Conti's and are sticky enough for my driving style. Pictures in my galley (albeit NOT very clean). Speedometer reads about 5% faster than my GPS.