I think the Yokohama Avid Envigors may be the way to go for me. I would just keep them on for three months during the cold weather, and put the Yokohama Advan Sports back on for the rest of the year.

 

I put a set of Coninental Extreme Contact DWS 215/45/17 on and HATED them...it was like riding on mashed potatoes. The car was SO unresponsive in the corners and floated and veered all over the road on the highway.

I'm so glad I bought them from discount tire. They are replacing them free with a set of bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports. Much stiffer dry and wet tire. They go on tomorrow.

 

I have those exact tires on the front but I love them. They do exactly what I want and that is have great puncture resistance, relatively long life, relatively softer ride than the runflats I had, and great handling for being all season. If I wanted track tires, I would go with a set of Bridgestone Potenzas my tire expert buddy recommends. I hate not remembering the model but he says they are like glue but their downside is the short lifespan.

 

i too have the DWS and love them!

 

To date, the best overall handling tire for me has been a Dunlop Star Spec.

On the negative side, they have only lasted about a year / 12000 miles (2 track days and multiple weekend Dragon trips). I think there is enough tread left for at least one more track day, and a few weekend dragon runs.

I've also been looking at the Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08. Like the Star Spec, don't expect long life for a UHP tire.

 

I have the Yokohoma AD08s for track and autoX. Love them . Great grip, very predictable and wear has been reasonable (5 track days+ autoX still have ~1/2 tread).

For street tires I am running Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS on my Wife's Just-a-Cooper and Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid on my "S". Both tires work really well on the Minis. The RE960AS are a fantastic 3 season tire - quiet (very), they handle well and are great in the rain. They will get you by in snow. Wear seems to be good but I don't have a lot of miles on them. These are the tires I would recommend for Minis for the street.

The G019 is a little more noisy but seems to do better in the snow. I would have put the RE960AS on the "S" but I was looking for more snow grip. So far the G019s have done that.

 

I know it's not recommended but have youeve had the Star Specs in the snow or in cold weather?

 

Star Specs - in really cold weather or snow, not a good idea. But, two years ago I did have them at HelenBlitz and it snowed on the way home. Not a pretty sight.

Thursday, on the Cherokhala Skyway out of Tellico Plains, the group hit some snow on the sides of the road and black ice in the breaking areas no problem seen.

 

As a new owner, am taking your advice to heart....wish me luck. Here's hoping I don't break the bank!

 

With where you live, you might want to think about dedicated snow tires

 

I just got these and absolutely hate them. Mashed potatoes pretty much sums it up. I don't even feel safe w/ them. My DSC would come on when going around the slightest turn. Fast lane changes on the highway also triggers DSC. My old bald cheap westlake brand tires were better than these. Thankfully Continental has a 30 day trial money back guarantee. I can't see how anybody would like how these handle!

 

Hankook Evo's- Very nice for the $360 total price. Worked the Dragon well.

 

I've put over 3000 miles on my set of Continental Extreme DW (not DWS) and loved them still. It's very predictable and confidence inspiring with its gradual release of grip during high speed turns. It feels like all 4 wheels are drifting instead of a biased understeer feeling from my previous set of Pirelli Euforias run-flats.

 

Need help with size-I know there are a ton of threads out there on this and I have gone through a lot of them but I have a specific concern. I'm drilling down a choice between 18" 215/35 or 215/40 on a Yoko S Drive tire. My order is in on a factory JCW and I plan to take off stock wheels/tires upon delivery (will sell) and mount the non rft's on black R113's. I plan on keeping the stock suspension. It seems like arguments have been made for both sizes and I have a feeling (from what I've read) the ride and handling will be fairly close. My concern has to do with the appearance and the wheel gap. This is where I need the help.

I would hate to have them really look 'dinky' (some have said like a rubber band around the wheel) after laying down a fair amount $$. Any pictures would help out, but from what I have seen the 35's don't really look that bad. The numbers... DIA. 23.92 (35) vs. 24.77 (40) and Sidewall 2.96 (35) vs. 3.38 (40) are those the only one's that matter?

I'm a cautious driver so flying through potholes will not be an issue and I plan on taking the wheels off in winter and running less expensive wheels with snow tires.

Appreciate the input and if there are other ideas out there they will be most welcomed.

Thanks

 

Conti DWS needs a bit more pressure...try adding a few LBS before scrapping them.

 

Hi Teibito, on your older comment:

Fierce Instinct ZR - OK don't laugh. These are actually a subsidiary of Dunlop. There tires have the stiffest sidewall of any of the above tires, so if you are looking for handling and performance this is it. I would give this tire 7's and 8's accross the board for handling, traction, wet weather, comfort, fuel economy, and road noise. I have not had them in the snow yet so I can't comment on that. They are moderately priced and there was also a rebate going on when I purchased them. Best of all they maintained the nimble feeling of the MINI's steering characteristics. Just be sure to keep them at the recommended 38 PSI.
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I am also thinking of these for my MINI 2002 R50 swapping out the runflats. Since its been awhile since you've had them. Would you say they have lived up to your expectations? Would you still recommend these? Thanks for your post!

 

The Fierce Instinct ZRs were on my '03 MCS in 215/45-17 trim. They were the best all-season high performance non-run flat tires I had on that car. I liked them better than the Kumho SPT or Nitto Neogens which were also on th car and cost about $100 a tire.

When I got the JCW I moved up to the Bridgestone RE970AS and really love them. However, they are $225 per tire and a little pricey, but still less than high performance run-flats.

Tires seem to be a personal thing. A lot of people also like the Avid Envigors, which are also comperable in price to the Fierce Instincts, but from what I read, they are kind of soft in the side walls, and I prefer a tight feel in the corners.

Best of luck in your search. Let me know what you end up buying and how you like them.

 

Thanks! You're right tire preferences have become more personal than not. But I was having a hard time finding someone to give their history on the Fierce tires for the MINI. I feel much better going into the purchase. As you allude to, bottom line, you get what you pay for. You can pay for 200-300 a tire and expect it to perform, but between the 100-120 range, you have to measure everything with one's use and the expected value you should expect from the tire. Thanks, again..

 

I really like my BFG G-Force tires I put on a few months ago.