I need new tires. I want RE-11's, but then again I as thinking of trying to get a little stretch on my 17x7 inch wheels. Right now I have RE-01R's 205/45, but would getting 195/45 17 Yoko S.drives work? I would then try and run 5mm spacers? What are you thoughts on this? Eventually I'll end up getting 16x8 and 16x9 staggered wheels to get really low and wide, but now I need something.

 

try it and post pics! I would be greatly interested to see how this looks!

 

Eww
and
Eww!

 

Bicycle tires FTL!!

 

ZOMG YOUR LAPS TIMES WILL DOWN. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?!? NOOOO!! RACECAR!!



Quality help, gentlemen.

Have you thought about grabbing 205/40/17 falken 512's? They have a tread width skinnier than any of the 195 tires on the market (especially the s. drivers which are extra chunky/wide for a 195).

With that said, I think stretch is a little silly on a 7" and really won't give you the look you're going for. To get real stretch you need to step down to 185's or 165's which are euro only sizes and even then they only make sense if you really need the clearance which we don't since 7's are easy to fit. Those tires are generally used to fit 17x7's on cars like vw mk3's where it's difficult to fit a 17x7 on a lowered car.


PS:Sorry about not getting back to you on the PM on MU. I'm working on getting it resolved.

 

Here's a 195/45/17 falken on a 17x7 picture for reference. More than I expected. I'm a little skeptical actually...but those are the specs given.

 

Guess I shouldn't reply to threads about stretched and gaped look or staggered on front wheel drives cause honestly I'll prolley just make snide remarks or try to convince them to the "fatty" or "doughnut" looking tires, which is much safer for daily driven street cars and performs much better by the way.

 

Yup, not sure your personal opinion adds much in the way of helpfulness for this thread. It basically boils down to..."my way is right, I'm incapable of perceiving your different circumstances and personal tastes so I will impose my value system on you and tell you that you are wrong". If you are unable to help the OP, it's best to just close out the thread.

Performs better AT THE TRACK. 99% of MINI's never see the track or they see it less than 10 times a year at non-competitive HPDE's. As someone who doesn't ever plan on tracking my car, I couldn't care less that a 235 would cut a second or two off my lap time. That's not something I personally place value in.

Most MINI's are daily drivers on public streets, and I'd venture to guess that the guy asking about 195's is probably in that category. Thinner tires will cut down on overall rolling weight, cut down on drag, increase fuel mileage, increase clearance for aggressive fitment, cost less, handle snow better, etc. One could EASILY argue that although a 235 might perform better on a competitive race car, the 195's would "perform" or function better on a street driven MINI. As you can see, it all comes from how the user decides to use their cars. Not everyone wants to pretend that their car is a race car and in desperate need of 235's...and they are allowed to ask about what tire will fit their PERSONAL needs best without having to hear negative remarks from people just because they like something different.

You'll notice that the stretch/poke/stance owners aren't popping into random threads about tracking MINI's to point out wheelgap or poor stance. They understand that different styles and interest exist among car owners and they respect that. I'd hope that you would offer the same respect in return and not put other people down for enjoying their car in a different way than you enjoy yours.

 

Here's an example of what I mean. You can tell that the 512's would provide more clearance even though they've been (mis)labeled as 205's. It's on a 7.5....but you get the idea.

195/45/17 Goodyears. You can tell they stretch, but notice that they stretch with a bubble profile such that the shoulder would still cause possible rubbing issues.



And here are the 205/45/17 falken 512's. In this pic you can see the stretch is more slanted with a less round shoulder than the 195's above...this will help with fitment clearances.



And here is a 195 S.Drive on a 7.5 to compare to the two above...not much stretch.

 

More info here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...3040577/page13

And here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4014030

(forgive my double post, but my edit button doesn't work here on NAM)