I'll admit: I just love driving my MINI. I know how to keep it in general good health, but when it comes to tires, brands, etc, I'm no expert and need a little advice.

My 2009 MCS currently has run-flats... I'm curious (prepare for questions!): what tires do you use for your MINI and why did you choose them? Is it recommended to stick with run-flats?

Also, extremely sandy streets sometimes make it feel like my tires are going nowhere, especially if I'm trying to turn. Any advice or recommendations on tires that will be good for that?



Here's a thank you in advanced!

 

Whatever they are, they're not runflats. I've found real tires work so much better as tires.

Our MCS has got Michelin PE2s, which is a summer only tire, but it doesn't get cold here (at least not very often), they also handle great and are smooth and quiet. The best all round tire I've ever used, unfortunately they don't make them in 16" anymore.

The MC has now got Conti DWSs. I decided to go with an all season as we take him on trips where there weather may be iffy. They're very comfortable and quiet, but the handling is a bit iffy. Before that we had Yoko S-Drives which are a pretty good compromise for a summer tire.

 

I'm runnin' 16" Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grids, love them!!

 

Btwyx, for the dws, I found a little more tire pressure does sharpen the handling and make it decent with a little stiffer ride.

 

I have been running 17” Yokohama AVID ENVigor on my 2007 MCS. I have always been satisfied with Yokohama tires because of the excellent wear you get from the tires, most of all they handle all road condition. My two cents worth, great choice for the Mini Coopers, sporty tire with great handling and very smooth ride. they also carry a 60k tread life warranty.

 

Sand is going to make any tire slippery. Nothing you can do.

I run Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's on my Mini. 215/40-18. Google "Car and Driver tire test 2009" for a good report on summer tires.

 

I have heard great things for the Conti DWSs, which i plan on going to here real soon.

 

Best all around tire I have used on the mini, but i would not autocross or track on it. For daily driving in mixed Climates it is excellant

 

In California, does the conti dw track the groves on the freeway, or is the dws a better option?

 

I use Falken ZIEX 912's, would recommend them to anyone. Silent and grippy.

Others I know use Toyo R1R, Falken 452's and Goodyears. I live in Europe, else I would have checked out the Nitto NeoGen's

 

Conti DW's no issues with tramlining.

 

I run kuhmo ecsta xs in summer and have been running toyo proxes 4 in the winter. I'm going to get conti dws to replace the toyos though.

 

I had a pair of Toyo Proxes 4's on the front for a short time. They were terrible. And they pulled to one side. Went back to my Hankook Ventus V12's which are great in the rain, stick like glue, are very predictable at the edges of traction (gotta push real hard) and are quiet on top of all that.

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

 

I use BFGoodrich T/A KDW 2 tires. I use them because they are decently priced have great tread life for performance tires and they don't weigh a lot so they match well with my light weight OZs.

 

Interesting tire. I wonder how it stacks up against the Ventus V12 performance-wise?

And for curiosity's sake, I looked up the 215/40-18 size in both the Ventus and the T/A and the T/A is 23 lbs and the Ventus V12 Evo is 21 lbs.

 

I have 17s. 18s are a waste. just saying.

 

I got 17s with Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tires... perfect for me!

 

I have a set of Michelon All Season Pilots 205/45/17 for winter driving and a set of Hankook Ventus R-S3 225/50/16 for summer and autocrossing. Absolutely love the Hankooks as they have unbelievable grip - of course - they will not last very long. I think when my Michelon all seasons wear out I will mount Dunlop Star Spec Z1's on my 17" wheels as I hear they are great all arround tire even in cooler conditions. Getting rid of the runflats is the best move possible - just get the BMW flat kit and pump that will fit into the right rear corner panel well and you will be good to go.

 

I have no idea why anyone wants to put 18" wheels on these cars.... one good pothole and the wheel is ruined. I have stock 17" wheels and bought 16" wheels for autocrossing and I must say... I like the 16" wheels from a driving, handling and ride perspective much better!!! I do not even want to put my 17" wheels back on but will for the winter once autocross season is over. I have seen a lot of 17" and 18" wheeled Mini's this season... but I have to look in the rear view mirror to see them!!

 

How wide of a wheel are you running with the hankooks? I want to get those tires but I have 16x7 wheels which I think are too narrow. Seems like an aweful lot of sidewall though.

 

Dunlop Star Spec Z1's are pretty awesome, gone through 2 sets, expect 20k or less miles though. Great in rain, and not bad when it's cool either, though if it's cool and wet the grip drops dramatically. After about 10k I noticed they get a good howl in the 40-43mph range, same experience with both sets. Had Hankook RS-2's prior to these and the z1s were a huge improvement in grip.

 

I am running stock Mini xlite 16 x 6.5 with the Hankook R-S3 225/50/16 without any issues - I am using this wheel size to stay in a D-Stock. The 16 x 7 wheel should work very well.

 

Oh wow, I didn't think 225 would fit on a 7 inch rim let alone a 6.5. I was talking to a guy who runs a ST civic si and he was telling me I would need a 7.5 inch rim.

 

215/45ZR17 Conti Non run flat extreme contact DWS on Von-Max VM1 17 X 7.5 +40 4-100 wheels.

If I had to do it all over again I would stick with the 205's. The handling is more precise.

 

Just got the new Consumer Reports. The list of top 6 all season tires.

1. Pirelli P Zero Nero
2. Cooper Zeon RS3-A
3. Sumitomo HTR A/S
4. Michelin Pilot Sport
5. Yokohama Avid
6. Continental Extreme Contact DWS

For Summer only the following:

1. Michelin Pilot Super Sport
2. GoodYear Eagle F1 Asymmetric
3. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
4. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2
5. Continental Extreme Contact DW
6. Hankook Ventus V12 evo

Of course your mileage may vary.