The 06 R53 I recently bought currently has 205/40/17s. The tires look great and I've always wanted low-pros on my car, but I realized that in NYC, the ride is so damn rough! Once I'm out of the 5 boros and the roads are nice again, I love the ride, but since most of my driving is within the 5 boros, the ***** roads are a real nuisance.

My question is, would going to a 16in rim and getting a bigger profile tire make my ride noticeably softer? I know a few factors such as wheelbase, suspension, and tires contribute to the overall ride quality of a car. Obviously I can't change the wheelbase, and I'm not looking to mess with the suspension just yet. So, can I soften up my ride by getting larger profile tires?

Has anyone done it? Any help appreciated. She's my first Mini! (and this is my first post after months of lurking hehe)

 

Yeah, I'd say if you go for something like 205/50/16 you'll have a much smoother ride. More rubber and air to absorb the road surface.

 

Or move outa the city!

Dave

 

I am running 205 45 17 Hankook v-12's but I keep the tire pressure around 33 lbs.

With a 40 profile tire their is less sidewall to flex. Check your tire pressure against what is recomended and maybe you soften it up a bit by reducing a few pounds ? ? ?

 

Move out of the city? No! lol.. at least not for another few years so that's out..

In nyc, making the pressures lower than recommended is just ASKING for a dented rim.. so reducing the pressures is also out.


Would a 55 profile tire cause any rubbing inside the wheel well?
Or is 50 the biggest I can go without having to go down yet another rim size aka to a 15in?

 

One of the stock sizes the Mini can be equipped with is 195/55/16. A non runflat in that size would ride nice and smooth. Are you looking for 1 tire to use year round, or do you run snow tires?

 

The 16 inch combo will ride softer. Also, going with a UHPAS tire like the Kumho ASX will be higher performance than the run flat (better compound, softer ride, sharper turn in) but give a softer ride than run flats and most summer tires.

 

thanks for all the help peeps

i'm gonna look for a nice set of 16 in rims and get a 205/55/16 tire if they have that combination available.

that should definitely be an improvement in ride quality over the low-pros i have now.

 

I just went from Conti's 17" to 16" Goodyear run flats. The 16's are much smoother then the 17's. But they are noisier then all hell!!

 

Going from runflats to non-runflats also will make a huge improvement in ride quality, along with all the other recommendations above: taller profile tires and lower inflation pressures will really help.
So will watching where you put a wheel...

 

Just changing from the Dunlop run flats in 17's to Yokohama non-runflats made a big difference, but the ride is still pretty harsh at full 38 PSI pressures. Streets are a bit better where I live, so am playing with lower pressures.

Has anyone looked at changing shocks for more compliance? I also have a Lotus Elise, which is known for a stiff ride, but the Mini is worse, I think.

 

Try the Koni FSDs for the street...nice over the stock shocks...Hate to say it, but 16" wheels w/the 195/55 tires works wonders as compared to the 17"ers.

 

that's what i'm thinking..

since I made my original post, I've managed to dent one rim.. not a bad track record if you ask me LOL.. commuting every day to queens will do that to ya

anyway, definitely gonna get a 16in rim with a higher profile tire when I get the funds saved up.

 

The short answer would be that yes, a taller sidewall on a tire that is more an all season style tire (softer sidewall usually than a summer tire) would ride a bit softer.