205/45 like cheezzcurlz has might be a serious consideration since you are lowered only slightly. better ride quality I bet

 

Sweet! Do you have any other closeup pics you can share?

Indeed I will be posting once I have the new shoes on for sure.

 

Okay friends, time to order the 205/40/17 sized tires.

What brand(s) should I consider?

The MINI is a daily driver with no intention of tracking.

 

Stretch is for LOOKS ONLY!!!

If you have to stretch then the simple truth is your tires are too narrow or your wheels too wide.

Even BMW is running stretch on 1M Coupe, M3, 6 series... anything with "sport package" etc.

It leads to curbed wheels and a poor contact patch.

I like i nice flat tire... i wish i had pics with me to upload but here are a couple that worked well:

205/50-15 on 15x7 PERFECT
205/50-16 on 16x7 GREAT (215/45-16 will be even better and is what i an going too!)
225/45-17 on 17x8 *works but is the limit of what i personally go.
245/40-17 on 17x9 *works but is the limit of what i personally go
235/45-17 on 17x8 PERFECT!
235/40-17 on 17x7.5 GREAT

I can promise you that 235/40-17 will not go on my 9" wheels again... 2 blow outs in two years(both traveling to Bimmerfest through Des Moines, IA)

Also remember that individual tires are actually slightly different so a 225/45-17 in one brand may be wider than a 235/40-17 in another.

 

Funny post. Good read

It only leads to curbed wheels if you're such a bad driver that you drive your car into curbs on a regular basis. WARNING: Driving your car into curbs is not advised as it can also damage your suspension.

I, for one, choose not to drive my car into curbs so I've been running stretched tires for 4 or 5 years without a single curbed wheel. I love my wheels too much to run them into concrete barriers

I run 205/40/17 on my 9" wheels....zero problems, great stance, no rubbing. My contact patch isn't as large as a 235....but then again, my car only has 115 hp so I'm not too concerned about contact patches.


17x9

 

Falken 512's are the best stretching 205/40/17 out there. Good all-season tire with nice treadwear for non-track daily drivers.

 

I can't express enough how much I love it when people say stretched tires leads to curb rash... Seriously? Just think about that for 5 seconds. Driving into curbs leads to curb rash. Nothing else.

Falken 512 is the tried and true proven tire to run any stretch. It's not the absolute best traction you'll get but for the price and tread wear you won't find anything better. Also keep in mind all tires aren't created equally relative to size numbers. One manufacturer's 205 won't be the the same width as another manufacturer. I know that sounds crazy but it's true.

 

What are thoughts on a 215/40/17?

 

What are your thoughts on rubbing?

 

HAHAHA! DOH!

Point taken my friend. =)

 

Better call the tire companies too because the manufacturers specs on most 205 tires say 7"-8" wheel.

which is the size we have been advising the OP to use.

 

For all you haters out there who clearly didn't pay attention to what G33KGUY actually wrote...

Post#15
2. I noticed on Stance's clubman and Creeve's MCS there's not much tire coverage on the lip of the rims. Tire size is 205/40/17. Would a 225/35 or 215/35 be a better fit to give better coverage to the rim lip? I'm concerned about curb rashing quickly, etc. as well as not wanting to stretch the tires.

Post#18 had the picture of tire-wheel alignment as he called it. (not a stretch!)

Creeve... you may have noticed that i did like the 205 on a 7" wheel.

The Falken 512 has the softest sidewalls i have ever seen! Yes, it is much easier to stretch with them... if you can find a shop willing to take the chance and you are willing to sign a waiver. stretched tires tend not to survive well in pothole country.

GITMOE... wow, that is like saying:
THE LEADING CAUSE OF DIVORCE IN THE UNITED STATES IS, MARRIAGE.

Pay attention guys and try not to be so critical when clearly i am only trying to help with G33KGUY's original questions. He was looking for a non-stretched fitment.

 

Just curious, where do you get your information? I've literally had about 7 or 8 sets of Falken 512s stretched onto various wheels. All have been done by different shops and I was never once turned down by a shop. No waivers and no problems in "pothole country".


You're trying to help him with misinformation and lack of experience.

Keep in mind he's also asking about fitting 17x8 et30 (debating et20 since that's all they have in stock) onto a lowered car. With offsets like that, you can't get away with 235s and such. Despite your assumptions about stretched tires only being for looks, another reason for stretched tires is for arch clearance on aggressive offsets and wide wheels.

You have to realize that I ran the exact wheels he's talking about. I'm not just tossing in random answers here. If you want to have a lowered car on these wheels, with this width and offset....you're gonna want 205/40/17. You might be able to get away with 215/40/17 if you're willing to deal with some rubbing, camber, or not lowering the car as much.

If he doesn't want as much stretch as the Falken 512s will offer, just grab another 205 that won't stretch as much.

 

You obviously misspoke on your last line...
"If he doesn't want as much stretch as the Falken 512s will offer, just grab another 205 that won't stretch as much"

205 is the width and will stretch the same amount as any other 205 width tire(assuming ratio of height is constant).

The sidewall softness makes it easier to stretch with the Falken 512 over say a Conti. SSC Runflat

Also, please don't assume that my lack of "Vendor" status means i am any less qualified or experienced.

We are both just focused on different aspects of his original inquiry.

 

As per the pothole and your 7 or 8 sets... GREAT!!! you have been lucky and probably know many other with the same luck.

Your luck may be due in part to the actual wheel design as well.

Some wheels don't have as pronounced inner retaining lip as others and won't hold the bead as well under stress.

I am not arguing but there was a picture showing what i mean... i will see if i can find it.

 

That is not correct. Different companies don't make tires exactly the same.

For example the manufacturers specs on the falken ze-512 205/40/17 show a 6.9" tread width but the specs on the bridgestone re760 205/40/17 have 7.4" tread width. Both measured on a 7.5" wheel.

So mounting a re760 rather then a ze-512 will result in less stretch, which is what Rally was suggesting.

 

OK, i couldn't find a good pic and the firewall at work won't let me search videos but basically the tire bead is designed to fit on the wheel bead seating surface.

when you run a stretch fitment, you are essentially bending the tire bead's sealing surface away from its optimal position.

Simply, the less rubber to the rim means more chance to lose air pressure through a hard hit or cornering.

 

This is false, the ACTUAL tread width of a set of 205 Falken 512's is around 165-185mm, but they remain labeled as 205s. 205/40 Falken 512's are a great deal skinnier than most 205/40s you encounter. Just lie a falken 512 next to another tire and you'll see what I mean. I can garauntee you a set of 205/40/16 512's will stretch much more than a set of Toyo t1's in that exact same size on the exact same wheel.

Tires will vary from brand to brand.

Match that with the lip protector that is built into the sidewall of 512s, the softer sidewall, and the skinnier tread width and you have a tire that stretches much more and will give you much more clearance than some other 205's.

Again, I'm speaking from experience. I've stretched numerous 205's and have seen the differences.

 

Again, this is not true. The part of the tire that you see bending away from the lip when a tire is stretched is just the lip protector. It doesn't do anything in terms of sealing the tire or mounting to the wheel. It is put there to encase the outer rim of the wheel lip to protect it from curbs or potholes on daily drivers.

 

Creeve, are we really nitpicking... i understand that every tire manufacturer has a different idea of size. C'MON!

And based on what you posted, what i wrote, Rally wrote and such... the RE760 would seat better on the rim due to less stretch.

Do we at least agree on that?

 

Ok Rally, clearly you are only defending your "stance" on this subject and this thread has gotten out of hand.

Undeniable truth(no matter what you think) is that extreme stretch will affect the sealing surface of the tire (which i agree is NOT the actual outermost rim edge).

I really wish i had the pics or video!

End of topic.

 

I'm simply addressing your questions and some misinformation regarding Falken 512s. There's no defense necessary.

I chimed into this thread because g33kguy privately asked me for my input since I'm experienced with these wheels, stance, and MINI wheel fitment.

You can continue your tirade against tire stretch, but it seems like you've built your opinions on assumptions rather than real life experience. I'm simply sharing my experience as requested by g33kguy.

 

can we just hug and make up now?

I have played with stretch and simply admit that there is a limit to how far i will go.

I will also agree that you definitely have the knowledge if someone is looking for the Stance.

I am more of a Rally/Track guy. Hell, i have even had the same problems going too wide of a tire.

ok, back to work!

 

Don't get me wrong I have the utmost respect for performance setups as well. My other build is a performance oriented one and will undoubtedly have a set of wide tires squeezed onfor autocross weekends.

I was simply helping him with the particular aggressive wheel setup that he was interested in. It's a wheel setup that requires careful tire selection to avoid rubbing and clearance issues as they are wide and their offsets low.

 

Sorry maybe you can see the point of my confusion.

I would contend that you are the one nitpicking. We are talking about mounting a 205/40 on a 8" wheel, which is within the manufacturers specification.

So are you claiming that is an extreme stretch? and that the OP may experience a premature loss of pressure? Otherwise I don't see how your comments about stretch are relevant to this conversation.