This is for tires only right? I went to a local tire shop and was quoted $800 installed for 215/45/17 Pilot super sports. How much are you paying to get them mounted and balanced?

 

195 to 215 is a half inch increase in width. And because you aren't changing the aspect ratio, the diameter is going to increase by nearly an inch. Thus, I'm betting they would rub.

As I recall, there was another thread recently covering these exact sizes. Do a search in the tire section.

 

Nope $550 for tires, mount, and balance.

 

I'm assuming that the 215s vs. the 205s will also provide a bit more protection to the lip of the wheel, correct? I hate curb rash!

 

215/55-16 is not the best tire size for an OEM 16" rim on a MINI. It will fit your stock suspension but at 25.3" tire diameter it will look oversized, reduce wheel clearance and gap a little too much (risk of rubbing under full load), raise center of gravity, and through off your odometer and speedometer.

For stock 16" rims stick to-
195/55-16
205/50-16
205/55-16 (a little taller than OEM)
225/50-16 (a little taller than OEM)

The Continental DWS is fine, your choice for $117 each in either-
205/50-16 or 205/55-16. Slightly better handling with 50 series sidewall, a little better comfort with 55 sidewall.

 

Using stock 16" rims then yes, the 215mm or 225mm wide tire will hang over a bit on a narrow rim but unless you have tire pressures up high, when you scrape your tire and wheel on a curb you can deflect the tire rubber enough to still damage the rim, sometimes in more than area/height.

You can try-
http://wheelbands.com/photo-gallery/...ands-in-action
They are $99 a set shipped and will help a little.

Some tires are molded with a bead to help with rim protection.
see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=149

 

I have accidentally rubbed the curb with these new 215 width tires, and yes, the extra width protected my Alleggerita rim from getting any curb rash. I'm quite certain that the 205s would have been narrow enough to allow the rims to get scraped on the curb because a couple of my stock Challenge Spoke rims had curb rash on them from parking too close.

 

FWIW, I had just installed 225/50-16 Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires on stock 16x6.5" wheels. They fit fine, though getting really tight on the outside (fender) clearance. Look about 1" wider than the 225 wide tires they just replaced on the same wheels! Really meaty. Zero rubbing, even under full load.

R-S3's are on sale @TireRack right now for $120/each. Hard to improve on them as far as summer traction goes (RE-11a's may, but still not available in Mini 16" sizes).

YMMV,
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