Is the difference visually noticeable going from 205 to 215. 10 more mm is .39"...doesnt seem like that would be very noticeable. Thanks!

 

Visually, probably not. You also have to remember that one tire manufacturer's tread width on a 205 tire is not the same as another. So one brand's 205 may be the same width as another brand's 215. Use tire rack to check the tread widths on the tire.

 

Cool, thanks!

 

I notice it on mine. A lot depends upon the aspect ratio. Went from 205/45 to 215/45 Pilot Super Sports and they definitely fill up the wheel wells better, and look slightly wider. IMO.

Dave

 

Any difference or decrease in acceleration?

 

Butt dyno says no, but haven't done any AX as our season in Houston doesn't start till this month (too hot). But if you think about it, we are talking about 45% of 10mm, so a 4.5mm difference in height? And you get a slightly larger contact patch. Tradeoff? Not sure. Also, the 215 Pilot SS are almost $50 less per tire than the 205 stock size. Not sure why.


Dave

 

Thanks...I actually purchased 215-45-17, but after seeing them I thought they looked to beefy and I dont mean wide, they just looked like too much sidewall. I didnt put them on I think I will stick with 205's.

 

I am running the 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S. The 215's fit fine and put about another 1/2" tire width on the road. I can tell a difference in slightly less wheel spin under hard acceleration. They look better in the wheel wells than the 205s. 215s are cheaper because it is a more common size. I will stick with the 215s from now on.

 

Here is some info:

Stock Mini: 195-55-16 sidewall= 4.22 speedo= 60 mph

Mini S: 205-45-17 sidewall= 3.63 speedo= 60.4

Mini S: 215-45-17 sidewall= 3.80 speedo= 59.5

Mini S: 215-40-17 sidewall= 3.38 speedo= 61.6

 

I have an '06 JCW cabriolet with aero kit. I switched from 205/40-18's to 215/40-18's primarily because the tire selection was much better in that size. I had to remove my 15mm wheel spacers because of rubbing but after that, they fit and work fine.

All other things being equal, the heavier the tire, the slower it will accellerate. However, the small difference between a 205 and a 215 won't be measureable by your butt dyno.

Oh, and I run non runflat Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's. Excellent tires.

And you should carry more than just the Dynaplug "kit". Get a StopNGo plugger as well. And a conventional sticky worm kit as well. Then carry a good pump (Slime makes a good one). And some Slime as well as a last resort.

 

Keep in mind that if you autocross it, you technically might not be qualified for "stock" class if you jump to 215.

 

One can run any size tire (even R-comps) on stock sized rims in SCCA stock classes. Other clubs' stock class rules may vary.

 

I just put a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport 215/45ZR-17 on brand new OZ Alleggerita wheels on my JCW. See my gallery for new pictures as well as older pictures with the stock wheels and tires. The tires are noticeably different on the car, but I'm not sure how much of that is the wider tire vs the different offset for the new rims. I am extremely happy with the combination after only a few days of driving. The ride is significantly better than my OEM Dunlop runflats on the Challenge Spoke rims. I haven't pushed it very hard yet, but it feels like the car is literally glued to the road. The tires feel much less likely to slip during hard acceleration and cornering definitely feels much more sure and precise.

These two pictures show a fairly good before and after -- not exactly the same perspective or picture size, but close.

 

Thanks for the pic, that looks really good! I am afraid because I have seen some pics of 215/45/17 and they look like marshmallows on the rim...the sidewalls look to high....yours do not look like that.

 

The tires are noticeably wider/bigger, but I don't think they stick out too much at all. I have no idea how much difference the new rims make in the look. I know that compared to the stock rims, the Alleggerita spokes "umbrella out" a bit from the hub because there is more clearance between them and the calipers. This may help prevent the wider tires from getting a marshmallowy look. I really don't think that an extra .39" width on stock rims will be very noticeable, especially when you consider that it will be centered on the rim, so that's only about 1/5" on each side.

(Never thought I'd use marshmallows or umbrellas to describe anything about my MINI.)

 

You would think that the thicker (taller) sidewall on the 215's would give a little smoother ride than the stock 205's. Is that true?

 

Ride is very much smoother, but most likely that's from ditching the run flats.

 

Are the 17" run flats that much worse?

 

Since I changed a lot at once, I don't have a good basis for comparison. I went from the stock Dunlop 205s run flats on Challenge Spoke wheels to the Michelin 215s on the Alleggerita wheels. So, that is three major differences -- switching to non-run flats, going to wider tires, and losing over 9 pounds of rolling weight in each corner. Actually four differences if you count the fact that the Super Sports are much more of a performance tire.

The stock ride was very much stiffer feeling. Bumps and holes made for a fairly jarring ride, and there was lots of bump steer especially if you hit anything even moderately sizable in a curve. The car feels much more planted on any kind of rough or uneven surface, and the ride is far more comfortable.

 

Tigger,

Nice setup! I wasn't really considering new rims and tires anytime soon...until I saw this. Dangit.

QQ: Did you have to install spacers for the offset? Which was 40 or 42mm, right? I'm in a Coupe S, and new to the car modding scene (my last Jeep was about as modding as I got years ago).

Just curious, as all this talk of offset, spacers and rim size is making my head spin a little...

 

There were no spacers or anything. I think that the offset of the Allegerita wheel is just a bit different than the JCW Challenge Spoke wheel. I ordered everything from Tire Rack. Since I was getting wheels and tires, I ordered TPMS as well, so the wheels came with the TPMS installed and the tires mounted and balanced. All I had to do was jack up each corner and replace the wheel.

Tanner Barnes at ext 793 was very helpful and is knowledgeable about MINIs. He answered several questions when I was trying to decide what to get, and I made sure he took my order when it was time to place it. Now I need to sell my 17" Challenge Spoke wheels with TPMS and some mileage left on the Dunlops.

 

Thanks Tigger, that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for...now to get it past the "budgeting committee"...

 

I can attest to the weight savings. Today I dropped 6lbs per corner and the difference is VERY noticeable.

 

Don't get sticker shock if you decide to shop the OZ Alleggeritas -- they are not cheap. I was also looking at the Enkei Imola and Sparco Assetto Gara wheels. I finally decided that if I was going to spend the money on wheels at all, I would get what I really wanted which was the OZ wheels.

 

Tigger, Yeah, I already looked at the prices; but like you, I'd rather just cry once and get what I want. Nothing worse than compromising on something that just doesn't meet the need. It'll be a few months, but I do like those Alleggeritas...

Do you know if the Black are gloss black, or flat black? (I really want gloss black).