Hello,

Went through quite a different combination through the years, running on 16 x 7 wheels, with 42 offset. My car is lowered (Tein S springs) and rear camber at -1.4, went from stock to 215/45/16 (Falken Ziex) to recently, huge 225/50/16 (huge) Yokohama SDrives and had to trim the rear fender. The car still rubs on big dips. I find that these big tires do dull acceleration and steering a little.

Anyway, I'm not loving the 225/50/16 performance wise, so thinking of moving to another set, of something more grippy, more expensive, softer, quieter tire.

The question is whether to go:

225/45/16

OR

215/50/16

What do you think? Any recommendations on a good performance (less commuter type) tires that won't break the bank? And any recs on the sizes, both on the basis of performance and looks?

 

How many miles do you drive a year?
How are the roads in your area- bad or smooth?

What are you going to use the MINI for? Any track, autocross or driving events? Or just street use?

What is your budget? How often do you want to replace tires? Yearly, every two years?

What is your weather? Any cold temps or any/much rain?

These are the things to consider before you can think about tire size as it may limit which tires worth shopping for.

196/55-16 is the stock MINI 16" tire so you want to keep tire diameter at that amount or slightly less is OK in your case, about 24.3".

Going with the Yokohama S.Drive wasn't the best choice as you found out.
But not because the tire wasn't good as much as the size was too tall and heavy. The S.Drive also comes in 215/40-16 which fits rims 7-8.5" and has a tire diam. of 22.7". Weight of 19 lbs is very light, $107 each, treadwear 300.
The 225/50-16 is 25 lbs each.

215/50-16 is about stock height in tire diameter but tire selection is limited. If you want the taller 50 series sidewall for more street comfort then 205/50-16 is worth considering because there are many tires to choose from.

225/45-16 is aggressive and the lower 45 series sidewall is stiffer, allowing for better handling in corners with a stiffer rough ride on anything but smooth roads. If your roads are bad then it would be bumpy and jarring for daily street use.

If you want the best in grip you should look first at Extreme Summer tires but be aware they don't last and sometimes can cost more. Replacement once a year is easy to expect with street driving unless you take it easy and rotate tires every 3000 miles. These tires do not tolerate cold temperatures under 40 degrees.

If you want a good compromise tire that does well in dry or wet, hot or colder weather, Ultra High Performance All Season tires are worth considering but handling and grip can be traded for longer treadlife and comfort.

On a budget you might check out-

For Extreme Summer tires:
Toyo Proxes R1R
205/45-16 $146 each, 19 lbs, 140 treadwear, tire diam. 23.2"
225/45-16 fits rims 7-8.5", $156 each, 22 lbs, tire diam. 23.9"
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
205/50-16 $152 each, 22 lbs, 200 treadwear, tire diam. 24.1"
Kumho Ecsta XS
215/45-16 $114 each, 20 lbs, 180 treadwear, tire diam. 23.6" (good value)

For Max Summer tires:
Continental ExtremeContact DW
205/50-16 $99 each, 340 treadwear, 19 lbs, tire diam. 24.1" (good value)

For Ultra High Perf Summer tires:
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport Comp 2
205/45-16 fits rims 6.5-7.5" wide, $110 each, 340 treadwear, tire diam. 23.2", 21 lbs
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
205/45-16 $108 each, 340 treadwear, tire diam. 23.3", 21 lbs
BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2
225/45-16 $138 each, 300 treadwear, 23 lbs, tire diam. 23.7"
205/45-16 $133 each, 20 lbs, tire diam. 23.1"
Aggressive tread design, handles well, noisy

For UHP All Season tires:
Kumho ecsta 4X
205/50-16 $91 each, 420 treadwear, 20 lbs, tire diam. 24.1"
(good value for UHPAS tire with good handling in dry or wet, better treadwear- good for street use).

I don't see a great drop in performance or looks with a 205mm wide tire vs wider sizes. 225 will look more aggressive but you trade off weight or looks when using a 7" wide rim and do street driving.

On the track an 8" wide rim and 225mm wide tire would be better matched.

If you have more questions on tires try contacting Alex@tirerack.com

Note: for some pictures see post #2-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...endations.html