Hi guys...Just got a new set of wheels and now I have to decide on what tires I'm going to get. I've decided on I'm gonna go with 205s as opposed to 215s. Now the question is do I go with 45s or 50s. Initially, I was set to get the 45s, but I've considered getting 50s because it may look better because it will close the gap more between the wheel well and tire. I'm still debating on whether I will lower the car with H-sport springs. Obviously if I get 50s then I will most likely avoid lowering it cus of tire rub.
Which setup do you guys think will look better and will be the best choice to avoid future problems??? 205/45/17 with H-sports or 205/50/17 with stock suspension?

 

I would do 205/45/17 with H-sports.

imho, even the 215/45/17 makes the tire profile look too big and chunky
on the mini's. It's just too big. 205/45/17 is just right and 205/40/17 looks
even sportier if you have more aggressive lowering than the H-sports.

 

45s all the way ...lowering springs or not, no doubt. I have 'em. You will not be disappointed

 

Thanks for your input guys...I'll have pics up when they're on.

 

using the 50 may appear to take your fender gap away, but thats what the H Sports are for! 45's!!!!!

Alex

 

Thanks for the input Alex!

 

Speaking from experience, I'll second that. I have a set of 205/50R17 winter tires. On the eve of the first snow of last year they were the only size dedicated winter tire that was available locally which even came close to properly fitting my S-lites. Lesson learned about planning properly for winter!

They fill the wheel wells nicely and don't rub, but they kill low-speed acceleration. If the suspension was lowered, I suspect they would rub at both ends of the car. At their current wear rate, they still have one winter's worth of tread left. I'm too cheap and the tires were too expensive for me to just ditch 'em, so I can't install H-sports until I use them up.

 

I just stepped outside the door to snap the below. H-Sports are on but I put the 45s on before the springs. Both ways look great. Once again, mine are 205/45-17s:smile:

 

Panganiban,
Ok, you decided on 17" rims and now the next decision is tire size AND which tire. The two go hand in hand so you should think not only about size. In fact the smart thing to do about any wheel upgrade from stock is first- what do I want to use the MINI for. This determines the desired use and then you can pick the tire that suits that purpose. Sometimes you will have a choice of brands and choice of sizes. But lets say that the tire you really want only comes in sizes to fit the MINI in 16" and not 17" then you'll know to look for the right 16" rim of the right width for that tire. Not the other way around.

So in your case you are looking at a size. For those two I would suggest 205/45-17 is the best fit because that is the stock size. You get no rubbing and you can lower your MINI at any time when you decide. It simply fits the best. But it is rather limited in what tires will come in that size and that is the biggest problem. Performance is good and speedo accuracy is as well.

Rather than 205/50-17 the next best choice is 215/45-17 which is a little wider by 10mm but same 45 series profile. It doesn't rub unless you lower your MINI and get a tire with a square shoulder and you load up the rear with people. Most times for two people it is just fine with no rubbing. No problem with stock suspension and performance is very good, speedo is OK. There are many tires in 215/45-17 with a wide range of prices.

So what tires will you be using?

 

I've decided to go with the 205/45/17s. I've called all the places around me and availability is pretty good. I've called three places and they've said they could get them all in a day. I'll post pics of when they're installed....

 

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

Great decision, Panganiban

 

Just out of curiousity, am I gonna need tuner lug nuts or bolts??? Sorry, I had to ask. Also, anything else I should know when I bring my wheels in to get mounted and installed?

I have the 15" stock holies on my cvt cooper right now, so I'm excited to get the 17s on!!!

 

Only your lock key, if applicable.

Cool! I have 'em holeys, too. Do NOT sell them. They're solid autocross/track goods. minihune and I have 205/50-15s (Kumho Victoracers) on them and should you decide to go in that direction later/sooner, you'll love them, too

 

Actually, does the cooper use lug nuts or bolts? Also, can I use the ones from my stock wheels?
Someone mentioned that I would need to buy new ones. Just wanna make sure.
FYI..The new wheels are the Motegi FF7s. A bit heavy, but I'm not auto-xing so I'm not too worried about getting lap times or winning races. Just for day-to-day driving. Maybe an occasional street race .....JK.

 

Also, do any of you know which 205/45/17 tire is lighter, toyo proxes 4 or the falken ze512s??? I believe the falkens are like 19.4lbs, but I'm not sure about the proxes.

 

Falken Ziex ZE-512 are lighter in that size at 18.7 pounds each. 360 treadwear and W speed rated about $90 per tire. Good treadlife without sacrificing much performance
A set of tires to have all year round (decent snow/ice traction).

Toyo Proxes 4 in the same size weighs 21 pounds each. 300 treadwear and W speed rated about $104 per tire. A little more performance and good street tire.

Before you make your final decision just check with alex@tirerack for the same size tires. Sometimes he has newer brands like Avon but I did not see a good 17" size.
A search brings up Kumho Ecsta supra 712 for $91 each 280 AA A rated W speed rated weighs 24.5 pounds each. See-
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=EZ3&url=/tires/tires.jsp&tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=ECSTA+Supra +712&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=045WR7ES7 12

Also at tirerack there is the Yokohama ES100 in the same size with more performance than the other choices, 280 AA A rating, W speed rated for $97 each weighing 21.5 pounds each, See-
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=EZ3&url=/tires/tires.jsp&tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVS+ES100&vehicleSearch=false&a mp;partnum=045WR7ES100

 

Your lugs are bolts and for the FF7's I believe your factory bolts will work.
Those wheels look like the LE37's, right? pretty cool looking wheels. :smile:

What I would do is see and compare the lug opening recess area shape
between your factory wheel and FF7's. If it is the slanted type, you're
okay for that, but another thing you would want to check is stick the
bolt through the lug hole on the wheels and see how far the bolt threads
come out the back of the wheel. If within 2mm, you're okay. You want
to make sure you get at least 6 full revolutions on the lugs when you
thread them onto the car for street use. More revs for racing.

If you buy a wheel set with tires from the tirerack, you get free
scratchless mounting and balancing (which is a huge deal), new lugs,
and great on-time service. but it's up to you.

Ive heard people say good things about the 512's as a all-round street
tire throughout the seasons.

You want to tell your tire shop to be very careful not to scratch the rim
of the wheel while they mount it. You should go to a reputable tire shop
and not try to get the cheapest labor.

 

Thanks kenchan. The only thing about getting tires from tire rack is that I have the wheels on me, so I would have to ship it out to them. That would be a problem for me since I'm on a budget and shipping would be expensive.

 

I clicked on the wrong button and didn't mean to edit that last post.

Here's my post-
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Tirerack also can tell you who they would recommend in your local area to do mounting and balancing. They are only a call away. Alex@tirerack is really good to talk to once you have an idea which tires you are leaning towards not to mention he knows the MINI and about various pros and cons of tire sizes.

I think you will be OK on the lug nuts fitting. Another check would be to talk to anyone that already owns a set of those wheels on a MINI and see what they have.

This brings up a good idea! What if we make a MINI mod registry where people that have experience with a particular mod or have a particular wheel log in so that when others want some advice or pictures we know who to call? Of course those who sign in will need to be willing to be contacted. They could post a few sample pictures as thumbnails.

 

Unfortunately in my area (NW - W suburbs of chicago) my only best sourceto have scratch-free tire mounting is by the tirerack. i went to several locations
that were suppose to be pretty reputable, but my wheels came back with
at least one scratch approx 15mm-20mm along the rim.

I am seriously considering to drive out there to SouthBend one day to get
my SSR's re-wrapped with new GS-D3's for my rex's set just for this reason.