Hey all, I posted on here a while ago asking for some help with deciding between some of the R53 Cooper S ads that I found and received a ton of helpful feedback, thanks for that! I have since purchased a 2006 Cooper S that I enjoy very much but is on summer tires. I've been doing lots of maths and thinking to figure out which tire size would fit best and perform the best. I have narrowed it down to 2 sizes. 175/65r15 and 185/70r14. I know that snow driving requires a narrower tire, that's where the 175 has the advantage. But a taller sidewall is also very helpful, that's where the 70r14 has the advantage. There are more factors than just those, though. The options for the 185/70r14 are more plentiful and somewhat less expensive. On the other hand, the options available in the 175/65r15 size are better performing snow tires.

TL;DR: I need help deciding between snow tire sizes. 175/65r15 or 185/70r14?

Thanks for the help! It's greatly appreciated.

 

I don't think I have ever seen anyone go as small as a 14" rim on a Mini. Will the car allow for a rim that small? I think I ended up with 16" snows when I was in an area that required them. Not sure why I just didn't go with 15"'s but I would probably say that is the size to go with.

 

I've been looking around but I can't find anyone who has run 14's. I don't know what the minimum wheel size that'll fit over the brakes would be though, nobody has said strictly not to do it

 

Even if you can find a 14" wheel that fits, how much snow driving advantage is there in a 0.1" increase in ground clearance or merely having taller sidewalls on a shorter wheel?

 

R53 MCS will not fit any 14" wheel (doesn't clear front brake calipers)

So choose 175/65-15 for winter tires.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll go with the 175/65r15

 

Have always used 185/65/15 for winter tires. That extra .4 inch of ride height sure helps in snow. Less speedometer error as well.

 

The change in ground clearance is half the difference in tire diameter. The speedo correction is less than two percent.

 

GPS shows speedo error w 185/65s just not as bad as w 175s. A quarter inch added ride height helps in snow. AND 185s are available in more models with lower prices. Granted there will be some minor degradation in fuel economy.