Good tires in 15" are getting hard to come by. Nothing sticks out at me on Tire Rack. I tried a set of 16 inch wheels, but between the heavier wheels and run flat tires I just despise it. Heavy, numb, worse fuel economy, and just not "fun" despite the increase in grip.

I knew something had to change when I delayed taking off the winter tires. But as I said, tires with the right diameter are tough to come by. Anybody still using 15" wheels? Any tires to recommend?

 

I use 15" on my R53 for daily driving and another set of wheels and tires for racing.

15" sizes can be-
175/65-15
185/60-15
195/60-15
205/55-15

Which 15" wheel width were you going to use?

OEM is 175/65-15 but tire selection is limited. It's a good size for lower rolling resistance and light snow but doesn't have much tread patch for good grip. They are light weight.

For tire selection a good size to start with is 195/60-15 which is what I use for daily driving.

In that size many choices are in the All Season tire classes, Grand Touring All Season gives a good daily driving street ride but isn't as good on handling, you get good tread life.

In High Performance All Season there is Kumho ecsta PA31, does come in 175/65-15 which fits rims 5-6" wide. OEM is 5.5" wide which is what I use. Not a bad street tire but not as strong for handling.

If you have winter tires you probably still need All Season tires for cold days. Summer tires don't work in the cold but you can always change to winter tires before cold weather arrives.

Do you have a base cooper or MCS? If you want the best handling and performance then Extreme Summer tire gives you grip but less tread life.
Bridgestone RE71R is one of the best and comes in 205/50-15 which is small on tire diameter at 23.1" so you get some odometer and speedo error as well as 1/2" drop in ride height clearance from the road and slightly more wheel gap unless you have lowered suspension.

If you have 15x7" wheels and want more grip and don't drive lots of miles per year then check out Hankook Ventus R-S4 (new tire) in 225/45-15 or 195/50-15 for more narrow wheels. BFG Rival S 1.5 has similar sizes and has good grip but shorter tread life.

For performance driving 205/50-15 is the tire size of choice. It's actually ok for street use but not if you have long commutes or very wet weather.

 

It's a daily. Quiet and competent would probably best describe what I'm looking for. While I'd like to AutoX and do track events occasionally, it's not a primary focus.

What I have is a base R56, but most of those guys came with at least 16" wheels stock. With that in mind I figured I'd ask you guys since the 1st gen cars used the same tire diameter, and more of you seem to still be on 15s.

Great info, thanks.

 

Does anybody know what the OE 15" 6-spoke wheels weigh? I can't even find their proper name, let alone much info on them.

This wheel: http://www.hubcaphaven.com/p/6893/al...116769406.html

It's what I use for my winter wheels, and I like the feel of the car with them on, so I'm looking to shoot for something that weight or lighter as I shop replacements. Unfortunately, even past threads here don't seem to have the weight for these.

 

OK that wheel is 15.7 lbs each called R101 Rotator Spoke wheels
http://minicooper.wikia.com/wiki/OEM_Wheels_and_Tires

These will fit the base cooper not Cooper S due to the front brake caliper size.

For that wheel you can use 196/60-15 and a Grand Touring All Season tire:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve....jsp?type=GTAS

Look at the various columns and see what is a priority for you- Dry traction, comfort, treadwear or price. All of the tires in the top 9 are good and trade off one trait or another.

On a budget the General AltiMax RT43 is a good value.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...Speed+Rated%29

Comes in various sizes that work-
175/65-15 $62.25 each, OEM size, 15 lbs, 24" tire diameter
185/60-15 $61.25 each, 17 lbs, 23.7" tire diameter
185/65-15 $61.25 each, 17 lbs, 24.5" tire diameter
195/60-15 $64.25 each, 18 bs, 24.2" tire diameter
205/60-15 $66.25 each, 20 lbs, 24.7" tire diameter

For speedo and odometer readings, closer to OEM tire diameter of about 24.3" is best for street use. All sizes fit 15x5.5" wheel more or less with 185 and 195mm wide tires a perfect fit. A wider tire will give a little more grip in turns but increase rolling resistance and weight, a narrow tire will cut through snow better and give better mpg. Less weight is helpful to reduce braking distance and help acceleration a little. All tires are H speed rated which is fine and all have load ratings that are fine.

Are you going to buy new 15" wheels? If so then you can choose widths of about 6-7" wide. Usually those are easy to find with 7" wheels weighing a little more depending on construction and design.

195/60-15 gives you the better tire selection options.

Summer tires are OK but will wear faster, usually ride comfort is a little less, sometimes road noise is a little more. Dry traction is usually good, wet traction varies. Not for any cold temperatures under 40 degrees.

 

If I buy new, it'll probably be a set of Konig Heliums since they're so light and inexpensive. I'll see if the CL gods gift me anything first though. If I can score a set of spoolers I think I'd be pretty happy even if I'm not enamored of the style. This is for a base R56.

Thanks for the wheel ID. I'd seen that site, but the picture on there isn't the best representation of the wheel and I didn't think that was an exact match. Google image search with that wheel name shows that it is though.

 

Would putting something like the General RT43 in 175/55 on a 15x6.5 Konig Helium be a bad idea? Tire Rack lists the rim width as 5-6" for that tire. I'm not a fan of stretch, particularly for a daily driver, but this is so close I'm not sure how it'll look.

 

I think you mean 175/65-15 not 175/55.

For a 6.5" wide rim the tire width which fits it better would be 195 or 205mm. 175 is very narrow, it's perfect for a 5" wide rim and will fit OEM 15x5.5" OK.

When a tire size is not correct for a rim size it's like big shoes on a small foot or small shoes on a big wide foot. How well does a stretched tire (small shoe) fit and how well does it perform and wear with daily driving. In a word, poorly. Further, if you get into an accident and someone notices that your tires are mismatched with your wheels you could be reponsible for any problems that occurred or assessed more blame. Looks are the least of the problem fitting narrow tires on a wide rim.

For 15x6.5" wheels which are fine, 185/60 or 195/60-15 are the best sizes for fitment and street use.

Why are you interested in 175/65-15?

 

Interested in that size only because it's the stock size tire, so I figured it'd have the best fuel economy on top of being the lightest. That's really the long and short of it. I'll probably go with 195/60 since the stock size tire is too narrow for that wheel.

 

The stock tire size is matched with the OEM 15x5.5" wheel.

185/60 or 195/60 will work. RT43 is not a great mpg tire but it's not too bad either.
see
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=220
It wasn't designed with good fuel mileage as a priority compared to other traits common in it's tire class. Therefore I would not expect that much difference in mpg with more narrow tires that are 10-20mm difference.

 

I would not run 225/45/15 R-S4's on a 7" wheel they squirm too much, I think they need a 9" wheel!

 

175/65-15 I ran continentals contiprocontact back in the day and they were the best overall. I tried the Pirelli and they did not last long. I went through about 6 set of tires over the years on my R52 with the 15". If you bump up to 185, you find more options.