New mini owner. I’ve been lurking the forum. Decided to finally make a post. I have a 2006 Cooper S r53, it currently has 195/55/r16’s on it, I was looking at putting 15s on as I have a set on Konig forward rims, there 15x6.5 offset is 38, I was looking at either running 205/55, 195/60, 195/55. Was wondering if anyone has had a similar set up/pics? What would run/fit better? Is 205 too wide for a 6.5 rim? I know all tires listed are slightly smaller and will offer more wheel gap, wondering what would look the best I guess lol, Sorry I’m kinda new to tires. Car has stock suspension/ride height, may end up lowering eventually but if so not for a bit as I have other mods in mind, thanks for the help

 

OEM suspension is fine for any of those wheels. Problem is your front brake calipers- if JCW brakes then it's larger and won't fit 15" wheels, then stick with 16" or larger with 17" being better.

So first question is if 15x6.5" et38 will fit over your brakes. If so then you can easily use 185 to 225m wide tire sizes however tire diameter needs to be 24.3" or close to it. Common size for 15" wheels are 195/60-15 but tire selection is mostly Grand Touring All Season which is good for daily driving and lower treadlife but doesn't offer crisp handling or performance. 205/55-15 doesn't give much tire selection, 195/55-15 is possible but small on tire diameter. Some good tires available. For Street use you want tire diameter as close to OEM.

If you want more performance for your R53 then 16" tire sizes are better to give you tires that are not as long lasting but match the character of a Cooper S. You do not need to use 195/55-16 tires as those are basically suited for Runflats. If non runflat then consider 205/55-16 which is a little taller than OEM at 24.9" tire diameter but will work with your wheels and suspension and give you good tire selection in the Summer tires and Grand Touring and Ultra High Performance All Season tire classes. If you drive in cold weather under 40 degrees you want an All Season tire or have snow tires for winter which you change to in the fall.

 

So I tried the rims to see if they fit, they do. The 15s currently have 195/50 on them from the last car, I know it’s too small just wanted to get an idea what they’d look like/ see if they fit over caliper. Here’s a pic, it’ll be better with proper size tires but here’s an idea. So would a 205/55 tire be a better performance tire compared to a 195/60 then?

 

205/55-15 is not a good choice due to very limited tire selection.

For those rims, 195/60-15 is OK if you are only street driving. Then look at Grand Touring All Season tires. Otherwise for performance Street driving then try 195/55-15 which is a little small on tire diameter but OK.

195/50-15 is very small for tire diameter, wheel gap is very large but it still works in a pinch. I have run that size for limited street driving, they were race tires for track events.

 

Also consider 205/50/15

 

Alright it sounds like I’d want to go with 195/55 then, wouldn’t 205/50 be too small a diameter at 23.1?

 

I ran 205 50 15 on the back and 225 50 15 on the front for autocross, they give great gearing on a short course, but they are really too short for highway use, revs are too high at highway speeds.
switched back.to.17s.

 

205/50-15 is possible as it fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide with perfect fit for 6.5" wide rim but tire diameter is small at 23.2" or one inch less than OEM. This increases wheel gap, causes error in speedo and odometer and allows less road clearance and front lower lip clearance so you may hit parking bump stops.

In general 205/50-15 is a common tire size for Extreme/Max Summer and Competition race tires. I have used them for racing and track on OEM 15" wheels.

195/55-15 is a workable size, it fits rims 5.5-7" wide, perfect for 6" wide rims, tire diameter is small at 23.4" but it could work. Tire selection is OK for Grand Touring All Season and Extreme Summer tires. I would say 195/60-15 is the place to start.