Hi All,

I really want to ditch my run-flats and also get some cool black rims for my 04 EB/B MCS.

I've been looking around in here for inspiration and now I'm confused..... I don't want to spend a ton of cash and I'm not racing or anything, I just want a smoother ride and to look sharp!

Anyone have any simple suggestions and maybe a good place to go shopping in So Cal?

Also, can I resell my run-flats and rims? I have about 7500 miles on them.

Thanks!!!!

 

A NAM sponser.... http://www.edgeracing.com/

You can sell what came on your car, but don't expect a lot of money.

There are lots of opinions on tires.

My favs are

Low Dollar Yoko AV-100s (I think that's what they're called)
Higher Dollar Goodyear F1 GS3G

right now, I'm on Toyo Proxess T1-s and they're OK, but the goodyears were much much better.

Good luck!

Matt

 

I'm getting 16" X 7" Rota Slipstreams which are relatively light and come in black to replace my run flats. They are available from Webb or Rspeed. Everyone seems to want to replace the runflats, they don't bring much money on E-Bay. $730-750.00 for a set. You might want to keep them to put them back on the car when you sell it and sell the aftermarket wheels for more than you'd get for the run flats. Too bad MINI doesn't offer the wheels/tires as a delete.

 

For those of you that replace your run-flats, do you carry a spare?

Very curious!

 

I hope this is an appropriate question for this stream.

After exchanging the run flats for conventional tires where do you carry the spare? I have often wondered about this, but could not find it in the wheel/tire email archive (I did not go through it all). I have gotten blowouts in two other cars and slow leaks in several so the spares have come in handy.

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

 

WOW. Thanks for the question. Sorry I mispelled leek above.

 

This is a great question. Most of my driving is within 15 miles of home and in the middle of LA so I'm not that concerned about just calling BMW roadside or AAA (I have both). But if I'm taking road trips - shouldn't I have a spare?

Should I buy 5 rims and tires? Can I use one of the old runflats as a spare?

I saw where someone said they bought a spare for $20.00 at a junk yard and they throw it in the back when they are traveling!

 

I carry an air compressor and a can of Fix-A-Flat just in case.

A celphone helps too.:smile:

The tire is called ES100's by Yokohama Tire. Here's some tire
specs that have been very popular here. These will be a tad
wider and a tad thicker, but they will give you a lot more
comfort than the stock size of 205/45/17. Both are available
at www.tirerack.com and Alex is our guy.

Yokohama ES100
215/45/17 (available in 205/45/17)

Yokohama ParadaSpecII
215/45/17 (available in 205/45/17)

 

I carry a tire plug kit and a compressor. I'm not giving up any space to a spare tire.

 

NAM member comes through again!

Instant enlightenment from the owner of the pristine IB MINI I have been admiring on NAM. 2 things intrigue (and liberate) me here. 1. Your recommendation of the ES100 or Parad SpecII Yokos in 215/45/17 to provide a lot more comfort (it is assumed they also provide better performance and appearance); 2. Your practice of carrying Fix-a-Flat, air compressor and cellphone in lieu of a spare (where would one carry a spare anyway not mention the added weight).

EXCELLENT and thank you.

 

The Yokohama ES 100's are great performance tires that have great tread wear and come in at $100 or less for each wheel.

Wheels are a whole different world. If you are looking for light and great looking wheels try OZ, Koesi and Exel. The style and price is up to you.

Hope this helps.

 

Look at the Team Dynamics Pro-Race 1. They come in Matte Black. Available from: http://outmotoring.com/team_dynamics_pro_race_1.html
I have a set on order,only in white to go with my EB/W 04 MCS.
Going with the Avon Tech M500 tires from Tire Rack.
Have FUN!!
Jim

 

no problem morkinmini, and thanks.

Ive tried several different tires and the ES100's/ParadaSpecII's have
been the biggest bang for the buck for most street use and I think
most people will be happy with them. I prefered the ParadaSpecII's
over the ES100's for less tramlining (tires don't follow the grooves
on the road as much).

I use S03/GS-D3's on my car since I drive my MCS only on
the weekends and drive pretty fast through corners which require a
higher performance tire for my type of driving... but most people
do not need this kind of performance on their daily driver.

 

I'm don't know every tire brand and type on the market is so would you at least say what the tire brand is and not just the code for it.

 

Hi, Linda-sweetie! Since I take so many LONG roadtrips, I prefer my 16-inch runflats AND I carry a full-size spare for them, as well.

I think your Sirius would look fantastic with anthracite rims! Check out TireRack for ideas! Good luck!


Clover

 

Aloha and welcome to the Tire Forum!

OK, your questions-
1. Loose the runflats. Looking for Cool black rims?
Two options- One is black or anthracite rims with a silver lip. Check out the Flik rims at edgeracing.com while another option is an all dark rim in black pearl, black or anthracite. Centerline has RPMs in 18x7" or 19x7.5" on special right now for $169 each, +42mm offset in black pearl finish.
http://www.centerlinewheels.com/wheel_deals.php
Select wheels for MINI cooper and click on Sport compact-RPM.
RPMs are lightweight and strong. The 18" rim will fit 215/35-18 tires.


For flik rims see
http://edgeracing.com/wheels/flik/
You'll want 16" or 17" rims with 4x100 bolt pattern and et (offset) from +37 to +48mm range. Light weight is a plus, so is lower cost. Many to choose from.

2. Tires to match for reasonable price and street worthy.

3. Sell the runflats and stock rims?
Yes you can sell but not for much- see NAM marketplace or advertise with your local club. Most people have stock wheels but sometimes an MC owner will want the S-lytes for looks and be willing to snap them up at the right price. Others use the stock rims for winter wheels. I use them for large heavy doorstops.

4. What options for a spare?
Some use a compact spare (generic for small front wheel vehicle- doesn't have to be a MINI) and some carry a full size 15" or 16" mini wheel in a case (wheel bag-see Jerseygirl). Or join AAA, use the MINI roadside service and a cell phone or use fix a flat.

Tire abbreviations-
S03 are Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position S-03: Expensive!
GS-D3 are Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3: Almost as expensive.
Both are excellent performance tires good in dry or wet for maximum traction with smooth and quiet ride.

Yokohama AVS ES100s are good and reasonably priced but are more performance oriented and as they get old may be a little noisy. In 17" they don't tramline as much as reported when in 16" sizes. The Parada Spec 2 tires are more for show and tend to be noisy.

For most people that drive on the street and not on the track a good cheap all season tire will work in either 16" or 17". Some examples from Edgeracing.com in 205/55-16 tire size:
http://edgeracing.com/tires/2055516/
Falken Ziex ZE-512 360 wear rating $67 each 20.5 pounds
Toyo Proxes 4 300 wear rating $78 each 20.9 pounds
Yokohama AVS ES 100 280 wear rating $81 each 22 pounds
Bridgestone Potenza S-03 220 wear rating $149 each 24 pounds
Larger number wear rating means tires last longer.

When selecting wheels always consider the tire and wheel as a combo and an extention of your suspension system. A lower series tire like 35 will be more performance oriented and offer a slightly rougher ride than a 45 or 50 series tire. A 16" rim can work well with a more comfortable 205/55-16 tire while an 17" rim works with 205/45-17 or 215/45-17 tires which perform better in cornering at speed but offer less comfort potentially.

Got more questions? talk to Alex@tirerack.com

 

I have an EB/B and have searched in vain for a five or six spoke black wheel with a polished lip. I like the look similar to an earlier Porsche 911

The Flik wasp is similar to MINI's R90 (?) looks great but is too intensive for me to clean on a weeekly basis. There is a project car of an all black MINI posted a while back that had nice 15" rims...but $$$$

...must....keep....looking....

 

My solution for carrying a spare in the MCS......an MC spare tire, a bag to put it in from The Bag Lady, store it standing up on the floor in back of the passenger seat, keep a jack and lug wrench inside the boot panels. This way you have it at all times and don't use up any space in the boot.

 

The advantage of a black, anthracite, or otherwise dark finish on your wheels is that it "Doesn't" show as much dirt and brake dust. So if you got wheels with a polished lip you'd just need to keep the lip clean which is easy.
The shiny finish on the black might get dull but it's not too bad.

Rota rims are also worth a look. Try rspeed.net, they have 16" and 17" rims in various finishes and tires too.

 

another place to get nice wheels is right here... http://exelwheels.com/

Just remember...you r first choice is your best...so if you have had something in mind and now are getting confused...just go back to the beginning...

well LOL...it werks for me...but I'm insane!

 

search for "anti-chome MINI"...

nice but $$$ wheels...these I like...

you're probably right minihune as I haven't seen any black rims up close with the dirty OEM pads. I think I am going to wait for my swaybar before I upgrade rims.

btw....I am out of tires before brakes

 

I am in the same boat (confused). On the wheels I bought my first replacement set and got Yokohamas AVS ES100 ($106.00 ea.) and I got my SSR Comp and ($350.00 ea). Then I got new tires (I drive it like I stole it ) and I got BFG G-fgorce T/A KDW for (146.99 ea). THEN I found SSR GT7s that I like better but the SSR Comp's weigt 12.8 lbs ea and the GT7s are 16.3 lbs each and Alex at Tire Rack said that the difference in the wheel weight is like having someone 60 lbs riding with you at all times. So I stayed with the SSR Comp. The point being consider the weight also on the wheels. If you are keeping the car buy the lighter wheels for a couple more $$ and save it on gas and performance.

In regards to the tires my next set will be the Yokohamas AVS ES100s again. We went on a drive over some great roads yesterday and two of the other MINIs had the AVS ES100s and they had as much gravel stuck to them when we stopped as mind did Heat em up and stuff sticks So next time I won't go the extra $$ for the difference in the tires.

Now that I'm through rambling, I hope that helps and did not just confuse you more

Oh, and as far are the spare....what spare I don't need no stinking spare I HOPE

Earl

 

sure...

GS-D3's are by GoodYear and called F1 GS-D3.
S03's are by Bridgestone and called Potenza Pole Position S03.
ES100's are by Yokohama Tire and called AVS ES100.
ParadaSpecII's are by Yokohama Tire as well.

 

Every pound below the springs is percieved as 4 lbs above the springs, hence 60lbs in the last example.

Alex