Time to replace the stock tires on my wife's Mini.
As everyone knows, the selection in 195/55 R16 is sad.

205/55 and 205/50 have much better options.

The Mini stays home in snow storms but I want reasonably good performance on snow and ice.
I care about performance though my wife doesn't really.
We both care about safety.
I'm not interested in dedicated winter tires (my other cars are an SUV with All-Weather tires and a Miata ND3 with winter wires in the winter).
We don't care about saving $50 bucks per tire.

I'm leaning toward Continental Extreme Contact dws06 plus 205 50r16.
I figure 205/55's could rub somewhere as the diameter is 1/2" longer than stock.
I could consider one of the better Grand Touring All Season tires if there's a good reason to do so.

First question:
Can I be completetly confident that either size will work without any problems on my stock Mini?

Next question:
Recommendations?

 

If OEM is 195/55-16, then I wouldn’t hesitate to change up to a 205/55-16 if the tire selections are better.

 

Probably right but...

After further investigation and a phone call to 2 Mini dealers giving me opposite info, I decided the safe thing to do was to stick with the stock 195/55/R16 size.
The leading contender is the Vredestein Quatrac as it seems to be one of the better (?best) all weather tires in this size.
Bridgestone Weatherpeak are a consideration but the cost about 50% more than the Quatracs and don't seem to have higher ratings.

This is wife's car. It won't be driven hard (except occasionally by me) so I don't need UHP. Safety is very important. Wet, dry, ice & snow handling are all relevant. Treadwear/cost is not much of a concern and this car only goes about 5K miles annually. Comfort and noise are somewhat important.

Some questions:

1) I shouldn't even consier the Pirelli Cinturato P1 Run Flats (OEM for the mini) right? I can live with the small risk of getting stuck with a flat. From what I read run flats have too many other negatives.
2) Any other strong contenders that I should consider? Severe snow rated isn't an absolute necessity but it's a great idea in Western MA even though this car will not be venturing out in a storm.