Needed tires on my '02 MINI (52,000 miles). Discovered 175/65/15 tires are difficult to come by in the hinterlands (Idaho panhandle) and currently the original Conti's are on back order for a few weeks. So, in order to increase my choices and improve my chances of finding a replacement in the event the worse happens, the local tire store suggested I switch to 195/60/15 (He said they are very close to being the same size as the 175/65/15 Conti's and should be readily available most places. But he suggested I check with the dealer before purchasing the tires). So, I called the out-of-state dealer I bought my MINI from, and the service section said the 175/65/15 tires were really too small and I would be more satisfied with the 195/65/15's and that they would fit fine.

Any comments or recommendations?

 

I went with 195/55-15 tires on the stock wheels, and so far I really like them. The 195/55's are only 2% shorter than the stock tires, so the speedometer error will be vary small. The 195/60-15 tires that your tire place recommeded are 1% taller than stock.

I like to run a slightly smaller diameter than stock as it improves the effective gearing for a little better acceleration, and a 195/55 tire will be lighter than a 195/60 tire, which will also help with acceleration. The 195/55-15 Toyo tires I mounted on the stock wheels are only 1/2 pound heavier than the skinnier stock Contis.

A 205/55-15 tire will be even closer to the stock tire diameter, but will be a little harder to mount on the stock 5.5" wheel, and you'll have a lot of sidewall bulge.

-Keith