I'm a newb with a wife who has a new ( 2004 9800 mi) MCS. Thumbs up for the wife not the MCS. Just jerkin' yer chain. Two days of ownership, wife lets me drive, and I'm hooked!!

We've been Jeep fans for quite awhile. Great group of people and all kinds of mods. Never did I imagine the Wrangler could be matched for mods and upgrades 'til I got into TWO days of MINI stuff. I haven't finished the Rubicon mods and now I'm putting $$ to the MINI. Does it ever end?

I've got silver S-Lites with Pirelli Euphorias on the car. I'm putting the Pirelli's on a set of white S-Lites. Wifes car is electric blue with white top and mirrors. Things gotta be color matched.

Finally , my question is. The silver S-Lites. I want to put an all-season or winter type tire on them. Is the 17" R-85 a good foundation for this type(winter) of driving. What tire should I be looking for/at and should I use steel wheels instead of the alloy?

Regards and thanks for the help.

 

Welcome to the MINI world. We tend to be a friendly bunch.

There are some very good run-flat winter tires available from Tire Rack. They tested pretty well. Since you already have the 17" wheels just use them.

If you want to go for steel wheels then I would recommend either 6.5"x16" or 5.5"x15" if they will fit over your brakes, if you do not have a big brake kit installed. The 185/65-15 is an excellant winter tire size. Similar diameter as the 17" wheel/tire combo so no speedo corrections needed.

It sort of depends upon how many potholes you get in your area. If you get numerous potholes during the winter season then the 17" wheels are fairly pothole unfriendly. The 16" wheels add .5" more sidewall. The 15" add 1" more sidewall and that much more cushion to adsorb potholes and protect the rims. Many many 17" rims have been damaged by potholes.

I run 16" summer tires and 15" winter tires. The narrower winter tire gives great traction in snow and on ice. Whatever you do chose a tire that is no wider than your summer tire and preferably one that is narrower.

This is a well discussed topic in here and on other MINI sites. If you search under "snow tires" you should find lots of good information. Also try in www.mini2.com and www.nemini.org .

 

First - welcome to NAM .

The decision on wheels is personal preference, really. I had S-Lites w/ runflats and I've banished them to the attic. For winter, I fitted my MINI with 15" Holies and Nokian RSI (rain, snow, ice) winter tires. Now, it hasn't snowed here, so I really can't say how well these tires do in the snow. We've been having late spring weather here in New England for the past two months - go figure.

Anyhow, Nokian WR's are all season tires that also have the severre service 'snowflake' rating for winter. You may consider these if you don't want to have a dedicated winter tire, but want something that will superior to an all season M+S rated tire.

If you go with non-run flats, carry a tire inflator kit, a plug kit and a AAA card.

 

I'll second the 185/65R15 winter tires. I've got a set of Pirelli Winter Carving tires, mounted on a set of Sport Edition F2 wheels. Got those from tirerack.com. The Mini is a blast to drive in the winter! We've had nothing but snowy/icy roads the past month or so and the Mini handles it like a champ. I love the improved ride quality w/ the 15" tires too.

Check out my gallery, I should have pics of the winter setup in there.

I went with the 15" because they cost quite a bit less, are narrower than the 17" tires, provide more cushion for rough winter roads, and there's a bigger selection of tires to choose from. Winters here can be kinda rough, so maximum traction was my biggest concern.

 

Have to say the Dunlop M3's are fantastic, mine are 195/55/16 on older Rage turbine style wheels. Quiet, great in rain and in the dry, and OK in snow (better than all-seasons). Also had great experiences with Semperit Sport Grip (EXCELLENT tires, possibly the best for me), Michelin Arctic Alpins, Michelin Pilot Alpins, and one less expensive Dunlop that I can't recall (had a directional tread). Michelin X-Ices are good, get a little noisy but not obnoxious. Winterfire and the other budget snows... not so much - noisy and squirmy. I'm not a Blizzak fan - great on ice, wear fast, pillowy soft IMHO.

Do you get a lot of snow (typically - this winter's not "typical")? If so, snows. If not, perhaps all-seasons will get you by. They're noticably less tractive in snow but wear longer.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I should have known better to post before searching. Anyway, exactly the info I was looking for.

Winters in Louisville aren't too severe. However, we do seem to get our fair share of potholes. It looks like the 185/65R15's are just what I need.