Brakes Wheels 1st Gen Tires Most liked posts in thread: Looking for advice on tire sizes for R50

Going with a lighter wheel will pay dividends to you. A set of 15" oem holey's would work well & are very light. IIRC they are between 12-13 pounds. I'd go with either a 195-55-15 or a 205-50-15.

 

Might be very close....
The OEM rims are 5.5 inches wide....
I would go to tirerack...look up the tire make a model....
There will be a chart that lists EVERY SIZE OF THAT TIRE....
Then go across the column....they will list an ideal rim width, min and max...folks can go a bit more or less (see poke and stretch) but staying within the manufactures limits will keep you safe.
Weight limits are often the issues on some mini tires....mini's are small, but pretty heavy...so check the tires load limit....
The speed rating will give you an idea of how stiff the sidewalls are (not 100% true, but generally a decent guide)...going to a lower speed rating can make a mini feel kinds "floaty" so IMO stick with the stock non s ans s speed ratings , h and v (I think) or faster.

 

One tip....
If the car is lowered...they might rub...stock should be OK unless you carry 4 big guys and bags...

 

Dealers often get tires that are used....sometimes returned if a person decided they did not like them after a "30 day test drive" where you can swap them out if you find you don't like them...
Some folks just need "black and round that hold air" others want a bit more....

 

I have a set of 215/50/16" tires on 16" R84 v-spokes. I don't like the tires and prefer the 205/50/16 size, instead. Many people here like the wider tires, but not me. I track my S, go to MOTD, and do twistys in addition to daily driving. IMO, the 205 for me is just a better tire that tends not to get caught up in hydroplaning, too.

BTW, the R84 is the lightest OEM 16" wheel, or at least it was thru 2006...after that, I do not know.

 

Getting the right tire for the performance/wear you want is actually more important than the size. Those sizes are vey close to the same size. The 50 will be a bit smaller diameter so will have more wheel gap with very little width increase.

 

1 vote for, 205-50-15. The holeys are nice wheels.

 

Agreed.

 

Yes they will bolt right up with no problems. Nice looking wheel if you ask me.

 

Could someone share a link to the above-mentioned "five star spoolers"? Total new guy here and I have no idea what they look like.

Duh. Found it.

http://www.bigblogg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/5-star-spooler.jpg

 

I recently purchased a set of 4 R93 OEM 5 spoke wheels for $145 + $94.87 shipping. That's a set of MINI rims for a total of $239.87!!!!!! Complete with centre caps. These rims weigh about 15lbs. The rims have no major damage, just a couple of minor scrapes (probably done by a careless tire fitter). This style of rim was original equipment on my M1N1 (see my garage), so I have 2 sets of 15 inch rims. One set with Blizzaks for winter, the other with Michelin Pilot Sports for the rest of the year.

 

15' rims are NEARLY free...
Heck...got a set of gen2 15's WITH TPMS and TIRES (nealy new)of a 13 a couple years ago....put MY choice of tires on them (use them for winter use)..sold the TPMS sensors (not used on a gen1) and the used 175; tires.....think I MADE $$ or just about broke even...

Posted this site earlier...good rim info for MINI's//not 100% current..but good info!!
OEM Wheels and Tires - Mini Wiki

 

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread here, but I'm curious about something I haven't seen mentioned. How does the section width affect the tire characteristics?

I bought my car with 185/R15s on it. My old 2000 Mercury Cougar is dead, but just before it died I had put some brand new tires on it: 205/R15s. And hell, the cougar has a 4x100 bolt, so barring any offset problem, it looks like I could put the Cougar alloy wheels on the MINI!

 

Bumping because I'm still looking for an answer for my last post. I'm sure my wife would love to get the dead Cougar out of the driveway. But I would love to pull these tires if they're of any use to me.

 

You don't mention the aspect ratio of the different sets, makes it hard to compare.

 

Nathan: Great question! How do I determine this?