2023 SE Tires in USA

Yes, summer performance tires are what come on all MINI Cooper SEs in the US. They will not be run-flat tires--the SE is the only MINI that does not come with run-flat tires. Thankfully, MINI carefully chose Goodyear, Hankook, or Pirelli summer performance tires that offer low rolling resistance to extend the SE's range. You can have fun wearing out your summer performance tires (it won't take long) and then settle for more mundane, long-lived and probably range-reducing all-season tires.

 

Not a single SE delivered to North America has had anything other than summer performance tires, based on everyone on this forum (as [used to be? seems tire info has disappeared] reflected in the delivery spreadsheet). In fact I believe it's been mostly Hankook with some Goodyear or Pirelli summer tires.

 

I'm pushing 36,000 miles and still have 5mm tread depth on my Goodyear summer tires. Granted, two winters on winter tires, so let's say I've put about 18,000 on my summers so far. I was advised to check depth monthly this summer, but that summer tires can be run practically all the way down to minimum depth (1.6mm?) before becoming unsafe, so I'll probably look at replacing them when they get below 3mm.

 

I would just get a decent winter tire package if it includes the TPMS and installation. You can eventually swap out for a Michelin CrossClimate 2 all seasons if you really don't want to change tires. For those who have 6 months of winter, a dedicated winter set might be better.

 

I bought some used 16" MINI Loop Spoke wheels on eBay for winter use. I bought some Michelin X-Ice winter tires from Discount Tire and they programmed a set of their universal TPMS sensors to work with my MINI Cooper. I don't believe those tires are available in the 195/55R16 size anymore. I liked how the taller side-wall tires handled the potholes in my town so much that I eBayed a second set of used Loop Spoke wheels with Hankook summer performance tires for my SE to wear the rest of the year.

My original Power Spoke wheels now come out only for Drive Electric Day events. The local curbs lust mightily for the Power Spokes' Energetic Yellow stripes around their circumference. When those wheels are on my SE I sometimes feel a tug on my steering wheel as those evil curbs exert secret powers to nudge my SE close enough for them to get a taste of that yellow paint.

 

Mine was delivered with 195/55/16 Hankook Ventus Prime 3 summer tires. They appear to be mostly a UK or European "tyre." Looks like some have said rolling resistance is not great on these and others say it's above average. There could be some range to be gained here at the cost of dry performance.

 

I went with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 winter tires which MINI doesn't offer, and I got them at Discount Tire. For wheels I ordered Spectre Grey Revolite wheels (not cheap!) through the dealer and the dealer mounted the Nokians on the wheels for me, adding the TPMS. The Nokians far exceeded my expectations and are superior to any winter tire I've used.

In general I think the winter tire deals through MINI are pretty decent, although for my first go-around of winter wheels for my ICE MINI Clubman S I bought the cheapest compatible wheels I could find on Tire Rack. Still using those wheels almost ten years later on my third Clubman. But for the SE I wanted the most efficient wheels I could get, which is why I spent the extra money to get the best EV wheel/tire choice.

 

Wheels ≠ tires

 

10 years on the wheels, I've put about four sets of snow tires on them.

The tires were about $700 for the set of four, and $1900 for the four Spectre Grey Revolites plus TPMS and mounting. So $2600 total for my winter wheel set.

For comparison, my cheap winter set for my Clubman S came out to around $1000 for four totally outfitted wheels.

 

10 year on the wheels, they didn’t say tires.

I am debating getting a set of winter wheels through MINI or just trashing the summer tires that came with the car and throwing on some all-seasons in the Fall. I don’t need high performance tires the way I drive. The winter set with 16” loop spokes is around $1400 including the TPMS which seems to be a pretty good price. If I lived somewhere further north I would be more likely to get the winters.

 

Will range be a consideration?

 

Not really. I would prefer to have 100 miles on a full tank, but if I only get 90 it wouldn’t drive me to deal with the hassle and expense of two wheel sets

 

Each to their own of course, but to me personally, all-seasons mean you are compromised in every season - despite the fact all-seasons are improving all the time.

I'll be getting a set of winter wheels/tires, as we have for our other car.

Keep in mind, I moved to the U.S. from a country where there is no such thing as winter tires, so I want the best tire for winter driving!

 

The other problem is where I live the temperature will often swing from 20F to 60F and back again in a 48 hour period. If I expected to do a lot of snow driving, I would be much more in favor of winter tires. If the temperature dropped under 40 and stayed there, I would be happier in winter tires. If I lived in CA or FL I would keep the summers on year round. But this is truly all season country and I am happy that they have been getting better and better.

 

There's a newer category sometimes called "all weather" that's in between an all-season and a true winter tire. Sounds like you might be a good candidate for that type of tire. See the Nokian WR G4, Michelin CrossClimate, and similar.

They have the mountain and snowflake symbol on the side which means they're ok for full winter use, but are designed that they are ok to leave on year round, at the expense of being not as great as a full winter in deep snow.

I'll probably run something along those lines as my winter setup as we only get a few snows per year, and run dedicated summers the other 8 months.

 

The decision for winter tires depends a lot on the kind of winter actually experienced. For me, it's long stretches of subzero (Fahrenheit) weather with extremely frozen ground and hard snow & ice pack on the roads plus major snowfalls, so much of the winter is spent driving on seriously compromised driving surfaces. If, on the other hand, "winter" means an occasional snowfall but the roads clear off in a day or two or temperatures mostly stay above 0 ºF then I'd think all-season tires would be acceptable.

 

I just consider that to be a marketing gimmick for better all seasons. All-seasons have a pretty bad reputation as noted above. So when you make a better all season that you can actually use as a winter rated tire then you feel the need to change the name.

But admittedly with the CrossClimates and such, I wouldn't have to worry as much about wearing down the tires on those random 60 degree February days compared to say an X-Ice or Blizzack.