Tires (Summer/Winter/All-Season)

There was a fairly limited number of alloy and likewise steel wheels available given some supply chain issues. The alloys I looked at were from DAI and Replika. They ranged from 21 to 23 lbs. The steels were 19.4 lbs.
The steel wheels were $79 each. I also chose to not install any TPMS. I have a tyre pressure gauge and in my experience, flat tyres are really rare. The alert that comes up about TPMS is a little annoyance but is easily cancelled and ignored. I just have to watch and be a little diligent about checking pressures with changing air temperatures.



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My apologies, I was thinking of the Blizzaks, not the XICE.

Link for the review that has the efficiency data, along with loads of other tests. Highly recommend this blog for tire reviews.

https://alltyretests.com/continental-vikingcontact-7-test-review/


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Wow, both of those numbers are lower than I've seen before. May I ask brand/size/where you bought them?

 

This week, I grabbed a set of lightly used Loop Spoke 494 16-inch rims (18.1 lbs.) for a great price. I'll have to add TPMS. My MINI is on the Bess and I should take delivery with two weeks. Now I'm struggling with the choice of tires. In southern Connecticut, snow packed roads occur but dry roads are more common throughout the winter. Looking for a fairly efficient tire, do I favor the Michelin CrossClimate 2 (205/55R16) or the Continental VikingContact 7 (195/55R16)? I've checked on the availability of some others, such as Nokian, but availability is limited. My MINI dealer lists the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P (not the latest 870 P) for the SE. It's likely that I'll have to drive on these "winter" shoes for about 5 months during the year.

 

Dang! I couldn’t find that eu label for the Vikings anywhere! Well done!


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Swapped out Hankook's Ventus Prime 3 summer (195/55-16) for Vredestein's Hitrac AS (205/55-16 91V). Pacific Northwest winter conditions and so far satisfied with ride comfort and overall wet/dry performance.

Interior noise is difficult to judge, maybe slightly more on dry surfaces, less noise on wet with a significant reduction in rear wheel well water noise on wet surfaces.

Ride comfort has improved, even with a slight bump in front and rear tire pressure over the Hankooks. (Currently 38 front / 35 rear cold). Max tire rating is 44 PSI on the 91V. Steering feel continues to feel sporty, response is immediate but slightly less sensitive to micro adjustments over the Hankooks, which I prefer for relaxed cruising.

Performance is outstanding in cold wet conditions, and the reason I went with Vredestein over the Pure Contact LS, Avid Ascend GT and CrossClimate2. Cornering is fantastic dry and wet, hydroplaning feels impossible in all wet conditions, leading comfortably into rolling resistance.....

Efficiency in the wet has taken a noticable hit. Where a backroad trip with Hankooks (wet) would return 4.0 -4.2 mi/kWh, the Vredesteins now return 3.5-3.7 mi-kWh. Both above scenarios with the heat on, set to 70F in Sport mode, outside temperatures between 35F-45F. Dry efficiency remains questionable with current weather, but hinting towards 3.7-3.8 mi/kWh with mixed driving, including highway segments at 65 MPH, temp set to 70F with outside temperatures between 35-45F, two people in the car with many hills. There was a slight speedometer error with the Hankooks, erroring 2-3 MPH fast over actual, leading to an optimistic efficiency figure. The Vredesteins have corrected this error slightly, now off by approximately 1 MPH on average. The Vredesteins are still new, efficiency may improve with further break-in, but we'll see.

Snow / Slush - absolutely no replacement for winter tires, but will confirm it outperformed all AS tires I have personally experienced in Minnesota before moving west.

 

I just picked up my new ‘22 SE on December 20 — it came with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tires (205/45R17) — and I replaced them later that same day with Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus tires in the same (OEM) size.

Like many of you, I found trying to make a decision about which tires I wanted to go with for the winter months in place of the OEM summer tires more of a guessing game than ideal due to the dearth of eco ratings available here in the U.S. compared to the more detailed info European buyers enjoy.

(I searched to no avail for the Euro tire label for the Contis I ended up going with, but if any of you have a lead on it, I’d love to see it!)

I put a dedicated set of winter tires on my previous FWD car for three winters here in Pittsburgh, and while I know the compound gives better grip in the cold than an all-season’s under all conditions, it never snowed enough for me to justify getting winter tires again over a good all-season tire (at least as long as my winter driving remains as limited as it is). So while I was open to a set of winter tires for my MINI — especially if I happened upon one with a high eco rating, great test results, and ready availability — I was more interested in getting one of the best high-performance all-season tires with good (for an all-season) snow/slush/ice performance.

So for me, after looking at and reading reviews for all kinds of different tires, it came down to the Michelin Sport All Season 4 and the Continentals I decided on. And lacking the Euro tire labels with eco ratings for these two specific models, I looked at all the test results I could find and read scores of customer reviews for them. And a recurring trend appeared in the customer reviews for each of them in reference to fuel economy: When Michelin Sport All Season 4 buyers remarked about fuel economy, they tended to say their MPGs went down, while the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus buyers who commented on fuel economy said their MPGs went up.

Purely anecdotal info based on ICE vehicle histories, not EVs, I know, but it’s the best info I could dig up.

I only put 29 miles on the OEM summer tires before replacing them with the all seasons, so I can’t make any comparisons between them (especially since those scant 29 miles were my very first with the car, while everything was still unfamiliar). But I think the Contis drive and ride great — they stick like glue, and they seem quiet to me. And I can report, FWIW, that on the only extended drive I’ve taken so far, mostly in Green mode, on hilly back roads at an average of 30F degrees, and at speeds ranging from 25 to 65 mph (probably averaging 45-50), I drove 59 miles before my battery level percentage dropped from 100% to 50%, which would suggest a range of 118 miles under those conditions. And that seems pretty good to me.

So I’m very happy with them so far. But time — and some actual snow on the road! — will tell.

 

I had some 215/45/17 Blizzaks put on today. I wanted to stick to the original tire size, but these were the closest I could source locally. A little wider than stock, but it should be fine.

I also ordered some NMEng wheels to mount my summer tires on, but who knows when those will get here. Everything is such a mess right now.

 

Do you have spacers on? There is very little clearance (~1/8") between the shock and tire with the stock 205/45R17. Theoretically a 215 tire would be rubbing without spacers but some 215s are slightly less wide than the spec.

 

I don't have spacers, but I'll check tomorrow and see if anything is rubbing. I flipped a U-ie today without any trouble, but it couldn't hurt to check it out and make sure.

 

Also in Pittsburgh and wondering how your experience with the all-seasons is faring? I'm definitely considering replacing them. Did you replace them on your own or have them done at a shop? If at a shop, curious if you have any recommendations. Thanks!

 

Tire availability is definitely an issue here in southern New England. Because of our increasingly mild winters and my reluctance to drive on snow tires during late fall and early spring, I opted for Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S Plus 2 on lightly used Loop Spokes. The tires may not be best on ice but they get decent rolling resistance scores and are fairly quiet. Alas, I had to get them delivered to my local shop. A week later, I’m still waiting. My SE should be delivered early next week. I’ll offer a report on their performance but I won’t be able to compare them with the OEM summer tires for some months . . .

 

Here I am last year, months before my SE arrived, showing my "new" lightly used Loop Spoke (purchased for winter use) to my Dad when we couldn't meet face-to-face at the retirement home due to the pandemic. Someone from the staff came out to take a photo of my unusual visit.

 

Wintry weather is finally arriving in the Kansas City area, so I engaged Winter Mode using the @Puppethead Snow Shoe Special™ - Spectre Grey Electric Revolite wheels with Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 tires.

I only have 6 miles on them so far on dry, cold pavement but they certainly look/feel/sound like serious snow tires.

 

Great photo, @MichaelC!

 

Sorry for the delayed response- fitment is fine, no issues so far. I was a little concerned with the handling/torque steer being affected since the contact patch was moved outboard significantly with that much smaller offset. I haven't notice a big difference but to be fair I didn't put too many miles on the summer tires before I swapped them out.

 

Hi Tim! I honestly don’t have any more to say just yet about the Continental all-seasons I had put on last week because I haven’t been driving my car much — I decided, in addition to having my detailer put a ceramic coating on it next week, that I’m going to have him put a clear protective film put on the front end, too, so I’m minimizing my miles to try to avoid any chips happening up front prior to the film going on — plus I haven’t driven on anything but dry roads so far, so I couldn’t tell you how they are in the rain, etc.

I ordered my new tires from and had them installed by the Discount Tire store on McKnight Rd. in the North Hills. (The good: They invited me to drive my car in and out of their garage myself after I expressed concern about wanting to avoid any potential stains on my brand-new, not-yet-treated, light-colored cloth seats, and as far as I could tell they didn’t put any scratches on my brand-new wheels or car. The not great: They didn’t bother wiping off of the wheels and tires any of the excess grease they used to fit the tires on the wheels, and after I got home I noticed that they only put three of the four cheap plastic valve caps back on. So a mixed bag, but no complaints on the important stuff.) What I was most pleased about was that they were able to get the Continentals I had decided on as my first choice as quickly as they did, since most places had them listed as backordered. I’ve been getting all my tires at Costco for 10+ years, and they’re still my first choice, but their selection for the SE was extremely limited (no winter tires at all and I think just one all-season that was my second choice, but it was backordered indefinitely) and they didn’t offer my first-choice Conti at all.

 

For anyone curious, this is what black victory spoke wheels look like on the electric collection mini.



No snow yet here in PA, so I don't know how the Conti VikingContacts will handle that. Noise and handling are fine enough. I did trip the traction control under hard acceleration though. Oops.

 

Wait. Don't you activate the traction control every time you accelerate? I must be too exuberant.