Tires (Summer/Winter/All-Season)

Great question! I did some rummaging through the regulation and the supporting standards it cites.

Informal document GRRF-69-23 summarizes the amended testing method for UNECE Regulation No 117 and the math used to normalize results. It looks like the measurement method is to mount the tire on a trailer and measure the peak braking force coefficient at 65km/h on a wet surface (water film depth of 0.5-1.5mm).

I also wanted to learn the range of values used to define the bounds of each class. Per Annex I of REGULATION (EC) No 1222/2009 here are the tables for the efficiency and wet grip classes of passenger car (class C1) tyres:

 

I'm looking at the 16" Radius W123 wheel with a set of those CrossClimates. Is that a good brand? I'm having trouble finding much information, though tirerack sells a lot of their wheels.

 

I'd generally trust Tire Rack to only sell decent quality wheels. They aren't likely to fall apart on you but at 20lbs they definitely aren't the lightest 16" wheels available either. The stock MINI 16" wheels weigh about 16-17lbs

 

Still too warm to drive on them but here's a test fit:

There's a little bit less than 1/4" clearance between the strut and tire which I think is pretty much the same as the stock 17" tires. I'm planning on running 10mm spacers just for a bit more clearance for snow and ice (pics are with no spacers)

 

They look good! I'm going to order the Cross Climate 2 in about a week.

 

Finally got my spacers and lug bolts sorted (I hate lug bolts...) and got a couple of drives in. The handling and steering response is so much better! I didn't realize how much sidewalk flex the stock tires had.

My range however has taken quite a large hit. I haven't done any in depth testing but my efficiency on my drive home (slightly downhill) dropped from around 5.4mi/kWh to 4.6mi/kWh. With the wider and more grippy rubber it wasn't unexpected but still a big change. Hopefully it'll get a little better as the tires wear in but definitely worth the trade-off for the improved handling!

 

Does anyone have thoughts on running my summer OEM Hankooks during the South Carolina winters? The average LOW temp in January is 33F, but normal driving temp during the day would be in the 40s up to 52F. The rare winter weather here is usually iced up roads which prevent any driving for a day or two, so I don't actually need winter traction here.

 

Mine certainly seemed OK at 32F yesterday, but they're terrible in snow. One advantage of having a separate set of tires for winter is stretching the life of your Hankooks. Has anyone found a source for the 205/45R17 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 tires on this continent? Does MINI sell them?

 

The generally agreed upon cutoff (by tire manufacturers) is 40F, the further below that you get, the worse your traction will be.

From what I've seen and experienced, around 30F and dry is ok but once you get colder than 40F and wet your stopping distance increases massively.

Here's a tire test with some actual data using a summer tire and winter tire to compare to all seasons at various temperatures:
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

The relevant bit:
The biggest change in the order was the summer tyre, which moved from being one of the worst on test at 4c (39F) to the best at 15c (59F), showing just how much temperature affects grip!

 

So I do need to consider poor performance in wet weather under 40F or so. Plus what Insightman mentioned about extending the life of the summer tires. Perhaps I'll research some all weathers.

 

My dealer offers stock tires. In fact oddly they were cheaper than tirerack for putting new rims and winter wheels on as well. Hoping to pick my car up soon. Says it's charging and doors are wide open.

 

My dealer now tells me that the winter wheels that were ordered for my car are no longer available, and offered another rim:

I have no idea what they are called, but will accept them... It was snowing here in Stockholm this morning, and more snow and colder weather is expected tomorrow

 

Fredrik,
Those are the Radial Spoke 508 wheels at 8.70kg (19.2 lbs.). If I'm not mistaken, they are 5.5x16 rims. Did you order the Loop Spoke 494? They are 6.5x16 and and little lighter at 8.20kg (18.1 lbs.). Also, I'm curious if you ordered a wheel/tire package as the Radial Spoke 508 is paired with Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D ROF here in the U.S. I had been looking at the Loop Spoke with Pirelli W210 Snowcontrol 3 ROF as a quick solution for my ordered SE since it will likely arrive during mid-winter (in New England). The Pirelli run-flat would not be my preference for a winter tire but an attempt to order wheels and tires separately through the dealer will likely result in great frustration. My SE will be delivered (someday) with the Victory Spoke 495 wheels and summer tires.

 

My SE 2022 also arrived with the black Victory Spoke 495 wheels and Hancook summer tires on it. I'm leasing the car with winter tires included in the price, but they never told me what rims and tires I would get.

 

I mentioned this before, but now that my car is actually here I'm going to ask again. It came with the Hankook Ventus Prime 3 summer tires.

While my car was being built, I bought a set of takeoff wheels and tires from a non-SE Mini. The wheels are Revolites and the tires are Hankook Optimo H426B A/S run flats. These are a high performance A/S Grand Touring tire. My research shows that they are NOT a good wet traction tire...terrible reviews and tests in the wet. Not a good thing for my WINTER tire set. Does anyone here have experience with these tires?

As I live in the Pacific Northwest, we have pretty wet winters, but not a lot of snow. Usually we get a couple of episodes of light snow that hangs around for a couple of days, but we have an AWD RAV4 Hybrid to handle that. So snow is not a top priority for me. Temps from late fall through winter are generally in the 40s with quite a bit of the 30s and occasional dips into the 20s.

So option 1 is to give the Optimo a try, but I'm not a fan of sending my wife off to work with tires that are probably poor in our wet weather.

Option 2 is to get new tires put on these rims before I get them put onto the car. I am considering a set of Blizzak WS90s as they are great winter tires for snow (not really needed for me) but also well rated for wet (braking, traction and cornering). And they run about $130 for my size (195/55R16).

Can anyone else suggest a good low temp A/S or Winter tire with great wet traction in the coldish temps? Thanks.

Rob

 

Slightly non-standard size 205 55 R16, but the CrossClimate 2 seems to have excellent reviews all around. I am about to order a set right now for use with the 16 X 6.5 Victory Spoke.

Engineering Explained
TireRack
Tyre Reviews - wet biased test

 

Rob,
If you look back through this thread you'll find a number of suggestions. However, the issue tends to be finding a good A/S or winter tire that is compatible with the 195/55R16 stock size. An important consideration is the efficiency of the tire in order to maintain range, especially during colder weather. So far, there are few choices. The Michelin A/S CrossClimate has been mentioned as has the Michelin X-ICE SNOW.