Tires (Summer/Winter/All-Season)

Yes, I have read the thread at least twice since ordering my car. It pretty much focuses on issues related to Summer tires, Runflat tires and Winter Snow tires. Not a lot of talk about good A/S tires for our cars.

I think that's what I was trying to say. Looking for a suggestion for good non-snow A/S tires that are good in wet and cold winter vs. snow.

What seems to be available right now in a "Best" rated A/S are:

Pirelli CINTURATO P7 ALL SEASON PLUS II @ $134 ea
YOKOHAMA YK740 GTX @ $142 ea
CONTINENTAL PURE CONTACT LS @ $133 ea

The Continentals seem to be well reviews for GT A/S tires, including wet and light snow.

Rob

 

I have the Continental Pure Contact LS tires on my Revolites. Unfortunately, I've never really been able to tell the difference between tires--probably because I don't push them at all in my everyday driving. I could have gotten by where I live with the Ventus Prime3 summer tires that came on my SE, but I wasn't confident they'd do well on wet winter days and decided to replace them with all season tires. I went with the Pure Contact LS tires because they come in 195/55R16 and I was looking for a softer ride in my SE.

As I mentioned above, I can't tell how much handling has suffered compared to the summer tires. I thought they might have softened the ride a little, but I think my issue with ride has more to do with the stock dampers. I don't have enough data yet to say how the tires impact my range--range is down a bit, but that could be due to cooler weather and an additional driver using the car since I replaced the tires.

So in summary, I have the Continentals, but I don't know if they're good! Lots of help, right?

 

Yeah. Thanks a lot.

Joking...thanks for tossing that up for me. I guess that does mean they aren't HORRIBLE, right? You've not felt like they are a safety issue, hydroplaning or feeling lost in the wet? That's what people say about those Optimo H426Bs on my take-offs.

Rob

 

They feel good to me and I felt more confident with them than I would have with the original tires when I had to drive during our recent category 5 “atmospheric river.” No problem when I hit pooled water. So no complaints or regrets, but can’t actually say they perform better or worse than other tires.

 

I think I'm going to pick up a set of the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 for my first South Carolina winter with the SE. They are well rated for wet stopping distance, which would be my primary concern here rather than ice or snow performance. I have never stored 'extra' tires before. Any pointers for storing my summer tires? Bag them up? Put them in a rack side by side rather than stacked?

 

Based on my experience, I think you will be very pleased with this choice. I used those tires last winter (but stayed home when it snowed), and they are indeed quite good in the cold & wet. They will reduce your range/efficiency at highway speeds, though, due to their higher rolling resistance.

I am not an expert on storing just tires (I rotate between seasonal wheel + tire sets), but my recommendation is to stack them in your garage or basement (if you have that kind of space) to keep them out of the elements and in relatively warmer temperatures. Bagging them up will help reduce the likelihood that they'll dry out, but that's really more of a long-term storage concern.

 

I searched for your specific posts since I remembered you had tested these for fit and range. I am wondering if I will need to add spacers - didn't you say the fit was fairly tight on your roulettes?

 

Yes, very tight fit with stock wheels. My first attempt to install them felt like the inner sidewall was *just* resting against the front strut. There may actually be 1-2mm of clearance, but that's too close for me to be comfortable with. I wanted the wheels to look less tucked in the fender anyway, so I easily talked myself into adding spacers. 5mm spacers should be more than adequate if you just want to ensure a safe clearance.

 

I used the PS4 A/S on a Tesla. They were great tires overall, very sure-footed and sticky, but they did increase the road noise levels over the Primacy tires. Curious to hear how they work out in the SE.

 

FYI, 5mm spacers do not work with the stock wheels. The hub does not contact the bore on the wheels due to the very large chamfer on the bore so it will no longer be hubcentric and may end up with some vibration.

I had to jump up to a 10mm with a hub extension from ECS specifically shaped for the stock wheels (which also requires longer lug bolts). 12mm+ generic spacers will also work and are cheaper but this is what I ordered (2 per car). Expensive but I'm not willing to test my luck with cheap components with something as important as holding the wheels on.

 

Thank you! I'm ignorant on this particular car topic.

 

Ah, good to know! That makes sense considering how thin those spacers are.

I used the 12.5mm spacer + bolts kit from ECS, because their 10mm kit was out of stock at the time. I need something ASAP and didn't want to gamble with supply chain unknowns (especially with ECS).

 

Thanks for the great info on the spacers and tires. I ordered two of the 10mm spacer sets from ECS and will check with my tire shop to see if they can order the Michelins. If not I'll get them shipped in from Tirerack.

 

Hello forum,

With my MINI going into production yesterday, I need to start thinking about wheels and tires for when it arrives, which most certainly seems like it will be during the winter. I don't feel comfortable riding on the summer tire/wheel package that is standard on my model (SE electric collection) in Pennsylvania winters. I have been doing some research and reading in this forum and elsewhere about winter tires and wheels. I have also been looking into wheels for those winter tires, as I don't want to damage the powerspokes by swapping tires twice a year, and I would rather opt for smaller 16s for winter driving comfort.

As I did more research, I realized I don't know s#!? about these topics...or at least I don't feel confident in my understanding of it. I am quite unsatisfied with the wheel options Tire Rack has for the MINI, although it looks likely that I will buy the winter tires from there.

What I would REALLY like is a set of steelies to mount my winter tires on. I like the look, and the cost of running on steelies. It seems like the winter tire steelie package that MINI offers on its store would not fit the SE, because they are 15s, and the brakes won't fit in them. At least that's what I've been gathering from reading. Tire rack does not offer any steelies that fit the SE it seems.

In other searching, I THINK I've found two steelie options...but I wanted some confirmation or verification they would fit the vehicle.

Option 1 - https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00MNTDCE2/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_AR0F4FA3C5BF5ZJ3HE1S

Option 2 - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/16-steel-wheels-set-of-four/1k0698027/

Do these have the right offset? Bolt Pattern? What size tires for these?

As an alternative, I have been looking at one package that mini offers...I kinda like the wheels...but it would be my fallback if no steelies are available. It is more expensive. Those are here - https://www.shopminiusa.com/PRODUCT/2030/MINI-16%E2%80%9D-STYLE-508-BLACK-RADIAL-SPOKE-WINTER-COMPLETE-WHEEL-AND-TIRE-SET

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Your Electric Collection Power Spoke rims won't have the Energetic Yellow stripe around the circumference that my Iconic SE's rims have. I'm paranoid about curbing that yellow stripe, so I bring my Power Spokes out of the basement only for Drive Electric Week events.

I have two sets of MINI's nice-looking Loop Spoke rims that I bought used on eBay--one set has winter tires and the other has the Hankook summer tires. I appreciate the comfort provided by the taller sidewalls of the 16" tires when driving around my potholed city. Also, if I break a Loop Spoke rim, I can always pick up another one on eBay. Not so with a Power Spoke rim. For some reason, my wife thinks I've gone overboard by having 3 sets of wheels for one car.

 

That's what I love about forums like this one--the diverse community is a great resource for filling in any knowledge gaps we have as individuals.

The stock 16" wheels are 16"x6.5", with a 5x112mm bolt pattern, 66.6mm center bore, and +54mm offset.

Both of those options meet all the correct requirements that I can see: Same diameter & width, correct bolt pattern, and an offset value that is equal to or less than 54mm (and not by a crazy amount).

I don't see a center bore spec, so that's the only unknown. You'll want the center bore to ideally be the same as the stock wheel, or else it must be larger and have a centering ring to make it match (not sure that is ever done for steel wheels, though). When I use the "Does this fit my vehicle?" feature on the ECS site, it claims they fit...but I still don't know if they fit because the center bore is the same or larger than stock.

The other parameter that gives me pause is the weight of steel wheels. Amazon shows the Pacer wheel to be 31.5lbs, which is 9lbs heavier per wheel than the stock 17" options. That is a significant increase in unsprung weight, so may have a very negative impact on your winter range. ECS doesn't show a weight for the wheels they sell, so that's an unknown...but I wouldn't expect them to be much different than the Pacers.

If you go with one of those options, the stock 195/55R16 tire size will work.

This option should be guaranteed to fit. Note, however, that these wheels are 5.5" wide (which aligns with the "narrower for winter is better" rule) so they use an "unusual" size tire: 175/60R16. If there are other winter tires you think you would like to move to once these are worn, double-check that they are available in this size and let that inform your level of commitment.

 

This is super helpful. Thanks for this, Michael! Range is only a minor concern, but the unsprung weight will have other impacts on the car with a big disparity there. Good to know.

 

I just installed the Blizzaks on mine this morning. It seems to have robbed me 50 Km of range. I recalculated. the %used/Km.

 

My car entered production today! I think our vehicles might be on the same schedule! I have a vin number now!
I need to figure out winter tires too for being in Colorado! Thanks for asking questions I will be following the thread.


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