Hi all,

I recently became the proud owner of an '07 MCS.

It's fantastic but i'm running on 18" JCW wheels (215/35/18 Tyres - Not Run-Flat) and it's lowered (by how much i'm unsure!)

Thing is, i'm 28 but i'm obviously getting old because it's back breaking round driving round my area but I can appreciate that it handles fantastic.

What i'm thinking is will it make much difference to switch the wheels to 17"s runing on 205/45/17's again non run flat? Will i save myself from from visits to the chiropractor in later life or would I be throwing 800-900 quid down the drain?

Has anyone done similar?

Ryan

i'm running 215/40 R18,i find the ride fine,i've also got sports suspension..i'm 44 :smile:

my oe tyres were 205/45 R18 to keep the same rolling radius had to fit the above size..

they recommend when changing tyre size you keep within a 2.5% difference,if the oe tyre size is meant to be the same as my oe size.then the tyres that are fitted now are giving the car a -34mm diameter change which is about -5% difference

Every little bit of sidewall will give a little more cush! The tire alone can make a big difference. Summer high performance down to the all season touring. You have to give up a little to get a little. I'm 52 and have the 205/45/17 on my MCS. Drive around Houston and I prefer to detour around certain roads. Try not to hit the potholes, which to me are just another obstacle in the road course I drive everyday!

I'm running 215/40's on my 18's and find the ride good if clearly not limo like. I'm not getting old I am there already, 56. My Tyres are Hankook Ventus V12 evo which have a good reputation for ride comfort. If you do go to 17's then go for 215/45's as they give you a longer sidewall and look much better in my opinion.

I went all the way down to 15" and it has changed everyone's opinion of the car.

Bumps are now smoothed out, tramlining gone and my back no longer hurts. I do live in a pretty poorly maintained area, so the roads are atrocious and there were time I felt sick driving on bigger wheels.

The best result though is the extra mpg.... At least 6mpg, and when you do 80+ miles a day, like me, that soon adds up.

The cornering at the limit is fractionally less grippy, but not enough to take away from overall enjoyment.

My mini dealer told me he always uses 15" wheels...

Just brought some 15" imola alloys for mine to bring back some ride comfort, what tyres are you running, as im looking for a quiet comfortable ride not too fussed about on the edge performance.

Just brought some 15" imola alloys for mine to bring back some ride comfort, what tyres are you running, as im looking for a quiet comfortable ride not too fussed about on the edge performance.
In a recent test of this sort of tyre, Which? gave all of them three stars for noise, except for the Continental that got four stars, so that may be your answer.

But then I'm biased - I've never had a Conti tyre that I didn't like. I don't see the sense is spending many thousands on a car and then not spending an extra hundred to get good tyres.

The new EU tyre label may help you as well, as it includes a decibel noise rating. So you just need to get a tyre place to let you wander through their warehouse looking at all the labels.

I have a set of 17s fitted to my MCS , Run flats... I find the ride uncomfortable and am considering going to some 16-15s (genuine mini of course)

swap the run flats for standards. the ride quality will greatly improve

swap the run flats for standards. the ride quality will greatly improve

Ok I will do that.
When I get some money together as it wont be cheap , I will likely do one at a time lol