The Tyre Recommendation Thread

[Hyper Active]

If you have bought a set of tyres for your MINI that you liked, and you would like to recommend that tyre to other Mini2 members, then post up here and tell us all about it .

It doesn't matter if it's a runflat tyre or a regular tyre , only that you liked them .

Just say what brand and model of tyre it is, and what size you bought it in. Then write a small description of what you liked about it .

Hopefully this thread will see a pattern emerge, of tyres that work well on a MINI .

If this thread proves to be popular, then i shall start listing an index of all the tyres recommended, in this first post.

[cristo]

First had Bridgestone SS-03 Pole Positions in 205/50/16 on 16x7 SSR GT1 rims.
Great tires in the wet and in the dry, great crisp turn in response, but heavy (24#) and a bit
harsh over rough roads. Stiff sidewalls. They're not runflats, but I would call them semi-runflats.
They're no longer available.

When they ran out I got Dunlop Sport Maxx in the same size. Lighter (21#), not as crisp in turn-in
response, but not mushy either. Sidewall not as stiff as the S-03. More comfortable.
The tread doesn't get as hard in colder weather (30's and 40's) as the Bridgstone's did,
making them better in early spring and late fall. I have winter tires for winter as both of these
tires are completely useless in any snow, and not good in plain old cold weather.
Dry and wet performance is very good, but not quite as good as the S-03. I actually like them
better overall than the Bridgestone because of the weight and comfort with close to the same
performance.

Also have Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 winter tires on the oem 15" holies in 195/60/15.
They're fine in the snow, mediocre on dry roads, but not quite as mushy as the
similarly sized Bridgestone WS50 Blizzaks on my wife's VW Cabrio.

[PmP]

Yokohama A539 in 205/45/r17. On my S spokes.

Popular choice amongst hot hatch track day drivers.

Give amazing grip in the dry, and arent too shabby in the wet. Cool looking cross cut tread too and they last ages. Not sure if they are still made tho.

[Hugo]

Got Pirelli P7000s in 215x35x18, which I'm very impressed by compared to the 17" runflats. Good value for money.

[NeuroBeaker]

I previously had Pirelli P3000E* in sizes 175/65-R15 84H on the car during the warranty and TLC. I found these to be high wear, poor ride quality, low grip, prone to aquaplaning, and expensive to replace. All-in-all, I wasn't happy - but forced to persevere with them by the dealerships threatening to nullify my warranty and TLC if I changed.

Now I have Kumho ECSTA SPT (KU31) in sizes 205/55-R15 88V. I find the ride to be of better quality over rough surfaces, grip is phenomenal in comparison to the Pirellis, and standing water is very effectively cleared by the tread pattern - you'd have to drive into a lake to aquaplane with these tyres. Better still, even for all these performance gains, they're cheaper than the Pirellis.

Only downside with the Kumhos is that there are quite a lot of wheel weights fitted to inside the alloys now (well hidden though)... not sure if this is down to the tyre or down to the place that did the fitting? And, as I've only done 1,000 miles in them, I'm afraid I cannot personally comment on wear yet - but online surveys consistently ranked it well above the stock Pirellis.

So, in conclusion, I'd highly recommend the Kumhos (after "mad brummie" recommended them to me).

All the best,
Andrew.

PS:
Do all those nodding and shaking smilies make you feel a little nauseous too?

[emwmarine]

I also rate the Kmho ecstas. Had 205 40 17s fitted a couple of weeks ago and they are very good in dry and wet, and a lot smoother ride.

Watching the tyre fitter trying to remove the runflats was quite funny.

[Hyper Active]

I've got Avon ZZ3 tyres on, in the 205/45-17 size. I've done about a 7000 miles on them so far, and i'm really pleased with them. Grippy in both wet and dry, give a quite and comfortable ride, and gentle break away characteristics when the limit is approached. As there a summer tyre, they've not been quite so grippy in the very cold weather we've had recently, but there still way better than a runflat would have been. I just find them to be a perfect road tyre for my MINI Cooper S.

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by NeuroBeaker (original)

And, as I've only done 1,000 miles in them, I'm afraid I cannot personally comment on wear yet - but online surveys consistently ranked it well above the stock Pirellis.

I've now done just over 10,000 miles on the Kumho ECSTA SPT (KU31) in size 205/55-R15 88V with my 15-inch 7-hole alloy wheels. I've recently swapped front and rear tyres to keep wear even with the tread holding up very well - I anticipate needing 4 new tyres after approximately 20,000-25,000 miles of enthusiastic motoring. Grip (even on frosty surfaces), aquaplaning resistance (even with deep standing water), and ride quality is still exceptional and I'd say these tyres are excellent value for money.

I would definately buy these tyres again.

All the best,
Andrew.

[minispaceman]

Woo, a thread I can make a decent contribution to! Woo!

Dunlop Wintersport Had them in 175 - 60 16" on the winter rims... Ditched them after a season and a half, steering / grip was lousy in the colder conditions. After much research I went for
Dunlop Wintersport 3D in the same size - just drove to Czech Republic and back, they were excellent.

You might ask why I chose Dunlop again, believe me, I was reluctant, but tirerack gave these new boots an excellent review, whilst the old wintersports had a terrible review (the non-3D ones) there. This gave me some confidence, teh clincher was that I found a website which had teh rubber on offer (Reifen online @ ReifenDirekt.ch: Winterreifen, Sommerreifen, Pkw-Reifen und Reifenhandel if you're interested) and I couldn't say no.

Plus, only Dunlop made exactly the same size - didn't want to risk changing. I also had an optical alignment thingamajig done for the car, and a few of the measurements were way off.

So, in conclusion I recommend a proper geometry alignment, and I would recommend Dunlop Wintersport 3D for winter driving

Ben

[minimowle]

I have Pirreli P ZERO NEROs on my mini and they are brilliant, very good dry grip and great in the wet. straight line braking is good and the ABS doesn't kick in until the very end. The wear seems to be pretty average so far.

By the way did anyone read the tyre test in autocar recently? Budget tyres vs premium tyre. Results shocking

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by minimowle (original)

By the way did anyone read the tyre test in autocar recently? Budget tyres vs premium tyre. Results shocking

Sorry, missed it. Shocking results as in... the vast difference between the two groups, or that the budget tyres actually held their own (or maybe even beat the odd premium tyre)?

[dalboyne]

Quote: Originally Posted by minispaceman (original)

So, in conclusion I recommend a proper geometry alignment, and I would recommend Dunlop Wintersport 3D for winter driving

Ben

Good stuff, Ben!

For winter tyres, I can also now commend the Goodyear Ultragrip 7+ tyres - they have been on my car for a few months now, and I am impressed. However, don't go out looking for these tyres in 15"size right now - Goodyear stock in this size is apparently exhausted until they start production again for next winter!

[minimowle]

The budget tyres where hopeless compared with the £75 conti. For example in a 50mph-0mph wet braking test the conti had stopped whilst, one budget brand was still doing 28.7mph!!!!!!!

[Rogerg990]

Was running Pirelli Eufori 204/45/17 (Run Flat) and they were extremley poor in the wet and in the dry.

Recently changed over to the Dunlop Sport 01 205/45/17 (Run Flat) and so far I am realy happy with them. Good grip in the wet and realy good in the dry.

[Elliex]

camskill << go on that website, really cheap tyres!