[Dan Cox]

Hi guys.

I'm having a bit of a confusing time finding the correct tire size for my Mini One.
The tires currently on the car are 175/65R 15 88H XL.
After Summer, start of november, I'm buying a new set full Set of Michelin Crosscliment Plus which will benefit both myself and my partner.
My cars manual recommends the tires that are currently on the car however underneith it ( I'll attach an image.) a tire size of 195/55R 16.
When putting my reg into an online tire shop the recomendation for the car was the second size 195/55R 16.

So my initial question is, with the current setup of my car can I go for the shop recommended tire size, which is also in the manual, instead of the tire size that are currently on the car?

 

[Dan Cox]

Ok, just an update. I went to double check my cars rim size, turns out it’s actually a 16” rim currently with 15s on them. so I will be going ahead with the second size of 195/55R 16s which is what the tire place recommended to begin with.

 

[SteveM3]

I hope you have mistyped, you can't get 175/65R15's on a 16" rim. If you have 16" rims stick to the 195/55R16's they are a sweet combination on a Mini One. I have CrossClimates on and have been through three winters and so far the weather hasn't been bad enough to fully test them. They show little sign of wear so aren't as expensive as they first looked.

 

[Dan Cox]

I hope you have mistyped, you can't get 175/65R15's on a 16" rim. If you have 16" rims stick to the 195/55R16's they are a sweet combination on a Mini One. I have CrossClimates on and have been through three winters and so far the weather hasn't been bad enough to fully test them. They show little sign of wear so aren't as expensive as they first looked.

Thanks for the reply! I wish I did mistype but when I bought the car a few months ago these are the tyres that were on the Mini. 175/65R 15 88H XL. Even the manual is saying that these are the correct tire for the wheel which is why I’m confused. There are 3 sizes in my manual next to Mini One, the 175/65R 15s (apparently the safe size) then the 195/55R 16s (the recommended size) and also the 205/45R 17s (the max size) for my Mini one. The tire website after inputting ref recommended then195/55R 16s. After measuring the rim I’m certain it’s a 16” and not 15” unless I’ve measure it completely wrong. But I don’t see it. That’s the thing, my partner is a nurse and last time we had snow she needed to get in and couldn’t. She only has a 1.2 Ford KA and it has no guts at all which is why she’s insured on my Mini now and I plan on getting the Crosscliment + just incase it does snow so she can slowly make her way to work if needs be in a better car with a better engine and tires suited for the weather. Is 3 years good for these tires?

 

[garybee]

You're measuring the wheel wrong. Wheel diameters are measured at the bead seat, you are measuring at the flange tip.

Edit: Forgot to answer the original question. Fit the same size that is already on your car, they are correct as per the handbook.

 

[Dan Cox]

You're measuring the wheel wrong. Wheel diameters are measured at the bead seat, you are measuring at the flange tip.

Edit: Forgot to answer the original question. Fit the same size that is already on your car, they are correct as per the handbook.

You are absolutely right I was measuring the wheel wrong.

So my rims are actually 15" and currently hold puny 175/65 R15 tires.
The only way to widen my tires is to plus size them instead or in this case, pluse zero size them, which saves me from spending another £400+ on new. wider rims.

So using a tire calculator, using my old tire size I was able to work out that either 195/60 R15 or 205/55 15R tires are the recommended tire size which are roughly the same diameter etc. producing the least error on the speedo. The 195 tires will create a slight over error by 0.3ish so when the speedo reads 30mph I'll actually be going 31mph and so on.

The 205 tires, which are what I'd like, would be a slight under error on the speedo so when it reads, 30mph I'll actually be going 29.6ish. so not bad at all really and I would just get this sorted properly if I like the feel of the wider tires.

Only issue I'm having now is that I can't seem to find a nice all season tire in 205/55 R15s so I may have to settle for the 195s which are available in the Michelin crossclimate plus, Continetal All Seasons contact and the Good year Gen2s.

So progress has been made on the size of the tire but the tire I want now will have to change it seems!
I'll be sure to keep the thread posted and when the tires are eventually changes after summer I'll upload the difference from the stock to the plus sized tires on the stock rims.

 

[garybee]

Your wheels are not wide enough for those tyres. Any decent tyre shop would refuse to fit them.

 

[Dan Cox]

Your wheels are not wide enough for those tyres. Any decent tyre shop would refuse to fit them.

I do believe in that case you are wrong. Which is what plus sizing is about. Here is a screen of another post about a similar issue. As you can see, this post clearly states that the tires will fit on the OEM rims which are 15”. I’ve spoken to ATS Euromaster and they also told me it’s doable. A very decent garage if you ask me with over many years of experience.

Also here’s the link to the thread. https://www.mini2.com/threads/how-wide-on-15-oem-wheels.158069/

 

[garybee]

They will physically go on the wheel and seal but they are the wrong width for the rims. Fit what you want though, it's your car.

 

[Dan Cox]

They will physically go on the wheel and seal but they are the wrong width for the rims. Fit what you want though, it's your car.

If you look up plus-sizing then you’ll see that it’s perfectly safe to do and actually increases cornering performance and stopping distance... that’s what plus sizing is putting wider tires on a wheel. I’ve spoken to multiple garages around the uk and they all fit them so are they all not decent?

 

[cristo]

1 - No, plus sizing is about using a larger diameter wheel with a shorter height sidewall so that the
overall diameter is about the same. OEM = 175/65/15 or similar, Plus 1 = 195/55/16 or similar,
Plus 2 = 205/45/17 or similar.

2 - With a 15x5.5 inch OEM wheel, you are ok with using wider tires with about the same overall
sidewall height up to a point as long as the 5.5 inch oem wheel width is within the design range for
the tire you are using.
175/65/15 is ok with wheel widths from 5" to 6"
195/60/15 is ok with wheel widths from 5.5" - 7" and will fit in the wheelwell ok
205/55/15 is ok with wheel widths form 5.5" - 7.5" and will fit in the wheelwell ok
anything wider than that will not work well with the oem 15x5.5 wheels.

 

[Dan Cox]

1 - No, plus sizing is about using a larger diameter wheel with a shorter height sidewall so that the
overall diameter is about the same. OEM = 175/65/15 or similar, Plus 1 = 195/55/16 or similar,
Plus 2 = 205/45/17 or similar.

2 - With a 15x5.5 inch OEM wheel, you are ok with using wider tires with about the same overall
sidewall height up to a point as long as the 5.5 inch oem wheel width is within the design range for
the tire you are using.
175/65/15 is ok with wheel widths from 5" to 6"
195/60/15 is ok with wheel widths from 5.5" - 7" and will fit in the wheelwell ok
205/55/15 is ok with wheel widths form 5.5" - 7.5" and will fit in the wheelwell ok
anything wider than that will not work well with the oem 15x5.5 wheels.

I was looking to plus zero size them, so I used the wrong terminology, of course plus sizing is increasing the wheel size itself plus zero sizing is keeping the same wheel size but upsizing the tire.
If thats the case, the rims on my car are 15x5.5 (according to my registration on different tire sites) so the 195s would work? This is why I made the thread because it’s confusing to me.
I’ve also learnt that it may well affect my insurance so it may be Oem tire size after all which is complete bummer to me ? hell I’d love the 205s but that seems like overkill.

Edit: I've used this website to calculate the recommended tire size if I was plus zero sizing. See the difference below on the screen shot i've atached, the offset would have to be reduced by one as well. Honestly in your guys opinion what would you recommend?
I'm torn. I'd love the wider tires for the look and the performance gain but at the same time I don't want to put myself in any danger or potentially have my insurance be void or go up.

I'm having all 4 wheels aligned by computer after the new tires are replaced as well, it's 17 years old I'd imagine it needs a tweak, but i'm seriously torn. Have any of you done plus sized or zero plus sized in the past?

And here are all the technical bits from the same size reguarding the difference when plus zero sizing this car.

 

[garybee]

I don't do internet arguments and have already offered advice on fitting wider tyres so won't be revisiting that.

You mention changing offset also though. This is not a good idea for a few reasons. One is the geometry of your steering is closely related to the wheel offset. The more you move away from it's current (correct) offset the more you will affect the self centering of your steering.

 

[cristo]

195/60/15 will work just fine on the
OEM 15x5.5 wheels. 205/55/15 is
pushing it a little but will also work fine.
Lots of people run these sizes and
you also have the tire
manufacturers’ blessing on the pairing.

The offset can stay the same.
If you’re thinking of changing the
offset, that means either new
wheels or spacers.
If you’re thinking of new wheels
and wider tires, you ARE better
off going to 16x6.5, 16x7, or 17x7
wheels, and offset somewhere
between stock (about 48 mm) and
about 42mm, although some
people run 38 mm (pokes out a bit
more than I’d like).

 

[Dan Cox]

I don't do internet arguments and have already offered advice on fitting wider tyres so won't be revisiting that.

You mention changing offset also though. This is not a good idea for a few reasons. One is the geometry of your steering is closely related to the wheel offset. The more you move away from it's current (correct) offset the more you will affect the self centering of your steering.

I'm not arguing with anyone, I'm simply trying to get to the bottom of this tire situation, and as for advice I wouldn't have said you offered advice rather than shut me down with no advice rather than explaining your actual opinion on the matter rather than just telling me "It won't work" when clearly it can be done safely and effectivly. Plus with the garage situation i'm confused at why a garage would not do it especially when garages have already told me they do.

As for the offset I'm going to double check that because I may have accidently scrolled on the mouse when looking through the details.

 

[garybee]

Good luck and best wishes with your efforts.

 

[Dan Cox]

195/60/15 will work just fine on the
OEM 15x5.5 wheels. 205/55/15 is
pushing it a little but will also work fine.
Lots of people run these sizes and
you also have the tire manufacturers’
blessing on the pairing.

That's great news then, I don't think I will go with the 205s as these cause an under error on the speedo rather than a slight over error which seems better and it's only a 0.6 over error either way.

I do appreciate the advice, I have been looking online and the 195s look better than the 175s but not over the top like the 205s so I'll see what my insurance provider says on the tire matter and go from there. I'll keep the thread updated on what i decide to do with images and such.

 

[Dan Cox]

Update: Ok so today i spoke with my insurance provider, I'm with Esure, and these wider tires DO NOT class as a modification so will not cost me anymore on my premium with is fab news!

However, I MUST, and anyone else who plus-size thier tires, declare these tires to them when I install them on my car so they can update my details on my policy.

One step closer to wider, sick looking tires. Hey... I may even go for the 205s instead then.