Tires & Rims

I had let my factory Dunlop SP Sport 3000A DSST tires run bald before replacing. Something it seems many Mini Cooper owners have done. However, I was a bit surprised to discover the "cupping" that had occured on the inside of the front tires. I also did not rotate these tires, per MINI instruction. At 21021 miles, I changed out the stock 195/55HR16 runflats with Yokohama AVS ES 100 205/45WR16 non-runflats from The Tire Rack. Not only did these have better grip than the Dunlops, but an extremely better ride. These tires I do rotate and have worn very well. Runflats are an interesting technology, but the harsh ride & stiff sidewalls make for quite a trade off.

Eventually deciding to go with a larger and lighter wheel, I bought these BBS RC 17x7 rims mounted and balanced with Yokohama AVS ES 100 205/40WR17 from The Tire Rack.

BBS RC 17x7 vs. factory R83 16x6.5

I actually really like the 5-spoke R83 rims, but as I said, I wanted to try something larger and lighter in weight.

Mr. UPS brought me my rim and tire combo as well as my Zimmerman rotors and Mintex brake pads the same day. Of course I had to put the new wheels on immediately! I put the brakes in the following day...

And there's the whole deal with the hub caps on and Zimmerman rotors installed. Not only is she lighter weight with this setup, but she looks lighter too! First impression was a more responsive feel in the handling from the lower profile sidewalls of this tire size. While the tread width is the same as the Yokohamas I was running on the factory rims, these BBS rims are a half inch wider and this doubtlessly contributes to a more firm footprint. Additionally, the BBS RC rims have a +42mm offset (R83 is +50mm) thus effectively widening the Mini's stance, further contributing to lateral stability.