Kansas City MINI Enthusiasts

In the market for new tires. They need to be affordable, all-season as well as some performance characteristics. I have current Dunlop Signature SP's but am told Hankook Ventus V2's are good as well. Any recommendations? If I can keep costs low that would be fantastic.

Zackattack28 wrote:In the market for new tires. They need to be affordable, all-season as well as some performance characteristics. I have current Dunlop Signature SP's but am told Hankook Ventus V2's are good as well. Any recommendations? If I can keep costs low that would be fantastic.

I think you are referring to the Ventus V12's. That is a summer tire. You might try Hankook Ventus V4 ES H105 - 215/45ZR17XL 91W BW - All Season Tire.

I've been happy with my Conti DWS so far, the last two sets of Kumho all seasons I ran only lasted about 20K each, these are supposed to go 50K.

However, they're no track tire, that's for sure! Great street tire tho, smooth, quiet and grip like mad, even in the wet. We didn't have enough snow last winter to really put them to the test, but what we did have they handled just fine.

I'm a fan of the Goodyear Eagle GTs for all season. If I lived where there was more snow, I might reconsider, since they aren't the best on snow, but acceptable for my needs.

I can say with absolute certainty that everyone should avoid the Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grids. They cup like mad at about 15-20k. Even the guys at the Firestone/Bridgestone shop admit how crappy a tire it is. Learn from my fail -- avoid these.

IowaM1N1 wrote:I'm a fan of the Goodyear Eagle GTs for all season

I have these. Good tire with fantastic grip in the dry and ok grip in the wet. Any hard acceleration in the wet from a standstill will make the tires spin. However, Goodyear is replacing them with the Eagle Sport All-Season so the Eagle GT will be phased out in the coming months.

Michelin has their newer tire the Pilot Sport A/S 3. People are raving about how exceptional the handling is in the wet/snow/dry. <--- Probably my next tire

I have Kumho Ecsta 4X. Like Dave said I will be lucky to get 20k miles, but then again i haven't had any tire last longer than that. They do have amazing grip in all conditions though and they are cheap. I think $94 per tire on tire rack. I just bought my second set actually.

Did a review on Tire Rack, and some other consumer sites. I selected reviews of these tires by consumers who owned Mini's. All these came out good but I am still unable to decide. I also was specific on reviews with drivers who had the most mileage on them.

215/45R17 XL 91W

Kumho Ecsta AST High Performance All-Season
General G-Max AS-03 Ultra High Performance All-Season
Dunlop SP Sport Signature (W- or Y-Speed Rated) Ultra High Performance All-Season
Hankook Ventus V4 ES H105 Ultra High Performance All-Season
BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (W-Speed Rated) Ultra High Performance All-Season
Continental ExtremeContact DWS Ultra High Performance All-Season
Goodyear Eagle GT (W-Speed Rated) Ultra High Performance All-Season
Bridgestone Potenza RE970A S Pole Position
Cooper Zeon RS3-A (A reviewer said they looked like balloon's on the car though. Thoughts?)

I'm aware of the dislike for Bridgestones. Out of all of these what would you all recommend? I omitted price. They are within my range.

Zackattack28 wrote:
I'm aware of the dislike for Bridgestones. Out of all of these what would you all recommend? I omitted price. They are within my range.

I dont dislike Bridgestones. In fact, I am a fan, generally. Just put a set of RE760s on my MINI. However, the G019 Grids are awful and should be avoided, no matter how inexpensive they might be.

I stand by my previous support of the Eagle GTs. I like them a lot, but they arent perfect.

Check out COOPER TIRES at treadepot.com. I have them on two cars and like them. Will be buying a set for the BMW.
Buy fromm Adam Kaplan at Fry's Nall Hills Service 95th & Nall

My MINI had Continentals when I bought it but I really like the Bridgestone 960AS Pole Position All-Season tires. I tried the Goodyear GT's and got uneven wear and a lot of road noise with shortened life. Went back to the Bridgestones. But remember that I am JustaCooper and I do periodic track time!

Zackattack28 wrote:BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S (W-Speed Rated) Ultra High Performance All-Season

I'm not sure the difference, but I've run BFG g-force T/A KDWS on one of my previous vehicles and had very good luck with them. Good grip in the dry and still got around decent when it got a little nasty out.

My $0.02

Hi guys, i'm new to the group. Very excited to join the ranks of proud Mini owners!

I own a small business that sells aftermarket parts. I can get the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110 205/45R-17 for $400 shipped. I know Tire Rack has them for less per tire, but they charge for shipping, so the total is more. I can get others, just ask me for a quote!

Justin
913-957-7369
http://www.PdMotorsports.com

PdMotorsports wrote:Hi guys, i'm new to the group. Very excited to join the ranks of proud Mini owners!

I own a small business that sells aftermarket parts. I can get the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110 205/45R-17 for $400 shipped. I know Tire Rack has them for less per tire, but they charge for shipping, so the total is more. I can get others, just ask me for a quote!

Justin
913-957-7369
http://www.PdMotorsports.com

I don't run 205/45/R17 though. I run 215/45/R17. The wider contact patch is better for stability and aesthetically looks better on my car and wheels.

Gotcha. The Ventus V12's in a 215 are a little more, $110/tire. I can also get 215/45/17 in the Hankook Ventus V2 for $372 shipped. It's labeled as a "High performance, all-season tire". If you're looking for something different let me know. I'd be happy to get a quote on any other brand you're interested in.

Justin

After going through the reviews and performance ratings on Tire Rack for the new tires, I have decided that the ideal overall tire, in reliability and quality, with a good warranty as well is...

Continental ExtremeContact DWS

So, I will most likely be purchasing these soon. All the recommendations you all had were for excellent tires, but I don't autocross as much as I used to, I still want some good performance, and these tires seem to fit the bill.

That's what I run on both my MINI and my Audi, and I'm very happy with them.

I'm not sure they'll make a very good autocross tire tho, especially when new with full tread.

Minidave wrote:That's what I run on both my MINI and my Audi, and I'm very happy with them.

I'm not sure they'll make a very good autocross tire tho, especially when new with full tread.

Not planning to autocross any time soon. As a freelance architectural designer without a full-time job, it would not be in my best interest and those of the car to subject it to autocross right now. Spirited driving in the country is one thing, maybe an occasional autocross once in a while but until I can afford a dedicated set of wheels and tires for autocross and the money needed to maintain the car during an autocross season, I will stick to regular roads.