Tyres

[The Dogfather]

They do say the rubber compound is softer so better suited to colder temps. We get a lot of snow here as we are at nearly 900ft and the gritting can't be hit and miss. Wished I'd had them when we lived in Turriff, got quite a few days of snow there.

[Craig]

snow is not really my issue, it's more the cold and wet conditions. With the avg temp in the winter months lower than 7 degrees, the winter tyres do seem to make sense..

[bry_mini]

sure i seen somwhere thinner tyres are better in snow and wet so i'd go with the 205s.

i have federals. . . . . will be replaced with winter tyres!!
(although i noticed a big improvement from my 215/35/18 to 205/45/17s)

rainsports and continental sport contact 3s have been recomended to me

[Big Gordy]

continental sport contact 3s have been recomended to me

I've found the contact 3's to be very poor on smaller cars We had them on the MG ZR and they were terrible I've got them on the TDi A4 and there great

[Sheilz]

I've found the contact 3's to be very poor on smaller cars We had them on the MG ZR and they were terrible I've got them on the TDi A4 and there great

Ive got these on Dougall and also had them on specy. Pricey but a huge improvement in road handling compared to the Pirelli's and Dunlop's I'd always used before. Dont know if the contact 3's are the usual for clubman's.
In my quest for improvement in handling I've also considered changing to non-runflats though keep thinking that's tempting fate. The Vredestein's are very popular in Europe as a quality winter tyre though not cheap at about £122. Can you put non-runflats on pace alloys?

[Big Gordy]

Ive got these on Dougall and also had them on specy. Pricey but a huge improvement in road handling compared to the Pirelli's and Dunlop's I'd always used before. Dont know if the contact 3's are the usual for clubman's

Mmmmmm...strange that as there not runflats (or can you get them runflat..!!) Is it only the bigger alloys that come with runflats as standard..?? I know the steelies I got were standard tyres.

Can you put non-runflats on pace alloys?

Yes
Runflats are just like normal tyres but have much stiffer sidewalls so when you have a puncture the harder sidewalls hold the tyre up

[Burple]

so anybody used 215 rather than 205 on their MINI?

If I was going to spend about £100 per tyre, would I be better going for "good" normal tyres or winter tyres? Bear in mind that these wheels will only get used from Oct to Mar.

Yip.. that's what I got on just now. bearing in mind that it's on the One with Sports suspension.. any harsh (big) bumps on the road (or airborne moments.. ) the rear wheels rub on the bottom of the plastic trim on the back of the arch. The same generally applies to having 3 people in the car (especially if the other two are 'larger' than me )
My next set (of whatever they might be) will be back to 205s without a doubt. The 215s are just one profile 'too big' to fit under the arches under more extreme road conditions sometimes...

Handling-wise, I have absolutely no complaints, as displayed on the last borders run.. keeping up with the big boys except on the straight bits

[Craig]

Yip.. that's what I got on just now. bearing in mind that it's on the One with Sports suspension.. any harsh (big) bumps on the road (or airborne moments.. ) the rear wheels rub on the bottom of the plastic trim on the back of the arch. The same generally applies to having 3 people in the car (especially if the other two are 'larger' than me )
My next set (of whatever they might be) will be back to 205s without a doubt. The 215s are just one profile 'too big' to fit under the arches under more extreme road conditions sometimes...

Handling-wise, I have absolutely no complaints, as displayed on the last borders run.. keeping up with the big boys except on the straight bits

thanks wee man thats what I wanted to know.

looks like I need to pay more for the 205's then.

[Sheilz]

[QUOTE=Big Gordy;222636]Mmmmmm...strange that as there not runflats (or can you get them runflat..!!) Is it only the bigger alloys that come with runflats as standard..?? I know the steelies I got were standard tyres.


Thought I must have made a mistake but I think we're talking about the same tyres - Conti sport contact 3SSR - I think they're the same just done as a runflat.

[Big Gordy]

Thought I must have made a mistake but I think we're talking about the same tyres - Conti sport contact 3SSR - I think they're the same just done as a runflat.

Think your right Sheilz
I've just dug out my invoice for them and they're Continental SP Contact 3's. Think I'll try something different next time tho as I'm only getting about 16k out of the fronts on the Audi which doesn't seem like a lot Unless its because of the muckle big diesel engine sitting between them