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well IMO if your going to spend some money on a whole new setup... go big or go home lol. 18s. They look incredible. You can then use the 15s during winter. I have the stock 17s on mine and frankly... they dont seem all that big
[CONTENT WARNING ON - this post will incite flames from those who prefer 17" and 18" wheels.]
Unless you are going racing or the auto show circuit, heavy 17" and 18" wheels don't work well on the MINI because they are too heavy for the suspension and waste power and braking capability. On real roads, they do not corner as fast as a 16" wheel can, because they are bouncing around instead of remaining in contact with the road.
Personally, I also think that they look downright silly on a MINI.
17" and larger wheels on a MINI will also make for a very hard ride, and the only real advantages are that a) you can fit bigger brakes for racing (why people started using over-sized wheels in the first place - to mimic real racers), and b) improve the steering precision.
I'd suggest the lightest 16x6.5" or 16x7" wheel you can afford. A 205-width tire is the widest recommended for a 7" wheel, and is just right for a MINI.
tirerack.com shows weights for all their wheels. 12 lbs. for a 16" wheel is a nice light wheel, and a 205x50x16 is a great tire size for a MINI. Lighter weight wheels will greatly improve both ride and handling over any of the OEM wheels.
I use the 16x7" SSR Type C for summer, and they are very nice indeed.
[CONTENT WARNING OFF]
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"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." - Abraham Lincoln
No problem - advice is free around here, and worth every penny.
8^)
One other comment - all of the OEM MINI wheels are all remarkable only for their being HEAVY - over 21 lbs. for the lightest of them. Removing 8-10 lbs. per corner will make your car feel like a Porsche compared to the OEM wheels.
Just to clarify: the 15" OEM Mini wheels are mostly all under 15 lbs (15" Holey wheels are 12 lbs). It's the 16-18" OEM Mini wheels that start getting really heavy, like Rick mentioned.
I run a 205/50/16 tire with a 16x7 Rota Slipstream (13.5 lbs), and am very happy with the overall combination.
I have 235/35/18 on the MCS and potholes are not my friend but looks way better in my opinion. My MC has 17" S-lites and 16" rims for the winter and takes the potholes a bit better. I don't know that you are going to have a great ride in any setup though.
I had some 205/45/17's with Parada Spec II tires on my 03 MC. I liked them waaaaaay better than the stock 16" rims with run flats. (Those particular tires are noisy as all h**l, but they stick to the road and IMO they have a better ride than those run flats.) Personally, I like the look and weight of my 17's. Not too big, not too small. And the most of the Team dynamics wheels are about 1lb. per inch of diameter. I would check with Aaron at OutMotoring.com about them. He could tell you more, but we both use the Team Dynamics Pro Race series wheels. They're phenomenal.
I had some 205/45/17's with Parada Spec II tires on my 03 MC...(Those particular tires are noisy as all h**l, but they stick to the road and IMO they have a better ride than those run flats.)
I will second that...I have the same tires on both cars 17's and 18's and they are VERY noisy. Especially the 18's. I probably wouldn't recommend them just because of that. Otherwise they are fine though. I even took them through the snow the other day before I got the blizzaks on. Not great but I made it!
Archer--2011 MB\MB MCS..CWP..polar beige leather...sunroof..CA...H/K stereo..Infinite stream wheels..IPOD...Glorious tats...black xenons.RIP Harry....
My MC has 17" S-lites and 16" rims for the winter and takes the potholes a bit better. I don't know that you are going to have a great ride in any setup though.
