18in wheels

[hulksmash]

I been looking at wheels for a long time now. I been torn between 17 & 18's. I really like the breytons for mini but they only come in 18's. I'm thinking of going with 205/40 18 vs 215/35 18. The 205/40 i'm hoping will give me a better ride and protection??!! Sorry if this has been asked before. But does anyone run this size? How's the ride? I drive a lot in the tri state area..mix of city(potholes) and highway. Mostly highway. I have the standard 16 runflats with the sport suspension. Will i lose anything in handling? I assuming the ride is going to be a bit harsh but i don't mind that. I guess my biggest concern is breaking a rim or losing that go kart handling. And will i have any issues with rubbing if i get the 205/40? Thanks

[pilotman]

I don't know specifically, but can give you some general opinions based upon my experience.

I personally would not consider 18s on a Mini unless your local roads are very good, i.e. no potholes. Going with a 35 or 40 aspect ratio tire on an 18" rim greatly increases your chances of having "bubbles" and/or bent rims, they are not very forgiving over potholes.

Additionally, generally speaking larger rims are heavier. I will stereotype here a little, most people interested in large rims are more worried about looks than performance (not that there is anything wrong with that, looks are important).

But the fact remains that larger wheels can often be heavier, and actually worse for performance. In my opinion the sweet spot or largest wheel I would use on a Mini is a 17" with a 45 aspect ratio, for a daily driver. If you have very smooth roads you might want to consider 18s, but keep an eye on the weight if performance matters to you.

[Benibiker]

I like my John Cooper Works 18s with Pirelli Zero runflats. The ride is better than my previous 07 Mini with the standard 17s with Bridgestone runflats.

[Oxybluecoop]

Love my R109's but they run pretty heavy(55lb) with the 225/40/18 tires.
Having big wheels with low pro rubber combined with a big drop has it's consequences if your not careful.

[Porthos]

If you are going 18" make sure that you get some spacers and run wider tires. 205 and 215s are a waste on 18s you should run 225 or 235. Also watch out with aftermarket rims the lighter they are the easier it is to bend them. You should be ok with 18s but much larger and you start running into that risk.

[jfchamp]

I am running JCW R105 18" wheels with the OEM Bridgestone 205/40 18 and have absolutely no issue or complain about it. Roads around here are far from perfect so I just try to keep me eyes open and thus far had no badluck.

Unless i decide to install JCW big brakes i dont intend to use spacers neither, 5mm would be slighltly sexier but i wont do it just for that.

Porthos: using 225 or 235 with spacers seems a little hardcore dont you think? If the car is lowered I think it's guraranteed you'll rub or even damage the fender no??

Just sharing my experience

[hulksmash]

thanks for the feed back!!!

[M3This]

I have 18s on my with coilovers and really low offsets with no issues ... also Im running a 215/35/18 on a 8" wide wheel as you have a better tire selection.

also its not true the lighter wheels bend easier ... only cast light weight wheels. Forged light weight wheels are strong (Think Volk Racing) even thou weight has been reduced, however you pay for it.

[kopov]

I've had the JCW R105s with 205/40/18 Yokos S-Drives for 20K miles now and until yesterday had no problems with bad freeways, potholes, etc... Yesterday on the freeway hit something, the rim got bent and the tire bubbled. I was lucky I didn't crack the rim and since it's not loosing air I ended up just replacing the tire and all balanced out fine.
With these 18"s be careful all the time. I want to go with larger tire size to gain some sidewall but not sure if there will be enough clearance.