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Hi!

 

Dear friends,I am new to your community.I want to change the wheels on my Mcs r53 and go to 17x8 et25 with 215/40 tire

 

Untill now i havent found any decent advice/opinio on whether i will have any problems with this setting or need any extra mods!Plase Help!!!!!Thank you very much

 

17x8 ET25 is aggressive for your Mini, and will likely take fender lip trimming. I'd still be concerned about rubbing on the fender arch. It's the offset and width of the wheel that is responsible for these complications. 8" are possible, but wide for the Mini. Search for the 8" wide wheel thread here, it's pretty extensively covered.

 

Here is the thread

 

If you are keeping stock suspension then you may be able to use that wheel and tire size. Key are the OEM suspension gives you more height clearance and the tire size is smaller than OEM for more clearance. A wider wheel puts the outer tire tread shoulder closer to the wheel arch plastic but as mentioned if it rubs you can just increase negative camber by using adjustable lower control arms or use a dremmel tool to trim the plastic a little where needed.

Compared to OEM 17x7 et48 rims and stock tires, your proposed 17x8 et25 and 215/40-17 tire would be 10.3mm further away from the inner suspension and poke out 35.7mm more.

There aren't many tires in 215/40-17-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...40&diameter=17
So be sure to check out those tires before deciding. Also that size is firm riding so be careful using it on roads with potholes.

If you don't mind tire stretch you can also consider 205/45-17.

 

Thank you very much for your reply..My target is not to have any trimming or any extra mods,so if you woulde so kind could you propose me an optimum setting for this kind of wide wheel?Even if it means bigger offset,or other tire setting or an inch smaller diameter..

 

If you are dead-set 18" wheels, why not go with JCW 18x7" ET 52 wheels ?
If you can't find JCW wheels, get a set that is as close to that size and profile as possible.

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OK, so stock suspension fitment.

I assume you have already picked out a wheel that is 17x8" et25.

What is your primary goal? You like the look of that exact 17x8 wheel or are you specifically trying to go wider than OEM? Does that wheel come in 17x7", if so then what offset?

What are you planning to use your MINI for? Street use only? Any performance driving? What is your budget? How are your roads- full of potholes?

How do you feel about the look of stretched tires? Interested or not interested?

Do you need tires that are only for warm weather or will you be driving in colder weather less than 40 degrees?

All of these questions will help to narrow down what options may work with respect to tires, tire sizes, and wheel fitment options.

There are many many options available to you. Let start with the exact wheels you are considering.

 

Ok let's see..I like those particular wheels as my options here in Greece where I live are extremely limited,but the primary goal is to go wider than OEM..The wheels dont come in a smaller width.. (japan racing JR15).

 

My mini is for street use mainly,my budget is around 900 Euros for wheels and tires together and to be honest the streets are in a very bad shape in most areas but where i live and mostly drive they are pretty smooth..Not really interested in stretched tires and the weather is really accordingly to the season,mostly very hot of course (Athens!).

 

OK, thanks for the reply.

When you say wider than OEM are you looking for an aggressive appearance with wide wheels and wide tires?

How far sticking out do you want? Flush with the wheel arch rim edge or more out than that? Are there laws in your area that permit tires that stick out beyond the fender arch?

What is the lowest temperature that you get where you drive? If not below 40 degrees F, then you have a choice of Summer or All Season tires. If you want the most grip in performance and handling then Summer tires are a good choice but will wear faster. If you want a blend of good handling with longer treadlife and more comfort then All Season tires are good.

If you want the best tire out there for warm climates and you can get Michelin tires in your area then look at Michelin Pilot Super Sport Max Summer tires and not the sizes that they come in.

For a 17" wheel, 215/45-17
For a 18" wheel, 215/40-18 or 205/40-18 will work

If you want 17x8 et 25 with OEM suspension and if you want the Pilot Super Sport then 215/45-17 should work. 300 treadwear. I did not mention 205/45-17 which will fit the 17x8" but it is not a perfect fit and some tire shops will refuse to mount it on a wider rim. 204/45-17 is supposed to fit 6.5-7.5" wide rims.

If you cannot get Michelin tires then try for Continentals.

For Max Summer tire
Continental ExtremeContact DW 215/45-17 , 340 treadwear
For Ultra High Performance All Season tire
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 215/45-17, 540 treadwear

 

But if you still want to go with 215/40-17 tire that will work but has a lower profile sidewall and slightly firmer ride.

as mentioned the tire selection is limited-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...40&diameter=17

Of these, in Ultra High Performance Summer tires these are more comfortable-
Yokohama S.Drive, 300 treadwear
Sumitomo HTR ZII, 360 treadwear

In Grand Touring All Season tires, this would give the most ride comfort of the listed tires-
General Altimax HP, 440 treadwear

 

First of all your interest in my matter and the responses are remarkable and thank you very much for this..
So..Yes I am looking for a more aggressive look with wider wheels and tires,but there are indeed restrictions by the law as the wheels must not stick out from the wheel arch edge more than 0.5 cm(i think 0.20 inches)..So the ultimate solution for me would be a seting that comes even withe arch edge..
As for the temperature it almost never drops lower than 1 degree celcius so approx. 35 fahrenheit in the worst case, and even when that happens it lasts only for a few days..
And also a main problem here is that you cant find rims in different dimensions and try them on to see what fits best,you have to go absolutelly by calculating centimeters..

 

OK,

So you answered your own question- in Post #7 of this thread:"
"Compared to OEM 17x7 et48 rims and stock tires, your proposed 17x8 et25 and 215/40-17 tire would be 10.3mm further away from the inner suspension and poke out 35.7mm more."

That's 30mm more than your 5mm limit but the OEM wheel is a bit under the wheel arch.

I think you can get away with about 15mm poking out and it would be close to flush, close enough to use it on the street. That still leaves 15mm more poke than you really want.

So for those wheels at 17x8 you'd need an offset of about 38-40mm for best fit.

Open this link to see the comparison of OEM 17x7 et48 vs 17x8 et40:
http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php...et2=40#content

The other option left to you is to get an aggressive look by using:
Wheel bolts that are longer to accommodate wheel spacers
Add front and rear wheel spacers to push the stock wheels outward as if they were wider wheels. This does not make the tire wider.
Use a tire that has slightly taller than OEM diameter like 215/45-17

In an earlier post you also mentioned considering wheels that are 16"

So in that diameter you can consider 16x8 et38-42 and tire size 225/50-16.
Which looks like this:
http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php...et2=42#content
The advantage is using a tire with 50 series sidewall which is taller and less firm riding over bad roads. Alternatively you can use 205/55-16 which gives you a large selection of tires to choose from. However like the 205/45-17, the 205mm wide tire is narrow for an 8" wide rim.

 

Thank you very much again for your help!

I will consider all that is been said and make my decision! And when the car is ready I will post a photo with result!