When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
New (to me) car came with Motegi MR125s -- should I replace them?
A few weeks ago I purchased a new (to me) 2012 Clubman JCW. The previous owner occasionally posted on this forum. It's my first MINI and I absolutely love the car. I'm used to old BMW's, Audi's and Saabs -- this car is just so much more fun. The car came with some very tasteful aftermarket updates to what was already a very well optioned JCW. The only item I'm iffy on are the wheels. I by no means hate them, I just don't love them. Actually since purchasing the car they've grown on me, maybe I should just wait it out
The car came with 17" Motegi MR125's with 225/45 Bridgestone S04's. I love the ride and excellent grip of the wider tires as well as the reduced weight over the OEM wheels but the aesthetics aren't quite my taste. I do like the matte black finish, it's mostly just the design of the wheel itself. I wouldn't want to change the tire size/offset/setup so I'm focusing on wheels that have the same specifications as the MR125's. At the moment the matte black NM engineering RSe05's are appealing to me. I also really like the look of the OZ Superturismo LM's -- but not so much the weight -- do you think it'd be noticeable? I'm not looking to track the car but I do enjoy a spirited drive along an empty back country lane. I love the way the car handles and drives as-is. I wouldn't want to take away from that just for the sake of aesthetics. I don't know, what do you think? Am I being silly -- the wheels themselves are in fantastic shape and based off the little research I've done are quite light all things considered. All of the roads I frequent are in good nick so I'm not overly concerned about pot holes, etc. The existing rims are 17"/7.5" wide w/ 42mm offset -- is it safe to assume that if I find a replacement rim with the same specifications that I could switch over the existing tires (they only have 4k on them) and have zero issues clearing the JCW calipers? It does look like the front wheels might already have a spacer. I figure I'd have a budget of about ~1k for just the rims if I was to replace them. Are there any other wheels I should be considering if I want to achieve a more "European" look while maintaining the existing ride quality?
Thank you for the reply. That's great to know I'd be able to use 17x7 or 17x7.5. Opens up the options a bit more. I was wondering why the speedo seemed a bit "off"... There's no rubbing, even with the wheel at full tilt and I'm guessing the extra depth helps a bit with the ride.
Since I'm not experiencing any tire rub w/ the existing 225/45-17's would that mean I could use the same tires on OZ ultraleggera's 17x7 w/ 37mm offset w/o issue? I love the Ultraleggera's and they'd be my first choice hands down. I know the Motegi's are 42mm offset but they're also 17x7.5, does the difference in width cancel out the difference in offset? Not sure if that's how this all works...I should mention this is my first rodeo at aftermarket wheels of any sorts.
Compared to your 17x7.5" wheel, the 17x7" wheel will have an inner rim which is 11.4mm further away from the suspension strut. The outer rim will poke out 1.4mm less than before.
225/45-17 tires fit rims 7-8.5" wide and are a perfect fit for 7.5" wide rims. 7" are fine as well, just not taking advantage of the 225mm wide tire. You option later on in that case would be 215/45-17 tires which also give you a wide tire selection. Note that both these tire sizes are taller than OEM.
Thank you again for your help. After further research as well as your recommendation I'll likely switch to 215/45/17s after my existing tires wear out. It appears to be a better suited size for my driving needs. I'm going to wait a few weeks to see if the Motegi's grow on me before purchasing anything.
07-02-2015, 06:16 PM
