I just bought a standard Mini (non S) with R100 5-spoke Spooler wheels. Pretty vanilla. I really like the looks of the 17" R98 web spokes and found someone selling a set. My question is what effect on performance will this have on my vehicle? I have read other threads on this subject and was surpised to hear that many feel 15" wheels perform better. I am not racing or anything but at the same time performance does mean something and I obviously don't want to lose performance especially with the non-turbo engine. Does 15' compared to 17" improve or worsen gas mileage? Should I be more concerned with the tire for performance than the wheel? Any thoughts appreciated.

 

smaller the wheel the better the performance

but then again if you got some 15" that weighs like a brick and the 17" weighs like a feather then that's all changed

i don't think you'll see a huge difference by upgrading to r98, i'm on 18" had and still have the r98