First message on this site. Hello fellow Mini Lovers. Glad to be among so many others that share the same passion. My 07 Cooper S is in need of black matte rims. Looking for advice. Basically, I want to purchase either both new wheels (17s or 18s) and tires or utilize my current stock wheels (16s) and purchase new tires. The area I live in has horrible roads, so buying cheap wheels is potentially out of the question since they could end up damaged and a total waste of money. Best decision to make based on the wheel situation???

In addition to the wheels, I'm in the market for new tires as well. Again there's a dilemma, either purchase new 17s or 18s to fit the new wheels or stick with the stock wheel size. I've heard from many mechanics that simply a set of new all-season high performance tires could make a difference in how the car "handles the holes/bumps/etc." How true is that??? Any recommendations for a specific tire company - Yokohama - Bridgestone - Hankook - Continental - Kumho - Dunlop???

Looking forward to some great advice and tips...

 

Hey minibike: There's a lot of good tires our there for the MINI. Because I use mine as a daily driver and only have one set of wheels, I use high-performance Bridgestone Potenza Grids (non-runflat). These tires perform well in all weather conditions, ride well, handle well and are not too noisy IMO. http://bit.ly/d5qTZw

There are a couple of tires rated even better, but you have to balance a slight improvement with your budget. I'm not a Kumho fan because they wear quick and are noisy. Research tires on TireRack and look at the opinions.

This is also a chance to ditch your runflats, which typically will improve every aspect of your car's handling --even reducing road noice and increasing ride quality. Since roads are rough where you live, maybe you should consider staying with 16s when you switch wheels? Larger wheels will give you a rougher ride (less sidewall). They also increase your unspring weight which will penalize your performance and handling slightly.

 

Thanks for your info mcsfanboy. All things considered, I'd rather go the route of adding new tires and utilizing my stock 16s (either powder coat treatment or dip them), which should help financially; although I've heard that powder coat is quite expensive. The Bridgestone tires you recommend look great. Also, the fact that you mention about ditching the run-flats was good news to hear. A local mechanic had said the same exact thing, but he doesn't drive a mini, so how could I trust his word? lol
Again, thanks for the input.

 

BTW: Incase you are concerned about what to do if you have a flat without a spare tire, I carry a Slime kit with me. It’s around $59 at your local Wallmart. http://bit.ly/b6cLE1 This will get you down the road to your nearest tire repair shop to have a leak properly patched.

 

I think your best bet would be to stake out the NAM marketplace for a nice bargain.

 

doing the work yourself is super easy, though requires a solid afternoons worth of work.

Before: Pre sand and curb rash treatment



After de-rashing, sanded



Carefully mask off the tires/valve stem, and prime(sorry, no pics primed)

Final/end result







All in all, about 6 hours work and maybe $50 in materials.

 

Powder coating in my neck of the woods for a MINI wheel can be had for about $70 each. So for about half the price of a wheel you can coat yours and keep the stockers and some sidewall to absorb the bumps.

 

How do you find shops that do powder coating. Just a google search in your area or what?

 

Both Pearl River and Warwick NY have Powder Coating shops. I don't know which one is better but they both have been in business for a good number of years.

 

Thanks again MCSFanboy--the slime kit could come in handy. I also found two shops for powder coating in my area. One is a little more expensive ($125 vs $100) per wheel, but both seem to be experienced in what they do. So, for that price it seems more economical due to the fact that new quality black rims would higher than that. Lastly, the bridgestone tires that you referred me to, have you had any noise related issues? There seems to be quite an amount of complaints -- however, the mini drivers that put reviews online had NOT complained about the noise of the tires.

 

Thanks onefish2 -- I'll keep an eye out on NAM.

 

Appreciate the photos BMUN8IVE - but unless I find a black set on NAM's marketplace for a great price, I plan to powder coat them at a shop. The do-it-yourself looks like an adventure though - nice job on your wheels man.

 

Yetti96, I couldn't agree more with you. I've been told to keep my stock rims since it will help with the ride; plus a new set of tires will help too. In my area, it's around $100 per wheel.

 

Would you happen to have names or addresses for these shops. Maybe a website too?

 

http://www.anthonybrospowdercoating.com/contact-us.php
Anthony Brother Powder Coating Specialists
5 Dunning Rd.
Warwick, New York 10990
845-234-7975

Perfection Powder Coating
7 Walter Street, Pearl River, NY 10965-1723
(845) 735-6400 ‎
perfectionpowdercoating.net

 

DIY was a good job! Wow.

 

I've heard some complaints of noise too, and it makes me wonder if either Bridgestone has changed something in the tire or if people are confusing this model with other Potenza variations that they make . Often tire noise increases as it wears, but with about 12K on my current tread, tire noise is still very low.