I thought that I had read some strong postings about folks saying that the standard 17 inch wheels are just too small on the CountryMan. Too much space between the tires and the wheel wells. Unfortunately, haven't seen that discussion of late.

I've been leaning toward the 18's, but I have 18's on my current car (vw r32, NOT the convertible) and they are nasty expensive to replace.



This picture leads off this article on motoringfile.com about the CountryMan All4 in the snow, and has the standard 17's. I think they look pretty good.

Ride-wise - 18's more likely to run a bit harsher? Which tire brands are they using? I realize that there are sport and all-weather 17's, and only sport 18's.

Which did you decide to put on your CountryMan? Did it just come down to initial cost? Save a few bucks and stay with the 17's?

Curious as to your thoughts and opinions.

 

I don't think the 18s can come with all season tires. Also, I was trying to keep the cost down both for the wheels and replacement tires.

 

Went 17s versus the 18s, big factor was the all-season tire.

If I went 18s, I would have to buy my own all-season tires. Not something I wanted to do immediately.

Future I may go with an aftermarket 18 and a summer performance tire. Will keep the 17s all-season or snow when they wear down to the nubs.

Don

 

I JUST got back from my dealer and they had in 5 new Countrymans!!! I was stunned how GREAT the 17's looked, especially the anthracite and black 17's. WOW. I am pretty sure the all-seasons 17's were Bridgestone Duelers (which I had on my vw touareg once). I'll be back there tomorrow and can check if you'd like. I'm pretty sure my dealer ordered all their 17's in all-seasons (snow country).

There were also the 18" turbo fans in anthracite on a white one and the 18" two piece black sport wheels on a black one. IMHO the two piece black wheel looks small...I think it is the silver trim around the black that accentuates it...it breaks up the black making it appear smaller...whereas the anthracites and black 17's are solid black...all the way through to the tire. Does that make any sense? Anyway, visually I didn't notice a difference in wheel well gap at all.

I will actually put snow tires on 17's and think I may have changed my tune completely (originally I only wanted 18's).

I think the 18's will handle better as they are 225 versus 205 BUT you can always add them later!

 

If you are choosing MINI OEM 17 vs 18" wheels and tires they are the same tire diameter so wheel gap is the same. Only your eye thinks they might look different.

17" will work and is a good choice for all season tires.

The larger the wheel diameter the lower profile the tire needs to be and the firmer the ride.

17" tires will likely weigh less than (the same tire in) 18" except runflats are very heavy.

 

days-like-this,

I have to respectfully disagree. The 18" black sport package rims look awesome! I think they look much better than the 17" rims. And the 17" black rims are flat black, vs glossy, and I do not like the flat black finish. They always look dirty.

I just drove one with 18" rims and sport package and it drove awesome. Slightly firm, but not even in the same league as my MCS conv JCW stage 1 with sport suspension. That is downright rough over bumps.

Therefore, I just ordered a surf blue ALL4 S countryman with the sport package and 18" black rims. But, to each his own right.

 

Don't get me wrong...I also dig the 18's. I was just really delighted with how the 17's looked in person. Photos don't do colors/wheels justice. Your car build sounds great! Love the blues with black roofs. Cheers to MINI choices

 

days-like-this,

Thanks, yes I am excited about the surf blue, I just think it looks really cool. I am a wheel and tire guy, always have been. I just think the wheels and tires can make or break a car. You can see an everyday run of mill compact car, say a Honda Accord, (no offense to Honda Accord owners here, but they are vanilla in my opinion), and put 19" chrome rims on it with low profile tires, and it looks pretty sweet. So, I always spend a little more and go for the top of line wheels on all my cars. I know this is a mini site, but here is my new X5, with the biggest rims from the factory, 20". Just did not like the look of the X5 with the standard 18's, looks just okay. Conversely, the 17's dont look bad though on the countryman, so get what you want.

 

i went for 17" anthracite (Cooper s All4)... I didn't like the 18" stock rims... Plus i think that mpg can be influenced really bad with the 18"..... I don't know... If i'll find something nice i'll buy 18" rims after i finished the standard runflat tires

 

How about bigger tires than the OEM 205/55/17 RFs...maybe 215/60/17 Non-RFs?...

 

By Bigger did you mean wider or taller? Wider is fine and taller gives less wheel clearance and taller ride height- more off the ground for higher center of gravity- not good for an already high vehicle compared to other MINIs.

Using stock 17x7 wheels

205/55-17 has tire diameter of 25.2"
215/60-17 has a tire diameter of 27.3" about 2" taller than stock so it would not fit.

215/50-17 fits rims 6-7.5" wide and has tire diameter of 25.5". Should fit OK
225/45-17 would fit rims 7-8.5" wide and have tire diameter of 25". Tire selection in that size is good.

235/45-17 fits rims 7.5-9" wide and has tire diameter of 25.4" which is OK. This tire is a little too wide for the stock rim.

If you want taller then 225/50-17 would fit but have tire diameter of 25.9" or 0.7" taller than stock. The tires would look oversized for the Countryman.

 

It seems I'll have to go 205/55/17 Non-RFs...I don't want to go down but into a 60 series.

 

Are you sure the 17's are 7" wide? Will the offset on a 17" rim be 52mm like the 18's?

 

This is the first place I have found the offset, according to this EU site it is 45

http://www.wheelfitment.eu/steekmaat...20)&merk2=Mini

 

I saw that, but other sources say 52mm. Mini is closed today so they can't help.

 

I am surprised it is not in the manual....

 

I'm really liking these 19"x8 rims from NME, too bad I don't have a Countryman (yet) to put them on
http://mini.neuspeed.com/news/25/the...ountryman.html

 

Just talked to the parts guy at Ft. Myers Mini. Offset is 50mm.

Edit: Confirmed by Mini of Seattle.

 

For those who may not have had a chance to see some of the wheels in person...

First, the 17 inch Anthracite 5-star spoke wheel:



The 18 inch 5-star double spoke anthracite wheel:



The same wheel, black glossy finish:



I like the dark wheels much more than I had expected. Especially depending upon which color car they are on.

 

Just found this thread. We ordered 18" anthracite turbo fan wheels. Since you can't get all seasons from the factory on the 18" I am looking to buy some and have the dealer put them on before we pick up the car. We live in Ohio and the all season would be best as we are going to leave the tires on year round. Also want a little softer of a ride as we will be transporting infant twins on occasion.

What should I be looking for besides the size (225/45 R18)? I saw Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires that seem very nice and are highly rated but not sure how to determine if they would look bad on these rims? Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Lindsey, your Michelin Pilot Sport A/S would be excellent on any of the 18 inch Countryman wheels.

The Pilot A/S are an excellent choice.

 

In the end I opted for the Sport Package and the two-piece glossy 18''s, 225/45 R18. I'm a Week 6 production so am looking at an April delivery While I typically keep my snows on until May 1, I'll be cutting it close here. My tire choices will be:

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 (performance winter snow $185)
Continental extreme contact DWS - (ultra high performance all season $142)
Michelin Ice-X X12 (studless snow, $166)
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 (studless snow $185)

I can't wait to read how well the all-seasons are doing for people in snow country as it will persuade my decision

 

I'm getting a diameter of 25.88 inches for a 205/55/17 and 25.86 for a 225/50/17 if the wider tire fits on the rim there should be no issues as this is actualy a bit shorter than the 225/45/18 which is 25.97. I intend to change out the oem runflats for a set of 225/50/17 when they wear out.

 

FYI, some of the Colorado Countryman are coming in with these Goodyear tires in 18 inch.

Just not a very cold temp. tire, I am thinking.

Anyone have any information on this tire?

Don

 

This is quoted directly from Tire Rack's description of the Efficient Grip Run on Flat tire.

"Grand Touring Summer tires are for drivers who want a combination of sophisticated appearance, competent handling and H-speed rated (or higher) durability, along with dry and wet traction from their tires. Often used as Original Equipment (O.E.) on sophisticated coupes and luxurious performance sedans, Grand Touring Summer tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice (bolded by Miniblue2).

O.E. Grand Touring Summer tires are typically purchased as direct replacements for worn-out pairs/sets of the vehicle’s original tires. They can also be used for other vehicle applications in complete sets of four or axle pairs if available in an appropriate size, load range and speed rating to match the existing O.E. tires’ performance category and specifications."

I would be careful in the north.