What is everyone's opinion?

 

Well I have 17s, and they're a little rough riding, especially here in CT, the pot hole capital of the northeast. They've been bent a little, but they have held up well enough. I long for 16s though, and I think I will take the plunge soon on a lighter, more comfortable set. I'm sure they will be noticeably better than the 17s. I just need to know the best tire size to go with them.
I think for pure handling, and if you live in florida or the southwest, 17s would be fine for daily use. Mine is daily driver however, and I need to sacrifice just a LITTLE handling for better comfort.

 

my opinion: 1" makes a huge difference.

and they fit well with the regular S brakes. Id do 18s during summer, but the 17s just fit well.

16s for winter...smallest i can go

 

I also prefer 17s for aesthetic value

 

I replaced the stock 17's with 16's and ditched the runflats at the same time. The 16 wheels are Enkei RS-M which reduced each corner by 8lbs.

The ride is much smoother and better controlled. There is a slightly less crisp turn-in probably due to the higher profile and non-runflats but the MINI already has such a tight response it still excels compared with other cars. My experience with turn-in is that the suspension bushings have more effect than tire profile anyway.

I really don't understand the caze today about bigger and bigger wheels. The sacrifice in unsprung weight and tire profile has only a looks benefit provided there is enough clearance for the brakes.

 

See my sig for a size up from stock that works with no rubbing issues.....

And the tires we run that gained us 3mpg hand calc over Conti runflats.....

 

For more info, there are existing threads on this, which a search will reveal. Lots of good opinions.