Greetings everyone my names Zach, and I've lurked around this forum for a bit here and there for the last few months, but not really said a whole whole lot. Well in the next couple months I think I may finally be in a position to order and purchase my first brand new car!! And currently I am on the fence between the mk7 GTI and the F56 justa. The one thing that may just sway me into the MINI is the myriad of customization choices, I love being able to make the car truly one of a kind, and with the GTI you just can't do that.


I have a few questions on options though, as i'm kinda splurging a bit on little things that I don't know are necessary, like
-Harmon Kardon
-Comfort Access
-Autodimming/ Power/ heated door mirrors, rearview mirror
-MINI yours sport leather steering wheel (looks cool with white stitching)
-piano black dash accent
-LED fog lights, cornering LED's
-Storage package

Are any of these options useless and could be deleted? Anyone have the MINI yours wheel? it looks super cool on the config, and how is the piano black? cheap? What is the point of comfort access? How is the base audio system compared to the HK system? Does the MINI come with foglights standard? How good are the LED fogs?

And, what is "Performance Control"?? I selected it, and it cost nothing, what does it do?

What does the storage package do? what is this "cargo position" I have a 120 lb dog that will need to fit back there, so is this necessary for me?

Also, I will be opting for the 15'' Heli Spoke wheels, as I've heard this gets me summer non-runflats and a proper spare tire. Is this true? I plan on upgrading in the future and buying a nice set of summer performance 16'' wheels/tires and then using the Heli's for winter tires. Good idea? bad idea?
I'm totally new to the whole 2 sets of tires things, but getting tired of being stuck in the snow with my current car on all seasons.

RIMS GUYS, i need your help and guidance. Never done this before.
http://fifteen52.us/shop/#!/fifteen5...tegory=8224240
These are the rims I have fallen in love with, they are super expensive, but I think they would look AMAZING in 16'' black on a black F56. I will be getting coils, and I want my car to have a very low, wide slightly cambered stance (not slammed, but aggressive looking) There is a guy on here with a green F56 justa with white rims and coils. I want mine like that. Don't know his name

Anyway, will these wheels work with the F56?? They look very deep dished, would they poke too much? how far out do the brakes stick out on the F56? and what width wheel/tire would/should I get? And what about TPMS sensors? how would that work.?

Sorry about all these questions guys, I am a total newb to this scene, and I really like to plan things out ahead if you can tell :D

Thanks!
Zach

 

I've got a Justa F56....options that I have that I wouldn't change:
LED Headlights
Harmon Kardan Stereo
Moonroof
Black Pearl Seats
White Turn Signals(I never liked the "yolk" look)


One thing I would've changed:
Piano Black Trim(major dust and fingerprint magnet)


Plenty of power!
4th MINI, keep getting better and better.(We actually have a Paceman as well)


Good Luck, the second best part of having a MINI, the great people you meet along the way......

 

The storage package is great because you can get a level floor back there. That also gives you some more space under the floor, and there's a bin with dividers you can get to put there (which I do not have). It also includes the lighter socket in the rear. You might want to get a cover for the back, or the MINI dog blanket and ball!

Like this, see the floor is level with the seats?

vs. this, where the floor is lower than the folded seat.


The cargo position just tilts the seat forward slightly.

 

There are a few good threads about options.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...s-options.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-getting.html

What's your previous vehicle?

That link just shows a blue MINI with a black roof and no options!

Before you decide on the Harmon Kardon, listen to the base stereo at the dealer. I found the base stereo pretty weak and unappealing. The HK sounds all right, a little quiet in the nosiest of situations.

The F56 is pretty good in the snow with all-seasons. I did 2 weeks before I got my winter wheels. Where are you?

Accessories:
Cargo Cover


MINI dog blanket and ball

 

I'm probably the guy with the green F56 you're referring to. It sounds like my car at least.

The Fifteen52 guys make awesome wheels. The Tarmac 2 piece are custom built to your specification so yes they'll definitely fit. They are definitely expensive but not overpriced for a custom set of wheels. They're a good group of guys and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you.


As far as options go, if you're trying to save money, I would recommend
-Harmon Kardon - Keep if possible
-Comfort Access - Keep for sure
-Autodimming/ Power/ heated door mirrors, rearview mirror - This one is ok. I like that you can program it for your garage door if you have one.
-MINI yours sport leather steering wheel (looks cool with white stitching) - Don't know anything about this
-piano black dash accent - This is a fingerprint magnet, FYI.
-LED fog lights, cornering LED's - I passed on the LED fogs and the cornering LED's. The LED headlights are well worth the cost, but I just didn't see the point for those 2 extras
-Storage package - Worth it


If you plan on lowering the car and going with aftermarket wheels, I'd recommend deciding on suspension first and get that sorted, then worry about wheels. There isn't a lot of data out there for wheel sizes on the F56 yet and I'd hate for you to spend money on a set of custom wheels if they don't end up being the perfect fit. That's the only thing that's kept me from ordering a custom set so far, I've been experimenting with cheap wheels to figure out what size I think I need.

 

Thanks man, yes you're the guy I was referring to, your F56 is the car that got me into them. It just looks so sick. If I could ask what coilovers you've chosen, and would spacers be needed? And do you get any rubbing issues on daily driving/ hard cornering etc? I like to drive aggressively as there are a lot of narrow twisty/ hilly back roads where i live, and I don't want to compromise performance

 

Thanks man, yeah sorry about the link, I guess they delete the builds after a while, so i just removed the link, it's not too important anyway. My current car is a Lexus IS300, which is RWD. I will check out the base stereo at the dealer. I drove one a while back but don't remember. I live in Frederick, MD, we get maybe ~3 feet of snow per winter with the occasional 3 foot blizzard :D But not too much snow

 

The F56 will start with the key fob in your pocket even without comfort access (whereas the R56 would not). Comfort access lets you lock/unlock the doors by pressing a button on the door handle (vs using the button the fob). Personally I'd pass on that. The heated/folding mirrors thing depends on where you live (I don't need it). The HK is a must, and the storage package would be great for the dog. Just my 0.02.

 

I'm almost positive both of the above cars have the storage package- you can tell by the grey tabs on the side which is for the "cargo position", keeps the seats slightly more upright, along with the metal tie-down points on the side. Without the storage package you'd have a gaping hole in the back with no load floor at all. I'm not sure what's the difference between these two cars (I almost want to say they're the same car...)

As for options, I'll speak to what I have - this was my first car as well :-):

-Harmon Kardon - when I bought mine I wasn't paying too much attention to the sound system, so I have the base system; but if I were to do it again I would spend longer in cars with and w/o HK to see if it's worth the difference
-Comfort Access - definitely a must, just make sure you turn off autolock while driving (so you don't have to double press to lock)
-Autodimming/ Power/ heated door mirrors, rearview mirror - auto-dimming and heated mirrors are good to have. we don't have power mirrors in Canada, but they always look cool on other cars...
-LED fog lights, cornering LED's - LED lights were my favourite option, after seeing the reflection in a bus during the test drive - I had to have them. The rear fog light gives peace of mind in inclement weather, and for the front fog I notice a slightly larger beam coverage when close to an object - but can't say there's a noticeable difference on the road. I don't have the cornering lights, but it sounds like it's useful at low speeds in dark areas... so depends on your daily driving environment.
-Storage package - good value, the tie-down points and extra floor make storing things much easier. and it's nice to hide-away laptop bags or shoes underneath the load floor.

 

I'm on BC coilovers, they're a good option for the price.

The second half of the question is almost impossible to answer because there are too many variables. Even within just the suspension you can choose different ride heights with different stiffness of springs and shocks.

The width of the wheel coupled with the offset will dictate how "aggressive" the fitment is, as in how close it sits to the fender. That's the part that is up in the air right now because there are only a couple of us who are trying to figure out what the max width you can fit is. Generally speaking an 8" wide wheel is the max for a MINI (in the front). R99 tried an 18x8 et 44 and it barely cleared the strut, so that's the minimum offset we can run. I tried an 18x8 et 32 and that set the wheel too far outside the fender. So for an 8" wide wheel, an offset in the 40-45 would be a good place to start. An unfortunately, what fits with an 18" wheel won't necessarily work for a 17" or 16" wheel, everything changes slightly. Then you have to take tire size into account.

So yeah, it's really just about impossible to give you an answer right this second.

If you're buying a custom set of wheels you won't need spacers. They'll be made so that they fit perfectly from the beginning.

 

You get a "donut" spare tire with the F56 - but not with the F56S. You can get 16" wheels, with all-season tires, on the F56. They will be run-flats - and you will also have the donut spare.

 

I would have got the Storage Package had I known that this can't be retro fitted later on.
I only got the F56 with Sport Package + Auto trans to save money as everything seems overpriced.

Mine came with Pirelli P7 16" all-season and I like them so far, but I never drive aggressive. Because I care more about longevity than performance, I looked up the tread wear rating and it is the same as their non-runflat tires (500AA UTQG), so I think it'll last pretty long. Once these wear out, I'll probably put a cheaper non-runflat.

 

Yes, that's the same car. There would be no load floor without the storage option. You can buy the load floor without the storage package, but you can't get it level with the seat backs.

 

The "Cargo position" (where the rear seat back is more upright to accomadate more stuff in the boot) used to be in all Minis with rear seats. I bet it still is. It doesn't get used much IMO.

 

To weigh in:
-Harmon Kardon - I think it's worth it if you listen to music a lot. I can tell the difference..
-Comfort Access - I must admit I was skeptical about this feature when I got my MINI, but not ever having to take your keys out is super handy. I can just walk up to the door or boot and open it. Another neat benefit is you can roll all the windows up and close the sunroof from the comfort access button on the outside door handle.
-Autodimming/ Power/ heated door mirrors, rearview mirror - I have the auto dimming mirrors now, but never thought they were NECESSARY... the power mirrors, however are pretty useful for me as parking can be tight in Seattle.
-MINI yours sport leather steering wheel (looks cool with white stitching) - Haven't seen one in person...
-piano black dash accent - to echo everyone else, a finger print magnet, but I think it makes the car look high end (when it's clean! )
-LED fog lights, cornering LED's - Fog lights: not necessary unless you want maximum light. The cornering LEDs are nice though, but I wouldn't say they were necessary
-Storage package - DEFINITELY get this. Especially if you plan on putting dogs or cargo in the back ever. While I think this should be standard, $250 is worth the extra utility you get out of it.

Performance Control is basically a souped up traction control I believe.

 

Comfort Access is the one thing I really wish I had gotten. Didn't really realize what it was but now having to take the keys out of my pocket to lock /unlock is a pain. Or I'm just getting lazy as I get older lol

 

Honestly, I really enjoy listening to music in my car and I like premium headphones, etc and I couldn't tell a huge difference between the base sound system and the HK system after I tweaked the EQ in the demo cars at the dealer (and at reasonable volumes).

Then again, it's only a $500 option so if you're speccing your car from the factory you might want to buy in. However if you're picking the car off the lot, dealers have usually bundled the HK on cars that cost several thousand dollars more, and it's just not worth it IMO.

The base sound system is much improved over the abysmal base system in the R56.

Things I could not live without are the Sports Seats and the LED headlights.

 

I would add the \\

17 in black rims ( It's a cool option )
All season tire if you drive in snow- I am running runs flats


Keep the \\
Harmon Kardon - the standard one is weak
Storage package- is worth the money

 

HK system: overpriced but necessary if you value quality sound. Despite the criticisms the only alternative is expensive aftermarket systems retrofitted. If you want a sunroof it comes with it in the Premium Package as well as Comfort Access and Storage package. If you plan on having the car for a few years you'll probably regret not getting it.

Now that I've had my HT 2 months I'm appreciating the Storage package. Recommend it.

Comfort access is nice, but probably wouldn't care if I didn't have it.

For a mere $100, I opted for the rear fog light. Figure it's worth it for bad weather even though I don't live in a foggy area. Could prevent a rear-ender.

My one regret is not getting the LED headlights. The standard ones are average, not bad but nothing special.

 

If you enjoy listening to music, upgrading to HK (or beyond using a high quality car audio shop) makes sense.

 

This would be number one in my book. It makes it odd to have to use the key to unlock the car only to get in and not have anything to do with it since there is no ignition to put it in.

 

What is the expected delivery time from order date these days?

 

I really enjoy my Harmon Kardon sound system. My last car didn't have a nice sound system and I really missed not having one so I'm glad I splurged for it in my mini.

I LOVE the comfort access! I love that I don't need to dig my key fob out of my purse when my hands are full to open the door. It also makes it so that I can put stuff in the hatch when the car is locked without unlocking any other doors and it relocks itself when I close the hatch without me ever having to push any buttons.

Auto dimming power heated door mirrors and rear view mirror - I think that would be nice but I don't know because I didn't get that option. I can say that I don't think the folding side mirrors are helpful because the mirrors are sort of round so it really doesn't make the car much more narrow with the mirrors folded in, in my opinion.

I don't have the mini yours wheel so I don't know anything about that.

The piano black dash surface is something we got to see on one of the cars in the showroom and it shows fingerprints pretty badly so I didn't get that option.

Fog lights are an extra $200 I think... It's on the configurator on minis website somewhere with the price. I didn't get them so mine has daytime running lights where the fogs lights would have been. I like it because it's not black plastic there like on some other cars. We have the regular headlights instead of the LEDs. We looked up the cost to replace an led headlight if it were to fail after the warranty period and it was $1000. That was enough for me to decide I didn't want them. The regular headlights are very bright.

The storage package is 100% worth every penny! You get pockets on the back seats, a little net in the passenger footwell up front, a level floor in the boot that can be positioned at two different levels or just pinned against the back seats out of the way, and you get a net under the removable floor for the boot. It's nice to be able to hide stuff under the floor (like my laptop) and if you position the floor at the highest notch, it's level with the back seats when they're folded down - this is VERY helpful if you have a large dog kennel that you will need to put in the car from time to time. The cargo position is neat because you can still have the back set up so someone can sit there or you can put stuff there AND you can fit a cooler or box or something else behind the seat. It basically makes the seat back sit at a 90 degree angle to the floor so you can fit more stuff behind the seat. I think it's cool - my boyfriend says packing the car is like playing a very strategic game of Tetris, so I find it useful.

We got the 16" silver victory spoke wheels and the dealership said we wouldn't get a spare tire if we went with that option, but when it arrived it did have a spare tire. We didn't get runflats.

The sunroof is a must! It's SOO nice!

We ordered our 2015 hardtop base the last day in September and were able to pick it up November 21st. We got the loaded package and we're very pleased.