My 2022 Oxford two-door hasn't been built yet but I'm already thinking about upgrades. The car is spec'ed with the 17" Tentacle spoke wheels and summer run-flats. I've read enough on here to feel that the run-flats may not be best for me for a variety of reasons. Weight, replacement cost, etc.

So I got to thinking from a street driving perspective that for roughly the same dollar amount I can purchase a set of Koni Special Active Shocks and replace the 17" run-flats with 17" non-run-flats OR I can purchase a set of lighter 16" alloy wheels with 16" non-run-flat tires.

I'm guessing that the 17" Tentacle wheels are fairly heavy but the many spokes are a plus on our rough Michigan roads so there may be less of a chance of bending a rim than a 17" with fewer spokes. Plus a set of the Koni active shocks could make the ride less jarring even with 17" wheels and 45 series tires.

A lighter weight 16" wheel/tire combo with a 55 series tire would lessen the chances of a bent rim, result in reduced unsprung weight and could make for a smoother ride and better acceleration and braking.

I guess it comes down to what's better: lighter weight wheels/tires for reduced unsprung weight or better struts/shocks for more suspension control? I'm thinking that the 16's are the way to go but I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

 

I believe that 17s offer the best balance of ride and handling on this platform. They are not much heavier than the 16's, plus you have a much larger assortment of performance tires to choose from (e.g., Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is not available in 16" sizes). If you really want to save weight, there are some really good wheel options such as the NM Engineers RSE05 that are very light and will not break the bank. I have 17s on both my '17 JCW and '21 SE and have no complaints.

 

Wow, 16.5 lbs is a very low weight for a 17" wheel - the lowest that I've found so far. And they are flow-formed wheels, too! I like what I've seen about the Pilot Sport 4S, too, and that's probably the tire I'd go with if I go 17's. This combo is now on my consideration list so it's time to build a spreadsheet.

I appreciate your thoughts!

 

My 2022 Oxford two-door hasn't been built yet but I'm already thinking about upgrades. The car is spec'ed with the 17" Tentacle spoke wheels and summer run-flats. I've read enough on here to feel that the run-flats may not be best for me for a variety of reasons. Weight, replacement cost, etc. What do you care about the weight? You are not pushing the car, it has an engine to pull it. The run flats are just fine and are about the same price as non-run flats plus run-flat technology has come a long way. These are not the old hockey puck run-flats of 15 years ago. They will handle and ride just fine.

So I got to thinking from a street driving perspective that for roughly the same dollar amount I can purchase a set of Koni Special Active Shocks and replace the 17" run-flats with 17" non-run-flats OR I can purchase a set of lighter 16" alloy wheels with 16" non-run-flat tires.
From a street driving perspective leave the car stock and enjoy it as it is. There is no reason to put a set of Koni's or change the tires. I assure you that you will run out of driving skills long before you run out of car.

I'm guessing that the 17" Tentacle wheels are fairly heavy but the many spokes are a plus on our rough Michigan roads so there may be less of a chance of bending a rim than a 17" with fewer spokes. Plus a set of the Koni active shocks could make the ride less jarring even with 17" wheels and 45 series tires. You are just doing street driving and not driving the Daytona, hence the stock shocks and rims will be more than you will ever need.

A lighter weight 16" wheel/tire combo with a 55 series tire would lessen the chances of a bent rim, result in reduced unsprung weight and could make for a smoother ride and better acceleration and braking.
The engineers at Mini knew what they were doing with the ride and braking. It's not broken, so don't try to fix it.

I guess it comes down to what's better: lighter weight wheels/tires for reduced unsprung weight or better struts/shocks for more suspension control? I'm thinking that the 16's are the way to go but I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
Leave it stock.

 

First, you have to consider what you want to accomplish with the car. Almost every expert will tell you that better wheels/tires will make more of a difference than anything else you can do. First, the tentacle spokes are relatively light at 21.2 lbs, although the 16's are quite a bit lighter. The biggest issue with 16's is the availability of solid performance tires. While there are some, a lot of the top performers are not available in 16" sizes. Unless you are planning to participate in performance driving events, you will gain little/nothing by changing struts/shocks. The standard suspension is very good as and, as is well documented on this forum, not all changes to springs/shocks are an improvement. Also, fitting a new high end suspension will be much more costly than lighter wheels with better tires.

My vote is sheels/tires, but stick with 17. To be honest, just fitting a better tire such as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S onto your tentacle spoke wheels will transform your car more than you can imagine.

 

First, thanks for posting the factory wheel chart with weights - that is super helpful!

I do agree with you that a 17" wheel/tire combo is probably the best balance in terms of performance and comfort. However, I will be doing 95% of my driving in Michigan where many of the roads really do suck. Heaved expansion joints, potholes and patches that are rough are some of the challenges of driving around here. I'm less concerned about performance and more concerned with trying to reduce the chances of blowouts. If at some point I decide that I want to autocross or track the car I'll purchase a dedicated set of lightweight performance wheels/tires so what I'm looking for now is something to replace the runflats for the street.

Since I don't have the car yet and haven't driven one around here I'm reserving final judgment until I take delivery and get a few miles on it so I'm just exploring my options right now.

 

Based on your concerns over Michigan roads, I'd agree that 16's may be the way to go. They will result in a better ride and probably more protection from tire/wheel damage. However, I doubt you will achieve any advantage by changing the suspension. The factory suspension is very good and responsive and for street driving, there are few aftermarket packages that will improve on it. Drive it for a while and then you may have a better idea about what to change ... you may be happy with it as is.

 

I must have lost my mind. My two toys prior to ordering my MINI a few months back were a 2018 Mustang GT and prior to that a 2017 Miata Club.

I sold the Miata after only a year because it was too painful to drive. I could only sit in the driver's seat for 90 minutes before having to get out and stretch. I turned around and purchased the Mustang, which was a fantastic car but after I hopped it up and lowered it, it wasn't very fun to drive, although it was brutally fast. So I sold that.

The Miata had factory 17" wheels with 205/45x17 tires - the same size tires that are on the MINI that I ordered. Guess what? I never had a tire issue on the Miata and it had a pretty decent ride on decent roads. The Mustang came with 18's and 235/50x18 tires and it also had a good ride but after lowering the car and going with 19's and 255/40x19 tires, it was pretty rough.

So I guess what I'm getting at is that I might be all right with 17's, although the run-flats are definitely going to go. Once I take delivery of the car and get a few miles on it I'll decide whether to go with 16's or 17's. I'll probably purchase a lighter-weight wheel/tire combo and throw a run-flat in the back as a spare and purchase the jack kit and be done with it.

 

I have Neuspeed 18x7.5 wheels & Sumitomo 215/40 ZR 18 tires no run-flats. gotta used tire off car, put it on 5th Neuspeed rim, scissors jack & 4-way metric speeder 4-way. on top of that the car is lowered with C/Os in front & lowered springs in back, shorter stabilizers & thick anti-swaybars bow & stern. no clearance problem

 

That sounds like a pretty cool setup that you have. I don't think I could bring myself to doing 18's here in Michigan - especially a 40 or shorter sidewall. But 17's with 45's may work out just fine once I ditch the run-flats.

I also don't want to get too excited and start thinking about lowering the car because once I did that to my former Mustang, it had the looks but really screwed up the comfort of what had been a really comfortable car for me. If I can limit lowering to just enough to notice a difference over stock - say 1" - I may consider doing that down the road.