I picked up a set of 16" used winter wheels in anticipation of driving in Minnesota winters. Does anyone know if the 16" MINI alloy rims will fit over the JCW brakes on the factory JCW?

 

I'd venture a guess no based on how little clearance there is on stock JCW 17's. The R84 X-Lites are probably the only candidate based on them fitting over the previous JCW kit.

 

Bummer. I guess I can sell them.... I paid $100 for four tires and alloy rims... thought I was getting a good deal :( Who knew?

 

what model wheels? you did get a good deal, just wasn't right for your app (it happens...I bought 15" BBS RG-F and they wouldn't clear my R53 JCW kit)

 

The rims say MINI and have a number on the back (hard to read). Attached are pics (not the best quality --- size limits plus cell phone capability).

 

do you have the wheels and the car there? one easy way to find out if they fit (just do yourself a favor and put some blue painter's tape over the caliper so you don't nick it if there's no clearance).

 

I don't have the car yet (see my sig) but thanks for the tip.

 

In one of the factory JCW threads, someone recently posted a list of the OEM wheels that MINI officially approves for the new brakes. None of the 16" are listed, and even in 17" only a few are approved.

 

Thanks for the info. I've heard winter tires are probably a good thing for MN winters.. so I'll need to research the rims a bit further.

 

The reduced 17" list is due to the rim's back-spacing. [edit: this is incorrect ... see a few posts of mine below; it's "caliper height/clearance"] Just another thing to be worried about now looking for aftermarket rims.

I do hope 16" will fit; I doubt it will. If not, that's more the reason why I'll be taking the wheel & tire warranty. I really don't like the amount of sidewall w/17"; I expect bent rims...

 

Just make sure you don't buy the warranty from the dealer. It's very expensive and pretty limited. Better deals can be had.

 

Are you referring to just the wheels & tires warranty (it's a comprehensive warranty for 5 years, unlimited miles), or the car's extended warranty thru the dealer? The wheel & tire warranty as explained to me seemed quite flexible, allowing for me to buy my own replacement tires.

 

Sorry to be dumb about this... what is "back spacing"?

What wheel and tire warranty? My MA didn't mention it.

Thanks

 

I know little/nothing me about wheel/tire warranties apart from Sears' Road Hazard warranty. Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks

 

I'm referring to the wheels/tires warranty. I was quoted about $700 when I bought my car. There was a limit on how many new tires I could get. They won't fix a runflat, so a puncture gets me a new tire whether it can be fixed or not (an counts against my warranty as well). I think there was a dollar amount that the warranty couldn't exceed. I got the impression that if you ruined a couple of wheels the warranty might be OK, but for just tires it was a ripoff. And they quote you prices like $400/tire when they sell for $200 anywhere else.
I think you can buy new wheel/tire warranties from places like Discount Tire for a couple hundred bucks.

 

Thanx. I was told I didn't have to buy the tires from the dealership. But I also wasn't told about any limits ... Tho that I wasn't told about any limitations I'm sure is because of a sadly stereotypical "well they didn't ask, I'm not gunna tell'm" attitude.

 

Hm, I'm going to need a set of snow tires. The winters can be rough here in NH. I'll keep this thread in mind for in a few months.

 

not dumb... I'm dumb as I didn't remember it correctly. Where offset is the hub to centerline distance, I was sure backspacing was the hub to rear of the rim's spoke distance. I'm seeing now from diagrams it's not. Please ignore! I guess the right dimension is the "caliper height" or "caliper clearance".

 

Ok, I have the info now. The warranty I'm being offered is very different. It is around that price, but there's no limit on the number of tires, it will cover repair of a runflat, and I don't have to buy the tires thru the dealership; I just have to tell the warranty company when I change/replace tires.

I will have to see it all in writing but that's what I was told when I checked to confirm.

 

Thanks for the info.