Good point about resale value, but when I'm older and have grandchildren I intend to be able to tell them stories about the travels and fun had in the GP, starting with our 2nd honeymoon on MTTS, so there is no resale value for me.

Also if I store the wheels I'm not allowed to buy a 2nd set of wheels for track .

 

I'm thinking of putting them on ebay in the new year with a minimum bid of $1750, what do you think?

 

I am definitely sad that I don't have the money to help you out. That said, I would attempt to sell them here on the NAM marketplace maybe a bit north of 2k and see if there is interest. If there isn't just go on to eBay.

Best of luck on selling.

 

I decided to see if they sell for $1800 on nam, I only need enough to justify buying another set of SSR's for the track to my beautiful wife. We'll see what happens.

 

i need the exciting conclusion. did you get them sold or will you have to find another way to get your wifey to let you buy another set of wheels?

 

The exiting news is they are going to another lucky GP owner who was afraid that he would be kicking himself in the butt down the road if he let them get away!

 

I would LOVE to have a set of GP wheels - I think they look great, and the fact they are 18" and lighter than ALL of the OEM 17" wheels is a huge plus in my book (especially since I'm a total nut about staying OEM).

I just hope I can buy some authentics one day for a halfway decent price... especially since this set has slipped away.

 

I'm sad to see them go, but happy that they will stay with a fellow GP owner. So now I have Heidi's blessing on buying a second set of SSR's .

 

I knew there was a method to your madness!

 

Peter, you know Heidi, I do my best

 

Replicas keep disappearing from Ebay.

 

did you ever sell them??

 

Yes I did, to another GP owner

 

Old posts, but in actual fact, the lightest MINI OEM 17" wheels are the R91 5-spoke bullet wheels, which are only 20.6 pounds each. The GP wheels are indeed 19.8 pounds, which is still lighter, although it's less than a pound difference (but 18" ). I love the look of the Web-spokes (bought my MINI with them originally!), and they are a huge improvement over the S-Lites... but they aren't the lightest OEM 17" wheel.

OEM MINI 17" wheels by weight, in descending order:

R85 S-spoke/S-lite - 25.1lb
R90 Cross-spoke (two-piece) - 24.1lb
R108 Multi-spoke - 22.9lb
R104 Crown-spoke - 22.7lb
R98 Web-spoke (two-piece) - 22.3lb
R97 Flame-spoke - 22.0lb
R99 Double-spoke - 21.9lb
R91 5-spoke bullet - 20.6lb


R107 18" GP wheel at 19.8lb FTW.

 

18x7 is a silly size. Yeah, I said it.

 

Yes... but our MINIs are silly!

The sheer scarcity of options for tires that fit the 18" MINI wheels does prove the case... but they're improving! A quick search a few minutes ago of Tire Rack for tires in the MINI standard 205/40-18 size revealed performance tires from Bridgestone, Michelin, Pirelli, Dunlop (of course) and Yokohama, three of which are RunFlats too (a good thing for me, I actually like 'em). That's a huge improvement from a year or two ago, and it looks like Nitto in that size are available from Discount Tire Direct as well...

...but still no 205/40-18 winter tires, from either of them.

Actually though, the Pirelli PZero Runflats in 205/40-18 might just be my next tire, now that I've realized they're available!

Thanks Dan, your critical remark actually helped me discover my next set of summer tires.

 

you realize that by shopping by size alone you don't guarantee anything? always shop by width and OD. It's more important than stated tire size.

 

Well, it I was changing tire sizes from the supplied factory ones, sure... but if I'm replacing one tire with another of the exact same size, where's the problem with shopping by size?

I'm well aware that with aftermarket wheels and the varying wheel width, that you have to be cautious to ensure a proper fit... but I'm not using aftermarket wheels nor non-standard tire sizes!

Unless I'm still missing something? If so, I am always open-minded enough to learn.

 

a 205/45/17 from Bridgestone might not be the same OD as the 205/45/17 from Dunlop. So, yes, you are getting the 'OEM' tire size, but not the 'OEM' outside diameter (OD) which is critical for gearing. Further, the treadwidth and section width can vary greatly.

there was a thread awhile back where a guy insisted on running 235/40/17's....bragging rights I guess. I showed him how the RE01R from Bridgestone in 215/45/17 was just as wide as what he was looking at buying. Heck - look at that exact tire in 205/45/17 vs. 215/45/17. The 205 is 24.3" OD while the 215 is 24.6". You'd think the 205 is the 'OEM' replacement right? It's actually shorter than the OEM 24.4" spec for Sport pkg cars.

 

Interesting... I was understanding that the first number defined the outer width of the tire, am I mistaken? Is that for the inner width? (the part that comes in contact with the wheel itself)

Obviously tread design plays a large role in actual contact patch (duh!), but by the sounds of it, there's more to know.

I'm not so far removed from reality that I'm unwilling to learn.

One question though - are you then suggesting that tire size calculators such as the very popular Miata.net Tire size calculator (and its numerous calculations) are inherently inaccurate, since they make assumptions not provided by the generically stated tire size?

 

215/45/17. 215 = tire width in mm (this can be measured differently from manufacturer to manufacturer). 45= aspect ratio (sidewall is 45% of tire width). 17 = wheel diameter.

tire size calculators work with hypotheticals. 215/45/17=215mm 45% and 17". Reality is different. Take the numbers from the Miata or 1010.com calculators and compare to the 215/45/17 and 205/45/17 RE01Rs actual specs - none will match.

All I'm saying is...what matters is the manufacturer's specs. Narrow your search down with the cool calculators, but be sure to look up the specs - that's why Tire Rack and other vendors list them.

 

I knew that (all of it) - I was more questioning WHERE the first number was measured. Obviously tires are not perfectly uniform in width from the outer edges to the inner rim.That's the interesting thing, I really expected that there was more uniformity between manufacturers. I'm glad to learn something! Will do, from now on... I've always gone on the straight up size specs before, without realizing there was much more to it. Thanks for the education!