I'm shopping for winter wheels for my Clubman and would like to run 17s. Tire Rack has a bunch that they say will fit but I'm slightly skeptical that they will clear the massive front brakes. Does anyone have 17s on their Clubman JCW?

 

You're right to be worried, Tire Rack doesn't always have 'all' the fine details of our MINI's down right. If the Rims clear the calipers, you may still need a shop to be careful where they're putting the wheel weights on the outer edges of the rim. I had to move all the wheel weights towards the interior of the rim on the aftermarket 17" rims I bought for my wife's Countryman S All4 after I mounted her Snow Tires on them, since even the very thin stick-on wheel weights I installed were going to hit the front calipers as the wheel rotated once I tried one out on her car.
I can imagine larger calipers being a real problem on your JCW.
I have an S Clubman, and 17" factorys' clear the brakes of course, how much larger is your set-up on the JCW?

 

Last time I looked, Tire Rack guaranteed their selections to fit. These aren’t a couple yahoos in their back yard who guess on what works, they get their hands on a vehicle and have lasers that scan the wheel well. If they say a wheel fits, it will fit. If they say a wheel won’t fit your JCW, it won’t. Ask me how I know!

 

That's sort of what I figured but thought I should ask just to be safe. Thanks!

 

Not sure where your post is coming from. No one is calling Tire Rack any names.....
They're only human, they can and have made mistakes in the past. They're great about working with you to correct a mistake, but none of this helps the OP , who I think is looking for some pictures of installed wheels on a JCW to reassure him of a fit and how they look.

 

Well the wheels I ordered fit... Barely!

 

yea, thats close.

More wheels here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...l-options.html

 

This is just common sense........

I would be worried about brake cooling and rotor wrapping problems and on a JCW they are certainly not cheap to replace. From your pictures,your set-up would not be covered under warranty for any damage to brakes.


Furthermore, depending where you live, rain, ice and snow may make matters worse. Think about all the grit and abrasives they put on the roads during winter that may clog everything.

 

Any problems running those wheels? My wife's JCW Clubman is getting here soon and I'm researching options.

TBH, that picture kind of scares me

 

I have the Motegi MR118 17'' on for winter and the are very close to the caliper but they clear. JCW clubman 18

 

Since you are going to buy a set of wheels why not buy some nice lighter good looking wheels to use in the summer and just use the stock wheels for winter? This way you can shop all winter long to find a wheel you like, and actually improve your cars performance in the summer when you want the extra go by having lighter wheels.

 

I've been leaning this way. Thinking about buying NM 18" wheels, moving the factory tires to those, and mounting winter tires on the factory rims. I'm not in love with the factory wheels anyway.