So it seems the stock s is 6.5" wide. From what I seen 7 is the wider wheel possible....

How wide are the tires? I was passed by an earlier mini s today, and his tires looked a lot wider than what I got goin on. I just think a wider looking tire from behind looks a lot cooler. anyone have any info on this?

 

The R56 seems to have the same or more wheelwell clearance than the R53. I ran 225 wide tires on my R53, and I'm currently running 215/35-18's on 18x7.5" et38mm on the R56, no rubbing and no big deal. We could go a bit wider with no problem, IMO. I've heard of R53 guys putting 235/40-17 tires under their wheelarches, and there's a thread in the archives somewhere where a guy put a 9" wide wheel on his R53, so it's certainly possible with the R56!

 

wow 9? I just wanted that nice look of plenty of rubber on the pavement, rather than the skinnier looking wheel.

 

You better consult with your parts department before doing anything or you may regret it.

 

What kind of statement is that? Only the parts department has authority to qualify what kind of hot-rodding is possible?

 

Hmm. I don't think the parts department knows about my 235-width tires.



--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI

 

Well, 6.5" is the stock width for the 16" wheels, so you'd have 195/55-16 tires. Going to a 205/50-16 will get you a bit wider and a bit lower profile (and a LOT greater tire selection). Slightly smaller overall tire diameter, too, if that's a concern. You could also use a 215/50-16, but that doesn't seem to be a really common size like the 205/50.

For 17" wheels, all of the factory wheels are 7" wide, and come with 205/45-17s. A lot of people switch to 215/40-17s - again, a bit wider and a bit lower profile.

If you go with aftermarket wheels, you can get wider rims (16x7 or 17x7.5 or 17x8) and wider tires to go with them.

 

Mach V Dan, those are amazing. Exactally on the dime, as to what I meant. What do you have going there? Looks really nice! Any more photos for me to drool over?

 

PARTs can advise you about the use of extra wide tires, and any warranty issues. YOU can either reject or accept their answers. I have seen too many posts on NAM complaining that MINI has rejected warranty claims from owners who neglected to consult with their dealer. Enough said.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna ask my dealer parts counter for advice on what tires and wheels to run. We're talking about WHEELS. They go around and they hold up the car. That's pretty much all they do. They're not going to result in any kind of problems (warranty-able or not) unless they're grossly off in terms of size or offset -- and the people on this forum know as much or more about what fits as any parts counter person.

Thanks. They're Rota D2 wheels, 17x7.5 +45. Tires are 235/40R17. They rub just a tiny bit under the hardest cornering -- harder than I can do on the street. Otherwise, no trouble.

A couple more pics:







--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI.net

 

Good stuff Dan - thanks for sharing your success.


--->Loui: You're assuming us hot-rodders give two squirts about warranty. Those of us that know what we're doing couldn't care less what a dealership says or thinks. That said, what Dan says is on the money; if a dealership is hard-headed enough to whine about your non-OEM wheel/tire choice, you need to find a dealership that isn't so uptight as to push the customer away with ignorance.

 

Enough said. The question has nothing to do with being "uptight." Instead, the dealer is there to offer advice. If you don't care then the MINI advice doesn't matter, but there are owners who need advice that may or may not affect the warranty. In addition, warranty issues and mods do affect the price of used MINIs. Again you can blow off the dealer if you want. You said it yourself, "those of us that know what we're doing couldn't care less what a dealership says or thinks." It's this disregard for advice that gets owners into trouble.

 

While this statement may be true in some cases, I don't think it's relevant here. Wheels and tires do not cause problems that require warranty service. The only problems I can think of that have ever been caused by wheels and tires are the result of physical contact of tire and car -- and nobody in their right mind would ask the dealer to cover that under warranty anyway.

I'm imagining this conversation:
What I'm saying is, if you rely on your MINI dealership, you may get a pretty limited range of answers. It's in their interests to protect themselves.

For more on your rights under the law, please see my short essay on warranty law on our web site.

--Dan
Mach V
FastMINI.net

 

"The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act says that a manufacturer cannot deny a warranty claim because of an aftermarket part, unless the part in question actually CAUSED the problem that the warranty claim is about." In many cases the owner is at a disadvantage. I've witnessed this many times when a dispute erupts between the dealer and owner. While wider tires and wheels may or may not result in warranty issues it seems to me to be prudent and ask, before spending big money.

 

Then ask if it makes you happy.

 

We are using a 38mm offset 17x8 TD ProRace 1.2 with a 235/40-17 Bridgestone RE01-R and H&R springs on the R56. At the autocross, I can get slight rubbing, but on the street, nada. The rubbing has already clearanced what it needs, and it was on the driver side only (my additional weight) and only on the fender liner, no metal.

On the R53, I have 235 Toyo RA1s on 17x7.5, and it required SIGNIFICANT clearancing. There is no doubt more room on the R56.

Feel free to shoot me questions.

Hope that helps!
Randy

 

That's an old shot, but you can see the wheel/tire combo...

 

Randy,
Where was the rubbing occurring on the DS, front or rear, inside fender well or fender lip? Based on the photo, I'm guessing front fender lip.

 

I'm running 18X7.5 PIAA FR-S's and 215/35's, no rubbing at all. The car looks much tougher than with it's OEM wheels

 

another one for Randy...
Are the wheels so wide, they stick out past the arches? It appears that way from the picture.

 

I like the wider tires too. Randy, your car looks all business!

 

It rubs on the inside of the outer rear driver side fender liner, and not any more since the original rubbing wore its own spot. I am running another car like this one with the stock springs, and there is no rubbing at all.

It does not stick out past the fender, but it is right there!

Here are a couple more pics, note the black treatments as well...





Let me know if you have any other questions! Look for a lot of the items on the car on the catalog shortly.

Thanks!
Randy