Hello. I'm getting ready to place an order for a new MCS and am weighing pros and cons of various tire/wheel and suspension options to find my ideal balance of ride comfort vs. handling.

I'm also learning about unsprung weight for the first time, and don't yet have much technical understanding of how all this works.

I was initially thinking that I would get 17" Web Spokes as I really like their look. Then in reading about unsprung weight I started to think that maybe I should choose my wheels based on their weight, and perhaps the web spokes might be too heavy. I don't actually know how much they weigh vs. any other wheel.

Does anyone out there have any insight into all this. I really like the look of the web spokes but might be willing to sacrifice that if I could get a much better ride with something else.

Thanks.

 

I have the web spokes, there not that heavy...22lbs a piece. And if want lighter wheels, your gonna have to go aftermarket, cause these are pretty much the lightest wheels MINI offers as an option.

 

22 lbs. is pretty heavy. The Crown Spokes are 22.5 lbs. However, there is a new twist that may complicate getting after-market wheels. It seems that the new MINIs are arriving with tire pressure sensors in the wheels. You would probably have to talk to a MINI service person to find out if they can be transferred to after-market wheels.

Have you thought about 16" wheels? Lighter and softer ride.

 

really?! interesting... the current wheel sensors suck for me. it's causing abs and dsc issues. any articles/info/links on the new pressure sensors in the wheels? i wonder if they can be retrofitted to older gen MINI's..

 

Probably not, since the first-gen MINIs don't really have dedicated sensors for the pressure anyway. The computer just looks at the rotational speed information it's already getting as part of the ABS system.

If you're having problems with your current sensors, it's probably the sensors themselves, and has nothing to do with the TPM system. Even if you were to somehow cobble the new pressure sensors into a first-gen car, you wouldn't be getting rid of the ABS sensors you already have, so it probably wouldn't fix your problem.

Frankly, I'm kind of puzzled as to why MINI would switch to dedicated pressure monitors anyway. On a car that already has ABS as a mandatory feature, the only advantage from dedicated pressure sensors is that the system can theoretically report the pressure of each individual wheel, and can tell you *which* wheel is going flat, but I don't know if the MINI will even take advantage of this capability.

 

You can thank your congressman for that.
http://www.dunntire.com/Learning_Cen...toring_Systems
In 2000, Congress passed the Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act to make tires safer for the motoring public.
The TREAD Act made it mandatory for automobile manufacturers to include dashboard low-tire-pressure were first required in 10% of new vehicles in 2004, increasing to 100% of new vehicles by 2007.

No it does not.

 

im aware of how the pressure system works for the first gen and i know that it's affecting my abs and dsc, thanks for restating what i stated in my
first post

but you're right, i dont think this is gonna work with the first gens... also seems pointless to put into a MINI of future gens.

there, i restated what you stated

 

But my point was, I don't think the TPMS in the first-gen MINI *can* affect the ABS and DSC systems, since it's just piggybacking on the data that the ABS sensors provide anyway. If you're getting ABS and DSC lights, the problem isn't coming from the TPMS, unless there's something that you didn't include in your first post.

 

But as far as I know, the indirect pressure-monitoring system used in the first-gen MINIs still satisfies the requirements of the TREAD act (monitors all four tires, and provides a warning on the dash before a tire is more than 25% underinflated).

Why switch from indirect monitoring to direct monitoring if you're not going to provide individual pressure readings on the dash, or at the very least, identify which of the tires is underinflated?

 

i never mentioned my TPMS not working, i said that my wheel sensors are sucking/going bad

and to brad, the OP, get the webspokes if you're ready to spend a little extra time for cleaning and don't plan on getting aftermarket wheels. great looking wheels. oem wheels tend to be heavy either way

 

You're right - looking back at your post, you did say that it was the wheel sensors causing your ABS/DSC issues, not the TPMS. I got confused because when you asked about the possibility of retrofitting the new TPMS sensors to the older cars, it sounded to me like you were hoping it would fix your ABS/DSC problems, which obviously wouldn't be the case.

Sorry for the confusion.

And I'll second the recommendation on the Web-spokes. We have them on both of our MINIs and love them.

 

no worries scott

 

Any idea how much the 16" Bridge-Spokes weigh?

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INPUT... APPRECIATED

 

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f...heel_tire_tech

 

Fantastic resource. Thanks!