Aside from the fact that you are likely paying a premium by ordering them through the dealer, what is the general feeling about the JCW and OE Wheels offered on the 07 MCS?

Any advantages / disadvantages to the specific wheels?

17" and 18" alike .... I think I understand the issues of size (17s probably have more tire choices, 18s possibly more stylish but may ride worse, both offer differing performance benefits, etc) ... I'm looking more towards characteristics of the each of the wheels specifically (such as weight, etc) vs the aftermarket stuff. Should I be staying away from all of em? Are the double spoke 18" worth the premium? etc...

This MCS will have the sport suspension (and DSC/LSD) and likely aftermarket springs for a drop (MACH-V or H&R seem to be the ones I see the most forum traction with at the moment).

This would be for an 07 that has just been ordered... so I still have time to decide if I want to stick with the OE standards and upgrade aftermarket .. or chose to have them start the car of with the currently offered wheel options from MINI.


Thanks

(Be gentle.. first post on a new forum. )

 

Aloha and welcome to NAM.

Generally any wheels that are stock or ordered at the time of purchase have the advantage of being under new car warranty and paid over the life of the car loan or lease terms. You get the runflats from MINI- a little harsh riding but OK.

When you buy aftermarket you have a larger selection of choices but you pay right away and the warranty is based on the wheel maker. You do have a choice of various tires.

If you have special needs like a certain type of tire you want then aftermarket purchases are most flexible for your budget and requirements.

18 and 17" MINI wheels are going to be 7" wide and somewhat heavy. Generally expensive but OK on quality. Aftermarket you have a huge choice of finishes and designs some which are light or heavy and some expensive or not.

If you have to be unique then aftermarket is most flexible.

Make sure you check with the aftermarket source that the wheels will fit the newest R56 MINI- bolts are 14mm not like the older 12mm.

 

there's a thing somewhere on the forum that lists the weights of all the wheels. it's for r50/r53 but a lot of the optional rims're still the same. basically it's down to weight and ride. the crown spokes are one of the heaviest, i believe, and compared to some of the lighter ones, especially the aftermarket ones, the weight difference can be felt. also the bigger rims really stiffen up the ride since the suspension is already set up pretty taut on these cars

imho, lightweight 16" rims would be my first choice (mine has 16" kosei k1's) and are good enough for a small and light car. they ride and handle well. really big rims look funny to me on the mini. i'm still intrigued by white crown spokes on cars w/ white rooofs (like mine) but they look quite chunky. the black jcw double spokes are some of the most beautiful rims i've ever seen and i absolutely love them, but i'll never buy them 'cuz they're so expensive and i don't think 18" are necessary for the street

that said, my favorite stock rims are the r97 flame spokes and r98 web spokes. the popular stock rims can be found really cheap in the wheels for sale section

also, i don't like runflats and they ride badly. on r50/r53's they've also been implicated as part of the culprit for mushrooming, tho r56's don't seem to have that problem so far. i believe all mcs's have runflats from the factory (?) so there's no choice. i am toying w/ the thought of making my custom roof rack like the old skool monte carlo rally mini's and mount a full size spare on it thereby not having to worry about no spare or no runflats. i carry a can of goo sealant but i dunno how well those work in real life

welcome and congrats on your new mini

 

Specifically which wheels are you interested in?

See
http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f...heel_tire_tech
There are wheel weights listed and available finishes.

Some wheels come in white or silver- good if you like wheel because there are less options for aftermarket in that color except for Rota wheels.

If you like black wheels then aftermarket has quite a few.

Lightest of the 16" wheels is the R102 S Winder about 17 lbs

Current 17" wheels (offset +48mm)
R104 Crown Spoke 22.7 lbs
R98 Web Spoke (2 piece) 22.3 lbs
R99 Double Spoke (1 piece) 21.9 lbs

In 18" (offset +52mm)
R105 Double Spoke 23.3 lbs
R109 Double Spoke (2 piece) 25.4 lbs
R107 GP 19.8 lbs

 

All this information is fantastic!

To answer the question, I have the 18" double spoke (JCW) spec'd on the car now. The driving force behind this post is that I am second guessing that based on what I have been reading. Specifically, 18" whiles give worse ride and don't get much benefit to performance on these cars than the 17". Additionally, I though that 21 lbs was on the heavier side for a wheel is it not? I imagine wheel weight becomes more relevant at a faster pace than with other cars given the size and wieght of the vehicle.

Aside from the 18" double spoke, I like th R90s (cross-spoke) as well, but those weigh even more (coming in at 24lbs). The mini is spec'd to lightning blue with white top (and JCW aero kit)... just for visualization purposes.

The R99s are also quite attractive... and closer to that 20lbs barrior at 21.. but again we are back at 18" now.

Additionally, I'm very familiar with Rota and have easy access to them.. but I seem to recall their wheels are on the heavier side as well.. generally speaking, are they not?


Finally, what does the warranty actually cover with respect to wheels? I mean if you bend a wheel or put a dent in it, isn't that normal wear and tear?


Aaaaah!

 

as far as i know, yes, it'd be normal wear and tear. if the wheels turn out defective, as in were bent from the factory or subtaneously melts, the warranty would be relevant. the only other situation i can think of is if the paint prematurely disappears or if the rims develop a crack that's obviously due to defect

those rims you have spec'ed now are pretty darn sweet. keep 'em, who cares about the ride

 

Hands down you should shop by weight. There's enough bling out there as it is. A lighter rim means less unsprung mass and you can make up a lot of power here and I imagine it would improve your fuel economy. Checkout edgeracing.com or tirerack. I would stick with 17s because they probably have the best tire options and the ride on 18s could get on your nerves. Plus you could get issues with rubbing, especially since yorue planning on dropping it.

 

I think the the JCW aero kit adds more visual mass to the car and to my eyes, looks much better with 18" wheels.

I'd stick with the JCW 18s.
Are they specced in the silver or matte black?

 

They are spec'd silver ... I don't think the double spoke 18" come in anything else.

These are the ones I'm talking about:



Are you thinking of these?


they are only 17".

edit: correction... R99s are 18x7 .. my bad.

 

Anyone have any other points of guidance or advice? There seems to be a split between the folks saying "Just Do It" and folks saying ... lightwieght is king.

 

...some are uncomfortable in MINIs regardless of suspension, wheel/tire size/type, etc.. I have been underwhelmed by the difference that even a 2" reduction in wheel diameter makes(17" OEM alloys/runflats vs. MUCH lighter 15" OEM steelies/non-runflats). I can't imagine 18" wheels pushing the car over the edge for me, though IMO 16" or 17" is optimal for aesthetics.

Having over 180lbs ( ) of unsprung, rotating mass at the corners of my humbly powered, lightweight car is surely not helping performance, but this doesn't bother me a bit on the street. The dedicated autocross set that I'm in the market for will be as light as my modest budget will allow (thinking Rota Boost or Slipstream).