Heres the deal, I want to put aftermarket 16 or <17s> (factory size) on my R56 S. I am looking at the OZ . Setting aside the weight reduction, will the car really be that much faster with the 16inch diameter, and will I sacrafice much topend speed? Through NAM I found some guys with some cool stuff forsale but Im not sure theyll fit.
The tires on my car are 205/45/17
The proposed tires are 215/50/16. when I went out to my car, I felt only about a fingers width between the suspension and the stock crown spoke. The car will also recieve some springs as well.
DOES ANYONE have 215s on their R56 S.
PLease be nice with the answers I dont claim to know too much about rims an tires.

 

visit http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp and run the numbers for most of your answers.

 

I did not see cooper (MINI) on the configurator

 

The size difference is less than 1% if you manually enter the tire sizes. You should not lose any speed since the circumference of both tires you specified are close.

 

As per the speed issue, the size is a minimal speed deterrent at best, the weight, however, is the biggest factor. Keep in mind, the bigger the wheel, the more expensive the tire as well (cost savings if you go through them fast). Also, a 16 inch wheel in the same style is going to weigh less than the 17 inch, but not much on after market wheels. I believe MINI OEM wheels to be considerably lighter than wheels on most other cars, but the OZ's should give you some weight savings, and a quicker feel accelerating and steering from my experience.