Hey everyone!

I'm a "newb" when it comes to rims, as I have always stuck to stock rims Currently I am running Mini S-Lites on my 03 MCS (with run-flat tires.. I know I should really dump them), but I think it is now time to "you-ify" my MCS a bit more by changing the rims.

I have heard that the weight of the rim makes quite a noticeable difference, however, I was looking at a set of rims that my friend was considering for his MCS (can't quite remember the brand and he is out of town at the moment .. BUT I do remember some of the specs of the rim).

They are a 19x8 rim with a 4x100 bolt pattern (5 lug) with a recommended 215-35-19 tire size. They are ~30lbs (which is 5 pounds more than the current S-lites ), but they look astonishing!

I would switch over to non-runflat tires if I did end up going with these rims.

Finally the questions:

Will the ride be considerably more rough with the new rims and non-runflat tires?

What are the advantages to having a 19 vs 17 inch rim (all I could find was cornering) and how much of a difference would I notice?

Will the added weight have a negative effect on the "power" (sorry can't think of a better way of phrasing this at the moment)?

The four rims end up at ~$1400 I believe, just want to make sure I don't make a mistake and buy something I will regret!

Any other advice/suggestions would be highly appreciated as well!

Thanks,

Bill

 

Heavier rims, with lower profile tires should ride harsher, though you'll offset that a *little* bit as they're not runflats, but they ARE 35 series, so not much sidewall there to absorb bumps.

The effect on 'power' depends both on total weight, and where that weight is (i.e. it's easier to spin if more mass is closer to the center.) Depending on the weight of the tire, I'm guessing you'll 'lose power', as metal is heavier than rubber, even thick runflat sidewall rubber.

 

Thanks for the quick response, I found this pic, which looks very similar to the ones I had in mind (these aren't exactly what they look like, but essentially a 90% look-alike).



The weight seems to be "all-around distributed", any further thoughts?

 

the 215/35-19 (Using Dunlop Direzza D1 as an example) has a diameter of 25" and turns 826 revs/mile

the OEM tires are as follows:

17" rims wearing the Dunlop SP Sport 9000 DSST have a diameter of 24.2" (revs/mile not listed)

the thrust at the contact patch is determined by the distance between the axle centerline and the contact patch - in this case going to 215/35-19 from the OEM tire will increase that distance by .4" by changing the radius from 12.1" to 12.5".

this will reduce available acceleration by approximately 3.3 percent across all gears and all speeds

it will also reduce available braking by the same margin

in addition, the larger tires are approximately 10 percent heavier, which coupled with the increased rim weight will adversely affect both acceleration and braking, but I am damned if I can compute that effect

finally, the shorter sidewalls will significantly reduce the ability of the tire to absorb short high frequency bumps, passing more motion to the suspension (and to you)

bottom line - if you think they look great and that is what is important to you then by all means. i'm a performance guy myself, and run 15x7 Kosei K1 rims and 195/55-15 Dunlop Z1s. That combination adds about 5% to acceleration and braking performance over the stock setup, and rides one hell of a lot smoother....

different strokes for different folks!

 

Also, keep in mind that the weight is getting added on farther away from the centre of the wheel, so rotational acceleration and deceleration will be negatively affected. On my other car, I've had 19" wheels on them before (BBS CH) and the ride was harsher and the car felt a bit slower to accelerate. I settled on 18"s for that ride.

On the Mini, I think I will be sticking to a 16" wheel.