Red cooper (white roof).
The originals are too pricey (web and crown spoke are amazing).
Would like an upgrade to 17", web spoke/crown spoke like, silver.
Please recommend company & style.

 

I'm happy with my Rota Slipstream 16x7 wheels. The 17x7.5 are currently on sale for $159 ea., but only available in bronze, flat black, or white from Fast MINI. They may be able to custom order silver. Or, they may be available elsewhere.


I had a set of Rota RB 16x7 that were damaged in an accident, and went to Slipstreams because they are lighter, and easier to clean.

I started out with heavy (22.5 lbs) factory 17x7 Crown Spokes, but sold them for lighter-weight CenterLine RPM 17x7 that only weigh 16 lbs. They are raw aluminum, so require a fair amount of care. They are not finished as well as the Rota wheels. Also, CenterLine has an F rating with the BBB for poor customer service. Otherwise, I haven't had any problems with them.

16" wheels tend to be lighter weight, and provide a softer ride. Many racers prefer small wheels because of the unsprung weight advantage, others like larger wheels for the quicker turn-in. Mostly, large wheels are for looks over function. I tend to like the smaller wheels.

 

Not sure about the crown spokes but the Web Spokes are a MINI only design. I have looked and looked to try and find something similar and not found anything anywhere. I wanted some for use as winter wheels but ended up with something else because of price.

 

Wow, thanks.
Now I'm aware of other stuff I wasn't such as:

1. Weight - Especially that wider tires will cost me in performance and fuel consumption.
2. Finish (easy care).
3. Get wider rims and stay with 15-16" (good for comfort ride).

btw,
crown spokes replicas:
http://www.wheelsandcaps.com/w_selec...ER&_MODEL=MINI

Although I'd prefer a well known company.
The cooper's original are nice looking but too narrow (5.5?).

 

You can sometimes find some good used rims for sale in the marketplace section.

It is generally a good idea to get a rim that weighs less.

 

If you live close to 95630, I have a set of wheels that you can have... they are the Slites

 

Common places to look are Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct. You can Google wheels and get many dealers. Is your car an "S"? If so not many 15" wheels fit your car because of the brake calipers and also the rear contol arm gets in the way. The control arm is a factor on base Mini's. I know because I have been extensively researching and looking for 15 inch wheels that look good. You can add 195/60/15, 205/55/15 tires or 215/50/15 tires for a real good look. These will also fit on 5.5 inch wheels and up. On a base Mini weight will affect acceleration. I'm having difficulties finding the "right" wheels. I currently have 15" Mini Spoolers and am considering just adding wide tires. It could be a unique look. The choices are few and far between. Hope this helps.

 

With a chili red car and a white top I like the white wheels. There a real pain in the butt to keep clean, but they make the car really stand out. I think they look a lot nicer than silver or chrome.

 

BRX510 or others, I have the factory 17in web spoke that I am willing to sell cheap since they are used and abused. I know a guy that would refinish them if you were intrested but I dont want to fix them up if your not. I am only going to ding them up again, that is why I wont fix them up for my self, and I need to get some blacked out rims to go with the blacked out car. I can send pictures if you are intrested. They are not posted in market place do to, I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but if really want them let me know.

 

s lites won't fit on second gen's

 

ricbow ...never heard that s-lites won't fit a second gen. Why is that. I was looking for some for my 2008 base. Let me know why. Thanks.

 

The lug size is different 02 - 06 12mm 07 - newer 14mm

 

Wider tires will slightly lower your mpg, as will not maintaining exact tire pressure. I don't think wider tires will hurt performance. They should give you shorter stopping distances, better cornering, and less wheel spin on acceleration. So, it would be a trade-off between economy and safety.

Lighter wheels will give you a better ride because there is less mass for the suspension to absorb when a wheel hits a bump. Braking and acceleration will be a little better because the wheel will have less inertia (this is probably a subtle difference).

The design of the wheel will also affect ease of cleaning. If you are using OEM brake pads, cleaning brake dust off is a frequent job. However, if you switch to pads like the Carbotech 1521 Bobcats, dust stops being an issue. I've got about 10K miles on a set of Bobcats and like them very much.

I've been running 205/55-16 tires on 16x7 wheels. They are 0.4" larger in dia. than the 205/45-17 tires that came with my MCS. In theory, that raises the car about 0.2". Some people prefer to run 205/50-16 tires on 16x7 wheels because they are closer to the O.D. of the tires that come on factory 16" wheels. Smaller dia. will give you lower effective gearing, resulting in better acceleration, but worse mpg at cruising speeds. Again, differences probably subtle.

 

I will have to check. My brother has an R56, I'm pretty sure the bolt fits, thats why its tapered. I will check.

 

Thanks Checkers. You are right! I forgot about the lug size - 12mm versus 14mm is correct. I appreciate the reminder!

 

S-lites will fit on a 2nd Gen!!! I just purchased a set of 4 for mine and they fit perfectly.

 

15x7 rpf1 from enkie just had one of them in my hands. SUPER LIGHT!!!! The finish on the wheel was amazing, but I think a 16 would look better on an r56 in my opinion

 

That's a kind gesture , but I don't live by.

Nope. Non-S Cooper.

Next time I'll replace mine.

I went through numerous companies, the options are endless.
I still haven't found ones that are prettier than the web-spoke (which I wouldn't go for anyway , as they're heavy and 17"!).

Tiretrack gives an option to see the rims on the car and it's very helpful.

1. Size: 15" or 16", I tend towards the 15" so I could have more comfortable ride, but still 16" might be prettier. The original 175/65 are great for that matter.
15" with wider

2. Tires: preferably 205/65. But I guess that it might be ugly - 205/65R15...
So 205/60, 195/60, 205/45, 205/55, 205/50 might the options.
Now go figure what will preserve my comfort ride (as it's important to me), look great and give.

3. Tires make and type - numerous options.

4. Weight - the lighter the better. Mine is 13.7lb.

Of course I'll appreciate more advices and pics.

 

I think I'm pulling of black wheels very well right now. But i do have a set R90 anthracite wheels I'm letting go for a good price.

 

Good know I don't have to prove they fit. I know the bolts fit though those rims, with my 12mm lug bolts theres alot of room.

 

205/65 and 205/60 aren't matches to the original 175/65/15's diameter. The 195/60, the 205/55 and a 225/50 are. I don't find the options for 15 inch wheels endless. Be sure you specify the year and make of your car. Don't just go under 15 inch wheels as many do not fit. Tire Rack for example only has about 8 wheels that fit in the 15 inch size. I find the selection to be poor. Discount Tire isn't much better just different colors and varieties of the same wheel are shown. I know there are other distributors but the names of the wheels are those I don't recogonize. Of course the 16 inch adds some options. Good luck.

 

for more inexpensive wheels i like the rota RBs and the OZ supperlegeras