Want to replace the RFT and stock 17" alloy wheels on my 06 R53. Would like non-RFT and sexier rims. Can any reputable tire shop do this? Should I order through Tire Rack and have a shop put them on? Will the sensors still work? Anyone have this done? If so, where and approximate costs? I have been researching and have become a bit confused. Comments are appreciated. I understand that changing to non-RFT make the ride smoother and provides better handling overall. Thanks fellow Mini lovers......

 

I ordered my wheels and tires from Tire Rack. No problems there. I ordered them at separate times, so I'm not sure if they'll ship the tires already mounted and balanced for you. I don't see why not. That way, when you get them, you can just mount them on the car yourself. If they won't do that, take them to any local tire shop and they'll mount and balance them for you. In my aread, it was $40 to mount and balance all 4 tires. As for sensors, there are no physical tire pressure sensors for the 1st gen MINIs. The system just uses the wheel speed sensors which are not located in the wheel. If you're going to be purchasing new wheels, I recommend looking for a wheel that is lighter than stock. The stock wheels are kinda heavy - my old S-Lites were over 24lbs each! My new Enkei PF01's are slightly over 15 pounds each. Look for something with a 4x100 bolt pattern, and an offset (et) of between +40 to +48. The stock 17 inch wheels are a +48 offset. As for tires - I can recommend the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110. It's a Max Performance Summer Tire at a fantastic price. They do well in the rain, but not sure if they would suit your needs in Chicago's weather. You'll have to do your own research there. Hope this info helps!

 

Tirerack will sell you tires already mounted and balanced, when I ordered mounting and balancing was free if you ordered the set.

When I was looking I asked Tirerack's website what wheels fit and then sorted them by weight, and ordered the lightest.

 

i ordered my tires from tirerack and had them shipped to a shop that I bought wheels from (tirerack didn't sell the wheels I bought). if you end up buying wheels that are available from tirerack, you have options for mounting and balancing them from tirerack or shipping to one of their "install centers"

when researching, keep in mind that there are variances in model years as to how the TPMS sensors work. I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I think the older ones don't have a sensor in the tire (they use some sort of sensor on the axel speed) and the newer ones do have the sensor in the tire (not 100% sure of this, but I remember reading something about that plus my 02 doesn't have sensors in the tire but does have the monitoring light in the dash).

 

I can't thank you enough! These comments truly help. Bit of a novice here, newbie to the Mini world! One more question or comment, is handling and ride better without RFT?

 

Tirerack has excellant service.
Bought my Michelin's from them.
If you are looking for a great tire, I would recommend the Michelin Pilot Exalto's.
Great ride and performance.

 

Handling and ride depend on the tire, but ride is pretty much always better on a non-runflat.

 

I got my winter alloys/tires from Tire Rack and they were balanced very well.

FYI - Canadian R56 MINIs don't use TPMS sensors - they use the ABS sensors (I think). Saved me some $$. :-)

 

Am I safe to replace the 17" stock wheels and RFT with 17" wheels with Non - RFT? Could I get 16" wheels with non - RFT? What would the difference be? Again comments welcomed, you guys are really helping me! Have decided to order from Tire Rack (wheels/tires) and have them shipped to an awesome shop in my neighborhood.

 

I'm also interested in the 16 vs 17 question -- I ditched my 17 conti runflats for non-runflats (Yokos) and am wondering what difference it would make going to 16s the next time I have to change things. I know non-OEM wheels will probably be lighter (and won't have curb rash on them like my current set).

 

There's no added danger in switching fron a RFT to a non-RFT, just added risk of being stuck on the side of the road in case you get a flat. Get yourself a slime kit or something similar as a back-up. With regards to getting 16s, you should expect a softer ride and a slightly less responsive turn-in.

 

When I bought my 04 S it had 17" non RFT on it and I hated the ride.
I switched to a light weight 16 and non RFT and don't regret it one bit.
I have over a dozen track days and 94k miles on my 16's.
I didn't notice any difference in handling except the 16 didn't tram line (follow grooves in the road) no where near as bad as the 17's did.
But tires will make a big difference there too.
Just my 2 cents...

 

On Tuesday I ordered my new rims/tires (17" Enkei Performance T fork 18.6 pounds with Yokohama AVID Envigors), they arrived at the Tire Shop today, appointment scheduled for Saturday afternoon.....Tire Rack is the way to go. Will keep you posted on the new treads.