I see a lot of folks complain about the ride of the runflats. The Sport Pkg includes 16" wheels & runflats, or you can save some money and get the base 15" wheels (call me crazy but I like the look of the 7-holes) with plain ol' (non-runflat) tires and a spare.

If I'm ordering a MC hardtop, does it make more sense to get the 15's, with regular tires, or to go ahead and get the 16's with runflats and just swap 'em out later if I decide that I don't like them?

Is the car really held back by the 15's? Is it because of the narrow tire width?

I just hate thinking that with the 16's and runflats, the ride / handling / braking is compromised until I can afford new rubber.

I wish MINI offered 16's or 17's from the factory with non-runflats.

Thoughts appreciated

 

I have 16's and 15's. I use the 16's for autocrossing and the 15's for the street. I advise getting the super light holies and sport suspension. You'll have the best mpg setup and more handling than a responsible person would dare use on public highways.

Tire choice is going to be the biggest determinant of handling. The 15" OEM Contis aren't bad. The fastest street tire for autocrossing a base Cooper is the 195/50-15 Toyo R1R, not a 16" or 17" anything.

Just my humble but educated opinion.

 

I bought my car privately, and it already had 15's on it (granted, they're more like truck tires cuz the dude's driveway was dirt...). It also came with a set of 16's. My husband stole those for his MINI, cuz the tires that came with his car were almost bald. I am getting my 16's back this weekend though since he bought some 15" aftermarket wheels. When I upgrade wheels, I will be sticking with 16's though. I just hate my 15's (not the style, just the size).

 

So you can't get non run flats with the sport package? That's lame, MINI. If that is the case, and you talked to a salesperson and they said no, I would choose the wheels I like and then, if they come only with run flats, put those tires away or sell them. Or use them up! You will always need to buy new tires, but if you make a good choice, you will only need to buy wheels once!

 

Read your post again... Not sure what you mean by 'held back' by the 15s? They have less rolling weight so are better on mileage, they protect the suspension better than a bigger wheel with a smaller profile tire, and they give a more comfortable ride. At least, those are points that have been made. If you like the l5", go for those.

 

I bought my justa with 15s and haven't regretted it. The larger wheels are all about style; there's no real performance advantage. My old Fiat X19 and first generation RX7 had 13" and 14" wheels respectively and they didn't seem to suffer from lack of grip or handling. My Miata had 14s and did just fine. If you just like the look of the larger wheels, wait and buy them aftermarket with regular tires.

 

Thanks! Sounds like the 15's are just fine for the street / public roads. I know from my motorcycle experience that lighter wheels are also a plus due to less unsprung weight too.

 

Hi JoanieB...

"held back" as it smaller, narrower tires = a smaller contact patch and less rubber on the ground losing grip in a corner before a wider tire would.

I haven't spoken with a MA just because I'm not ready to buy and hate to waste a salesman's valuable time. I'm basing the whole "can't get regular tires on 16's" thing from the build-your-own tool on the MINI site.

 

This is what I was wondering in essence. Do the 16's and 17's offer a real performance / ride / handling advantage? Kind of sounds like the answer is no.

But then if 15's handle better, and the MINI brand is all about handling, why isn't the MCS, a performance model, available with 15's? Was it overwhelming public preference for the appearance of 16"+ wheels?

I agree, 16's and 17's look great. I'm just not sure I want to pay a weight & handling penalty, right out of the box, on a car which boasts light weight and handling as it strong points.

Especially on a base MC... It's not as if the Justa has all kinds of HP to spare, right?

 

My 2012 has 15inch holies. I really like them. Mike 2007 Turbo had 17 inch wheels wrapped in Dunlop star specs. These 15s are so much lighter. The 15 inch tires do not hold the road as well as the Dunlop star specs but I get a nice 4 wheel drift instead of major understeer. It is a blast to drive.

 

Aside from looks, I've never felt a need to go bigger that the stock 15's on my 10 MC. I did move to a slightly wider tire, 195/60-R15, and I don't think my MINI could take advantage of much more grip.

Off hand I can think of a couple of corners at a local track where the tires are just starting to sing, but there isn't enough power left on tap to accelerate through the corner any faster. Also, the taller sidewalls on the 15s enforce better driving on track, rewarding smoothness and letting you know when you got it wrong as the sidewall begins to flex. But, that's just my experience after a handful of HPDEs

One more point in favor of 15s over 16s is that 15 inch tires tend to cost less when it's time to replace them.

 

The non-RF 15's with holies and a spare are a way better option than 16's w/RFs. 16's are tweeners to me...if you want better road feel/style go w/17's or 18's. You want a super-comfortable ride stick with the 15s. Plus you get a spare, and you're on non RFs. JMO.

 

...you like the look of the 15s, and can save some money....seems like an easy choice.

with that saved money, later on (if you want) can find lightweight aftermarket 16 or 17 inch wheels as a 2nd set.

..also, this subject perfect for the "tires/wheels" section of forum

 

...only buy wheels once....well thats no fun!

 

I have lightweight 16s but I've thought about selling them and getting ultralight 15s when the current tires wear out. I think 15" looks pretty good on the Cooper.

 

The reason 15's are only available on the base Cooper is weight and power requiring wider (and heavier) wheels. Also there is no room for a spare tire in the S/JCW models and no one makes a 15" runflat.

BTW, the tire patch isn't smaller on a narrower tire, it is just shaped differently. All other things being equal a narrow tire will provide the best acceleration and braking while a wider tire will provide the best grip while cornering. But all other things are never equal and a car must do multiple things like accelerating out of a corner or trail braking into one. Available tire choice always wins the ultimate handling argument.

 

Lot of misinformation in this thread, however the above two posts answer the question perfectly. IMHO, for what you want, go with the 15's, and you can always go with a wider tire if down the road you'd like, there's plenty of room.

 

^^which stuff is misinformation?

 

Wider tires having a larger contact patch for one thing. As cct1 said, they don't increase the size of the patch, unless your tires are over inflated and too narrow for the car, but that is not what we're debating here, what actually happens is your contact patch changes from a narrow longer contact patch to a wider shorter one.

 

15"

 

I have the twin-spoke 15s and sport suspension on my Justa. The ride is firm and controlled, but not a kidney-buster. It will go around corners quite nicely. I have only approached its limits a few times, and it has always felt fairly well controlled. There was a hint of oversteer on the exit of some corners, but only a hint and it was very easily controlled with steering input.

If you like the 15s, get 'em!

There should theoretically be some handling advantage with larger wheels because the tire sidewalls are shorter. This helps maintain the shape of the contact patch a bit better when cornering loads try to deform it, and it helps the transient response when you start turning. This can be overwhelmed by other factors (tire construction and materials, weight and size of the wheels and tires, etc.).

In regular daily driving, I think that 15s are a better choice myself.

 

You can help with tire roll by picking a tire with a stiff sidewall, or lower profile.

I run 225/45/15's on 7 inch rims on the track, and I love them, but eventually I'm going to go with a wider rim, I do get a little bit of tire roll. That being said, they are MUCH better than 16's--the gearing improvement with the smaller diameter tire, not to mention the weight savings, is a huge benefit in and of itself.

 

There are definitely advantages to a wider tire with a smaller sidewall. Smaller stiffer sidewall helps with steering responsiveness and reduces tread squirm. These do come at the cost of a rougher ride however. Wide meaty tires are a good thing, don't think anyone is saying they aren't, they just don't give you a bigger contact patch.

 

#1: The 15" holies are the best looking wheel out there and the lightest stock wheel. Buy them. I think is says something that MINI brought that wheel back after a few years of not offering them.

#2: My wife and I both have early Justa/R50's with holies and stock size aftermarket tires (175/65-15 is the size, I think). The stock tires are/were and OEM Continental; they have OK grip but are noisy and don't last very long (not dangerous on any of these items, just kind of annoying). The aftermarket Continentals in that size are called ContiPro Contact and have good life, are quieter and have what I feel is excellent grip in corners, even when it's wet. The only time I've lost it is this Sunday when I wanted to see if the road-wide oil slick I was seeing on the street I was on affected handling. It did- a twitch of the wheel sent us sideways producing much consternation from the passenger and rear seat. It was so oily I had trouble getting up a steep hill near my house. Must have been a diesel leak from some large truck or something.

#3: Replacement of the four Continentals at Discount Tire came to #600 total. Try that with larger sized tires.

#4: In summary, buy the 15" holies.

Val

 

I feel like I'm just piling-on this late in the thread, but I'd also order the Justa with 15" wheels for the road, and get lightweight aftermarket 16" wheels for autocrossing or track. The lighter weight 15" wheel/tire combo allows for better acceleration, braking, fuel mileage, and ride comfort, and at a lower cost; just about everything good except for turn-in and cornering grip.

BTW, the Justa that won H Stock Nationals last year was on 15" wheels, but with 245 width Hoosiers in front.