I have had 17 inch ASA AR1 wheels on my 2012 base Mini with 205/45/17 inch tires, but, they never felt great. The response was slow, acceleration too was slow, and the ride was more harsh. I also lost 5 miles per gallon.

So, I just put my stock OEM 15 inch twin spoke wheels back on my car with their 175/65/15 tires. Immediately the car was more fun. Turning was sharp, acceleration was improved and the car rode smoother. Gas mileage shot back up by 5 mpg. In the past I have also ridden on 205/55/15 tires.

What I was truly surprised about though is that there was no alert saying that the TPMS didn't exist even though I had taken the TPMS out of the 15 inch wheels and put them in the 17 inch wheels. I thought that the sensors would pick up that they didn't exist and an alert would show as low or no pressure.

So the question is, do the cars need the TPMS sensors in the wheels after all and why is the car not picking up a signal saying they are not there?

 

I just switched from 15's to 16's and notice about 2 mpg less. Not sure but between bigger tire and wheel each one is probably 6-8 lbs heavier. But the ride is awesome. Will prob put the 15's back on for long vacation trips but I got to paint em black. Don't know about the TPMS though , seems like you should have a warning light.

 

Thanks for the help. I called the dealer today and he said I should be seeing a light. I am now due for my first scheduled maintenance, so if it doesn't come on, then I'll have them check the system.

 

Maybe your TPMS system is not working.

Lucky you.

I use stock MINI 15" wheels and 195/60-15 tires for daily driving. Wider than the stock tire size gives good handling, good tire selection with still good mpg and low weight.