Time to retire my road weary Webspokes to winter tire duty. Going for an open spoke / thin spoke look in black, and stuck between these two options.

All insights appreciated!

 

I have the Sparco's and am quite happy with them. I am not sure how they compare price wise to Konigs, also the Konigs might be a little lighter if that makes much a difference to you.

 

I love my konigs always been a good brand to me no matter what car I out them on

 

Sparco Assetto Gara is available at tirerack.com, you can purchase them with tires so that mounting and balancing are free but you pay shipping. You also get centering rings to fit your MINI and chrome lug bolts.

Assetto Gara comes in-
10 spoke pattern, gravity cast, made in China
16x7" et37mm, $130 each, 17.2 lbs
17x7" et37mm, $143 each, 18.3 lbs
18x7.5" et42mm, $171 each, 19.9 lbs

Konig Feathers are a budget street wheel-
http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...her_Wheel.html
17x7" et40mm 16.x lbs, $175 each, gravity cast, made in china

Discussion on 8 spoke Konig Feathers vs other wheels-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...raleggera.html

You can consider O.Z wheels if your budget is larger, for street use it doesn't really matter but these wheels are of better/stronger construction for their weight.
O.Z. Alleggerita HLT 16x7" $279, 13.6 lbs or 17x7" $339, 14.2 lbs
O.Z. Ultraleggera 16x7" $232, 15 lbs, 17x7" $280, 16 lbs, 18x7" $355, 17 lbs

Other wheels in black with thin spokes-
Enkei Performance EDR9 16x7" $129, 18.8 lbs or 17x7" $147 each, 20.8 lbs
Enkei Racing PF01 17x7" et38mm, $266 each, 15.5 lbs
Enkei Racing RSM9 17x7" $382 each, machined lip
Motegi Racing SP10 17x7" $137, 17 lbs, 18x8" $179, 19 lbs

Just between the Gara and Feathers, you have many more choices for tires using the Gara if you choose 16" wheels which cost less and weigh less.
You can use any of the following tires-
195/55-16
205/50-16
205/55-16
The taller sidewall helps cushion the ride for rougher roads and is more comfortable for daily driving. If you have a lowered suspension then 205/50-16 gives more clearance but all three sizes work with stock suspension.

17" wheels allow for the following tire sizes-
205/45-17
215/45-17
215/40-17
For daily driving either 205/45 or 215/45-17 work well with stock suspension. If you lower the MINI then 205/45 or 215/40-17 give more clearance. 45 series sidewalls will give more comfort than 40 series which is stiff riding but responsive on handling.

18" wheels allow for lower sidewall tires but wheel weight is more, none of the tire sizes are as good for street use if you have rough roads or lots of potholes.

Assuming that you want to use summer tires not all season tires (you have dedicated winter tires on OEM rims), depending on your budget you should consider the best street tires out there.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport (Max Summer tire), 300 treadwear
No sizes in 16".
205/45-17 $181 each
215/45-17 $144 each
205/40-18 $170 each

For 16" tires in Max Summer tire class-
Bridgestone Potenza S-04
205/55-16 $111 each, 24 lbs, 280 treadwear, $119 for 215/45-17
Continental ExtremeContact DW
205/50-16 $84, 340 treadwear, 19 lbs
205/55-16 $95 each, 19 lbs
Good on street comfort, less weight, good value on budget
See tirerack test results for Max Summer tires-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=148

If handling is not as important as long treadlife and ride comfort then also consider-
Ultra High performance All Season tires- good overall balance, handling in all weather with moderate treadlife
Grand Touring All Season tires- more comfort and longer wear

 

bought the tires two weeks ago, Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 215/45 17

love them so far, will find out this fall just how miserable they are in the cold.

I just can't afford any of the OZ level prices, and the cost/weight ratio of the Feathers is darn appealing. But I like the Sparco/OZ connection, if it actually means anything.

 

Just WOW
I think my brain in now full.

 

BTW, the konigs are 125 at discount tire so the cost is essentially the same.

 

You did not mention the target wheel size, I will assume 17x7 for simplicity.

Sparco Asseto Gara wheels come with 37mm offset (vs. 48 OEM). Not fatal, but you loose 11mm of clearance towards the fender.
The fact that they come with/require a centering ring is a huge negative. Unless TireRack ships hub-centric metal centering rings/spacers (occasionally they try to sneak in plastic crap) - stay away.

Konig Feathers' offset is slightly closer to stock at 40mm. I can't find any data on whether they are cast hub-centric for the Mini or not. Most likely not.

Most wheels on TireRack and other web sites come with standard BMW 3-series wheel bore diameter of 72.6mm. Mini's wheel bore is 56.1mm.

There doesn't appear enough of a Mini performance market to have dedicated Mini wheels, or is there?
Who found light, Mini hub-centric aftermarket wheels?

HTH,
a

P.S.: Sadly, all light Kosei, Enkiei, and OZ wheels at TR come with large wheel bore holes that require centering rings.

 

What's wrong with Rota's?

 

Good question!
The web site does not quote the wheels' hub bore, but it does sell hub-centric centering rings: http://www.fastmini.net/huri1.html

Rota's own web site lists SlipStream wheels manufactured with varying hub bores of {73, 67.1, 63.35, 57.1, 56.1}: http://www.racinglab.com/rowhs.html
The last one (56.1mm) is the Mini bore size.

It's not clear what bore size Rota wheels the web site you referenced is selling. But at least they have a 1 in 5 chance of being hub-centric for the Mini!
May want to call and ask if you are seriously considering these wheels!

a
P.S.: They are pretty light!

 

The OP has mentioned he had purchased Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in 215/45-17 already.

So the wheel of choice would be roughly 17x7" with offset to fit stock suspension.

Tirerack will provide centering rings in either hard plastic or metal (if asked for) that will fit the wheels purchased and the MINI. While it is nice to have wheels that don't require centering rings it is common for them to be used with aftermarket wheels. For street use there is no great disadvantage to having centering rings as long as you know they are present in case you have to remove a wheel and risk loosing it.

There aren't many wheel vendors that sell wheels that will fit the MINI without centering rings. This is because the wheels are made to fit many cars with various sized hub bores and the MINI has a relatively small hub bore.

Rota wheels are basic gravity cast wheels OK for street use that come in various finishes and designs including some knock offs of popular wheels.
There are only a few examples that will fit the MINI hub bore without a centering ring as many of the Rota wheels for the MINI 4x100 bolt patterns come with a 67.1mm opening.

One example of a 4x100 wheel with 56.1mm hub bore from Rota is-
RB (classic minilite 8 thick spoke)
http://18racing.com/wheel_rb.html
16x7' et 40mm
17x7.5" et 45mm

As for a thin spoke black finish wheel for 17" diameter Rota has-
G Force
http://18racing.com/wheel_gforce.html
17x7.5" et 45mm Flat black finish, $675 a set of 4 shipped.

For wheel fitment in 17" sizes compared to OEM-

Sparco Assetta Gara 17x7 et37 mm
In this case, due to the more aggressive offset, the wheel will stick out 11mm or 0.4" more than OEM. In addition the 215/45-17 tire is taller and wider than stock so the wheel and tire package will stick out about 16mm or 0.6" more than OEM 17" wheel and tire. Using stock suspension this is not a problem and will fit fine for street use.

Konig Feather 17x7 et40 mm
The difference is only 2mm less aggresive than the above wheel. Essentially the same.

Both of these wheels will need centering rings which you can get from the wheel vendor.

I expect that either wheel would function about the same for street use. Therefore the difference is price and looks.

 

I ended up getting the Konigs. Look great. Can't wait for my MINI to be running again so I can enjoy them.

 

Prplppletr do you have any photos? I was considering the Saprco's but will also look at the Konigs. And does anyone know the stock wheel weight? THese are 16, but I am planning on getting 17"

same with you ACallahan. Photos!