I recently moved from Seattle where I bought my 05 Cooper S used. I don't know the extent of the mods that were done to the wheels and suspension. I currently have 215/35/18 tires on 18x8wheels. I've been dealing with bent rims for over a year and the ride is really getting to me. After my most recent flat tire I discovered that not one but three of my rims are cracked. My tires are less than a year old but I think sticking to 18" wheels will just result in bending or cracking them too. (Unless the current 18" wheels which are Kazera's are just prone to this.) I'm trying to determine what wheels or wheels&tires to purchase that will not be prone to damage. Also I know my car has been lowered and don't have the slightest idea how this would impact my tire and wheel selection at this point. I've gotten used to the look of the 18s but I can't afford to keep replacing tires and wheels or to be constantly worried after I hit a surprise pothole. Will going to 17" wheels improve anything or do I have to go 16”? (I'm guessing that would also depend on the tire selected.) When buying wheels are there any brands, weights or construction types to avoid? I've only been looking at tirerack.com. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks!

 

For one thing you've got to avoid pot holes . . . that means slow down as much as you can when going over one, or just try to drive around it . . . well as dumb as it sounds keeping your distance with the car ahead really helps to avoid the worse pot holes. That's the best way by far. Keep in mind, you won't go any faster 1" or 10' behind the car in front of you

But if you just can't help yourself than you might want to consider going down to 16"
It takes dedication to run on 40 profile or less.

The next thing you can do is to start going back to matching wheels and tires size. 215 on 8 won't protect the wheel rim much at all. If you do 215 on 7.5 or 205 on 7 the tire will protect the rim a lot more... and some tires are better than other at providing a rubber edge.


Anyway, it's kind of the obvious but there isn't a way around it, more aggressive means more risk. I know it's a hard choice sometime...

 

Stock !6's are very solid... I picked them for my Clubman since my local friend and Mini tech told me he sees 17 and 18" wheels bent up very often and almost a 16 never gets damaged unless someone slides into a curb.

I do a lot of city driving on crappy Philly streets.

 

Daily driving in NYC I would go with 16s. Weekly driving in NYC you could go with 17s. Peace of mind... I'd go with 16s. Stick with a reputable brand of wheel. Honestly just stick with an OEM wheel. If possible, keep a small spare in the car. The 195/55/16 OEM size tire will hold up just fine.

 

We have a bent challenge spoke from just daily driving on 40 profile tires. So OEM wheels aren't necessarily the solution. However, OEM wheels as a rule tend to be pretty good or just stick with a known aftermarket brand. I would argue that if tirerack sells it then you should be fine. Even our cheap Motegis are fine after 15k street miles.