Will 235 45 17 tires on rims to fit them work on a 2008 Mini Cooper S hardtop? Any rubbing or clearance issues? Suspension or tire wear issues...

Thank you,
John

 

I forsee fitment/rubbing issues there. That's a big jump for a car that comes from the factory with 205/45/17's.

 

They won't work. You won't want any larger than a 215/45-17.

 

225/45 17 will work. I have a set of Michelin PSS in this size with stock 17s and stock alignment with no rubbing and love them.

 

Got any pics?

Love the look of meaty tires lol

 

I don't have any pics of mine but check out the link below for pics of the same.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...installed.html

 

We run a 235/40/17. I don't think a 235/45/17 would go very well. Ours rubbed on fender liners for awhile until they eventually clearanced. 235s are kind of the limit for the r56 so fitment is kind of a case by case basis.

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"rubbed until they eventually 'clearanced'"... means you put a tire on that didn't fit and let it hit until either the tire or liner wore down. that's the opposite of doing it right. Jesus people.

 

That's doing whatever it takes to fit as much tire as possible... because racecar...


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Minis have plastic fenders and liners. You can trim them back a significant amount without affecting how they perform their intended function at all.

Whether you do that with a razor knife or the tread of tire seems pretty unimportant.

 

i would imagine having something rub your expensive tires rather than getting in there and trimming it to begin with wouldn't exactly be the right choice... Sorry but just because you run autocross or track days, don't assume i know nothing of "because racecar" mods. Letting your tires take damage or do damage isn't the right way of getting the clearance they need.

 

The mini fender liners are flimsy and do zero damage to the tire. Properly clearancing tires requires complete removal and disassembly of the suspension. Then put it all back together but without any springs. Then move the wheel throughout its entire range of motion and trim as necessary. Then remove the suspension, reassemble with springs, and put back on the car. I think I'll just let my fender liners self-clearance. In our case they didn't rub much. Just on big bumps and that rubbed off within an auto-x or two.

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My 225/45/17 's have about 1/4" clearance from the front shocks (Goodrich drag strip radials). No issues with fender clearance, but I'm using OEM springs --- not lowered, and they're only for the strip. If you want more shock / tire clearance, for larger width tires, try a set of wheel spacers. Or, maybe shop around for special wheels with a different offset.

 

ahh see in my mind, I'm reading that the tires are hitting the sharp inner lip of the fender flare part itself, not the liner. I've seen so many people put too wide a tire on their car for silly reasons and just letting the fender eat into the sidewall.