Hey everyone. I have been a long time lurker during the period of deciding to purchase a '16 JCW. My wife owns a 2012 justa that got me hooked on Minis in general, but they day that sealed my fate was an f56 MCS loaner car she received during service. I was immediately impressed and knew I needed a Mini of my own in my life. A black JCW would be just the ticket! Having said that, I'm having trouble with one last detail before ordering. I much prefer the look of the 18" cup spoke wheels over the 17's, but I live in Chicago and have to deal with salt during the winter. Does anyone have any experience with cup spokes in these conditions? My concern is the exposed alloy portions pitting. I was planning on swapping over to a Michelin pilot sport A/S tire and keeping these wheels on year round.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

The A/S 3's are a great tire, I had them on my R56 JCW and they were a good choice. There are a lot of threads on the forums about using spray on plasti dip or goop for paint protection. You can purchase it in an aerosol can for about $10 or so. You can peel it off after the salting seasons. There are a lot of posts about it in the forums and on You Tube. It might be the ticket for you. I would not want to leave the wheels without cleaning them after a day or two with a lot of salt and other chemicals on them without some protection for the wheels.

 

I'm an Illinois "Sucker" by birth & Illinois winters can be brutal especially near the lake! I'd think twice about running any kind of alloy wheels in the winter. Honestly, I'd buy a winter beater & leave the new JCW in the garage!

BTW, a black JCW is awesome (but I'm totally biased)!

John

 

The big Brembo Brakes make it very difficult to find 18" aftermarket wheels for the JCW although they really are nice for performance driving. Clearance is a real issue due to the protruding brake calipers. 02 is right about a beater, more money, but a much better solution to your problem, or just wait until you can afford a beater and the JCW! The F56 JCW is an awesome machine and with a chip or an ECU tune and the PRO exhaust it becomes fantastic.

 

I would recommend regular cleaning/waxing of the wheels vs plastic-dip. Too much chance of an imperfection or thin spot in the coating allowing chemicals to penetrate the coating and be held in close contact with the wheel. All the while you think you're being protected, but in reality you're supplying an incubator for corrosion.

 

The 18's have a clear-coat over the machined bits. There's no actual exposed aluminum. All OEM wheels that are "machined" have a clear-coat that's been tested to withstand salt-spray and last the warranty period or more.


Long story short, just get them and enjoy!

 

Thanks for the reply, guys! I will go for it and see how it goes.