Forgive me if this has been covered but is there a size i should stick wih or change to? My mini came with 17" wheels but i have seen people rock 16" as well as 18" I am def mor performance oriented than asthetics, so just kinda wondering what the general rule of thumb is wheel wise. Is it smarter to drop down in size or go up in size? Any insight is appreciated. This will be the first vehicle i have ever put any wheel/ture combo other than stock on

 

That depends on so many factors.
In general, all else being equal, from your 17":
Smaller (i.e. 16") vs Larger (i.e. 18")
lighter - heavier (usually, for rim + tire)
quicker accel - slower accel
slower turn in - crisper turn in
more compliant - less compliant
cheaper - costlier
less likely damaged - more easily damaged (by potholes etc..)
no BBK - BBK will fit

 

Speedo & odometer change when resizing. If you care!

 

Very useful info, yeah i know about speedo/odo, i think mine is about 5-7mph off anyway.

 

The effect on speedometer/odometer is due to changes in tire diameter, not wheel diameter. MINI 15, 16, & 17" OEM tire sizes are typically 24-24.6" in diameter. A tire usually shrinks by 0.5" from tread wear.

17" is a very popular choice for performance, due in part to better selections in performance tires.

 

Any idea what size these might be? Or brand/model for that matter?

 

There are a bunch of reasons to consider different rim sizes.

A smaller rim will allow for a taller sidewall on the tire. This usually offers a softer ride, but sacrifices cornering. Low profile tires tend to have a very short and firm sidewall. This makes for better cornering but at the expense of a rougher ride. Width likewise affects traction. Narrower tires won't corner as well, but wider ones will get worse mileage (arguably not to a tremendous deficit though). I prefer to run taller sidewall, narrower tires in the winter as that typically offers better control in snow/wet conditions, assuming a good balance of tread pattern and rubber composition.

Then there's how they look, some folks prefer one look over another. Sometimes to stupid extremes.

There's also factors for racing where you're looking to cut down on weight. But that's a whole other realm of considerations.

 

These are CCW's or a replica of the design. I can't tell which from the pic. Looks like probably 17" on an R56.


For most people wheel size comes down to aesthetics. Unless you're tracking the car, you might feel the difference in the weight savings, but it's not so much that it will have an impact on your normal driving conditions. I've always been of the opinion that you should just get whatever you think looks good unless it's a track car. Just keep in mind that bigger diameter wheels will decrease comfort to an extent, depending on tire choice.

 

I'm on factory spec 17x7 with more of an offset than factory the wheels are also 5 lbs lighter(ea.) than the factory JCW R112's. I run 215/45's and the car feels fantastic. Regular every day driving I set to factory psi. specs, track days I set down to 35 cold. The speedo is now almost dead on.

 

My JCW wears 235/40/17 on Rota RB's with 45 ET. Dropped 2" on springs. I can't post pix because--????? but if you go to FASTMINI.NET check out setups which are the same as mine. These are very knowledgeable people that are great to deal with.

ISAMIN

 

10 inch . . .



sometimes smaller IS better