I need some help on picking aftermarket wheels for wintertime for my Cooper S. I want just generic 15" steelies and some snowtires, but apparently the folks at MINI don't think that's such a good idea. I went to the dealer (MOP) to get a quote on some 15" MINI wheels and snowtires but they say that 15" are not reccomended for the S. Is this True? TIA!

 

it cant be said to be neither recommended or not...

i run on the 15' mini steel rims with some minor rubbing, had aftermarket generic ones before and they did rub, dont exactly know what though, i had a loud clicking noise when trying to u-turn in the winter

but there are people here who run 15s on their summer tires, and alot of people running 15s on r-comp tires... so it can be said 15s are fine if they are alloy or steel... i really have no clue as to the difference between generic steel rims and mini steel rims... other than the price

 

Normally the MCS comes with 16" or 17" wheels and the MC with 15" or 16" wheels.

Any 15, 16 or 17" wheel that fits the MINI can be used on any MC or MCS.

If you choose a tire that is very close to the outer diameter of the stock tire then there really is no difference in speedo accuracy. The 15" rim is only 15x5.5 so that matches to a more narrow tire but that is OK for a snow tire anyway. Call Ale@tirerack for a rundown on the options for whatever tire size you select. Narrow tires tend to plow through snow a bit more easily.

MINI stock 15" rims are not steel, they are only alloy. I don't know of any steel rims that will fit that would be cheaper than just getting a set of stock 15" rims. Try other owners or go on ebay.com for used rims or get some from the dealer that other owners didn't want because they got larger wheels. If you have a local MINI club then contact them.

 

actually that's not true, check on mini2, the r12 is mini's steel rim... i think it's standard on the mini one,: check on mini uk's website and you will see them

btw, i also tried getting 15s to replace the steel rims, but i found out the r82s here costs around 300 bucks a wheel... about 100 extra compared to my aftermarket motegis! (This is Toronto, Canada)

i honestly do not know what is the difference between mini's original steel rim with actual aftermarket ones

 

I'm planning on getting the package at TireRack...US$450 plus ~$100 shipping....total ~$550. These are Blizzaks. I'd prefer Nokians, but the budget can't swing it.


There was an eBay auction recently for some 16" alloys w/ Blizzaks, went for $515 + shipping.

Most folks go w/ the 15" rims to minimize snow buildup in the wheelwell. And there are some that swear by the 15" rims in summer too, for handling.

I've got the 17" s-lites w/ RFs, so it will be interesting to see the diff. I'm planning on putting some Toyo 4s when my RFs wear out.