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I'm a newby. My Mini is a daily driver and I don't want to totally MOD-OUT my car, which is a totally stock, 2012 COUPE "S" with 15mm wheel spacers that I'm not married to. I understand that the wheels and suspension of the R58 and the R56 are essentially the same and there are a LOT more R56 owners than Coupe owners so I'm posting here to have a bigger crowd to source. Please forgive me if I am mistaken about the similarities between the two cars.
I just spent a few days at, "the Ridge" track in Shelton Washington, (first time on track). Had a blast! Want to do it again.
That said, I learned in the process just how bad the tires on my car were, (Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus). See photo below...
I want better traction than I was getting at the track and understand, "Contact Patch" to be a big deal. So I'm on the hunt for new, wider tires.
My thought is to get the widest tire I can fit on my mini without dropping diameter too much, or cutting/ rolling fenders. Can I can get 205/50/16's to fit my rim and car? Can i go wider? I was also thinking of going 215/40/17's but this would require another set of rims, which I'm open to, but i'm not sure the 215's will fit, or the offset required to make them fit. In either case I plan to get a set of ultra performance/ track tires.
What do you all recommend? Make and size please!
Thanks!
I got Advanti Storm 17x8 et45 wheels and Bridgestone Potenza S007A 215/45-17 tires.
Perfect fit and no rubbing on lowered 2011 cooper S.
Major improvement in grip and cornering speeds, car feels very neutral. Also have bigger swaybar in the rear.
Tires are bit louder than Potenza all seasons that were on the car but so what.
Money well spent.
See the Tires, Wheels, & Brakes forum section for plenty of tire reviews.
Contact patch is important but the rubber compound and tread design is more important. Your tires have a treadwear rating of 640 - that's hard, long lasting rubber. Compare to other tires that have a 200 or 300 rating. Search Tire Rack for options. I have been very happy with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (previously Pilot Super Sport) for both daily driver and track, though at the expense of lower tread life - they are toast at 30K. If you want a tire for track days but also want long life for daily driver duty, then consider getting a second set of wheels for the track rubber. That's hard to justify though unless you go to the track a lot.
17x7 Enkei Racing RPF1 205/45ZR-17 Toyo Proxes R888R
I spent hours researching this and talking with people like Mario Kart. Wider isn't always better, it's also heavier. These wheels are about the lightest out there and the tires are R compounds.
The JCW has the larger brakes. If I could have fit 16's over them I would have gone to a smaller wheel.
Thanks for the responses! I'm currently looking at possibly purchasing KONIG BACKBONE 17x7.5 4-100.00 45 BKMTXX, with CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT SPORT 215 /45 R17 91W XL BSW, but want to make sure they fit before dropping +/- $1500 on new shoes. This seems like a quality, light, and grippy setup at a good price point. Please help!
I'm a newby. My Mini is a daily driver and I don't want to totally MOD-OUT my car, which is a totally stock, 2012 COUPE "S" with 15mm wheel spacers that I'm not married to. I understand that the wheels and suspension of the R58 and the R56 are essentially the same and there are a LOT more R56 owners than Coupe owners so I'm posting here to have a bigger crowd to source. Please forgive me if I am mistaken about the similarities between the two cars.
I just spent a few days at, "the Ridge" track in Shelton Washington, (first time on track). Had a blast! Want to do it again.
That said, I learned in the process just how bad the tires on my car were, (Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus). See photo below...
I want better traction than I was getting at the track and understand, "Contact Patch" to be a big deal. So I'm on the hunt for new, wider tires.
My thought is to get the widest tire I can fit on my mini without dropping diameter too much, or cutting/ rolling fenders. Can I can get 205/50/16's to fit my rim and car? Can i go wider? I was also thinking of going 215/40/17's but this would require another set of rims, which I'm open to, but i'm not sure the 215's will fit, or the offset required to make them fit. In either case I plan to get a set of ultra performance/ track tires.
What do you all recommend? Make and size please!
Thanks!
I have a lot of time on the track with my R56. As someone who is new to taking your car to the track, you should be looking for simple changes at this point. What you are seeing in tire wear is a result of lack of camber, which all MINIs suffer from. No tire will “fix” this problem.
I run 15” wheels on my R56 and the 205/50x15 size is plenty of tire for the car. You can go to 17” but this will just cost more money and won’t gain you anything at this point in your experience level. Any of the 200 wear rated tire will do you well. Search Tire Rack for a good price.
At a minimum, do the free camber change. If you open the bonnet and look down at the top of the strut tower, there is a white plastic pin near one of the nuts holding the strut in place. On one side pull that pin, jack up the car on that side, loosen (don’t remove) the 3 nuts holding the strut in place, and then push the top of the tire inward to slide the strut inward. Some people have had to kick the tire to do this. Repeat this on the other side. This will give you about -0.6 deg of camber. While it doesn’t sound like much it will be noticeable.
If you want to go a step further and do a suspension mod, a set of IE fixed camber plates are great for the money at your level. And they won’t change the ride of the car or the tire wear.
Get real race brake pads up front. Hawk HP+ at least. Carbotech XP 10 or the G-Loc equivalent are the best.
Get a set of CG Lock safety belt adjusters to hold you planted in the seat (MINI seats are bad for the track)
Lastly, but most importantly, get an instructor in the car. The best way to get faster is to have someone teach you how to drive faster. In the NE here the BMW car club chapter do a great job of teaching people how to drive. Look into it.
Have fun and be safe.
Originally Posted by tman
I got Advanti Storm 17x8 et45 wheels and Bridgestone Potenza S007A 215/45-17 tires.
Perfect fit and no rubbing on lowered 2011 cooper S.
Major improvement in grip and cornering speeds, car feels very neutral. Also have bigger swaybar in the rear.
Tires are bit louder than Potenza all seasons that were on the car but so what.
Money well spent.
Thanks for your feedback. One of the events I attended was HOD event, in the rain, with a coach, invaluable experience. I’m unaware of the camber adjustment you’ve mentioned, and will definitely attempt this. I did end up ordering the tires and rims mentioned above, so fingers crossed that, plus the camber will give me some better cornering, without howling tires.
ill look into the brakes as well. Thanks a ton for the feedback!!!
Originally Posted by Eddie07S
I have a lot of time on the track with my R56. As someone who is new to taking your car to the track, you should be looking for simple changes at this point. What you are seeing in tire wear is a result of lack of camber, which all MINIs suffer from. No tire will “fix” this problem.
I run 15” wheels on my R56 and the 205/50x15 size is plenty of tire for the car. You can go to 17” but this will just cost more money and won’t gain you anything at this point in your experience level. Any of the 200 wear rated tire will do you well. Search Tire Rack for a good price.
At a minimum, do the free camber change. If you open the bonnet and look down at the top of the strut tower, there is a white plastic pin near one of the nuts holding the strut in place. On one side pull that pin, jack up the car on that side, loosen (don’t remove) the 3 nuts holding the strut in place, and then push the top of the tire inward to slide the strut inward. Some people have had to kick the tire to do this. Repeat this on the other side. This will give you about -0.6 deg of camber. While it doesn’t sound like much it will be noticeable.
If you want to go a step further and do a suspension mod, a set of IE fixed camber plates are great for the money at your level. And they won’t change the ride of the car or the tire wear.
Get real race brake pads up front. Hawk HP+ at least. Carbotech XP 10 or the G-Loc equivalent are the best.
Get a set of CG Lock safety belt adjusters to hold you planted in the seat (MINI seats are bad for the track)
Lastly, but most importantly, get an instructor in the car. The best way to get faster is to have someone teach you how to drive faster. In the NE here the BMW car club chapter do a great job of teaching people how to drive. Look into it.
I run both 15” and 17” wheels, depending on the track I am going to. The 17” wheels allow me to run larger brakes. Yes, this can get complicated. But, keeping it simple, those 2 sizes are the most popular sizes and largest selection of tires. The 215/45x17 tires are very popular with the MINI crowd and will fit. This is what I run. I run them on 7” wide wheels. I would think they will be fine on 7.5” wide wheels.
If you can’t figure out the free camber, post a picture of the top of your strut tower on this thread and I will help you through it. Mine doesn’t have any of that stuff to take a picture of, so I don’t think showing you mine will help.
Glad to hear you have had an instructor. Look for more. I still get instruction.
Perfect! I’ve got a CG Lock in the shopping cart along with some carbotech xp10 brake pads for the front. I understand those to be only for track days, not everyday, correct?
The Seats in my mini seem fine at the “seat” but very loose at the bolsters, is there something I can do short of getting a new seat to get some better lateral support?
Perfect! I’ve got a CG Lock in the shopping cart along with some carbotech xp10 brake pads for the front. I understand those to be only for track days, not everyday, correct?
The Seats in my mini seem fine at the “seat” but very loose at the bolsters, is there something I can do short of getting a new seat to get some better lateral support?
You can put the XP10s in and drive them on the street to and from the track. The will likely squeal but they will work just fine. You are really going to like these.
No, unfortunately there is not much you can do about the seats. Options are expensive and difficult to do. The CG-Locks will help.
I have a lot of time on the track with my R56. As someone who is new to taking your car to the track, you should be looking for simple changes at this point. What you are seeing in tire wear is a result of lack of camber, which all MINIs suffer from. No tire will “fix” this problem.
I run 15” wheels on my R56 and the 205/50x15 size is plenty of tire for the car. You can go to 17” but this will just cost more money and won’t gain you anything at this point in your experience level. Any of the 200 wear rated tire will do you well. Search Tire Rack for a good price.
At a minimum, do the free camber change. If you open the bonnet and look down at the top of the strut tower, there is a white plastic pin near one of the nuts holding the strut in place. On one side pull that pin, jack up the car on that side, loosen (don’t remove) the 3 nuts holding the strut in place, and then push the top of the tire inward to slide the strut inward. Some people have had to kick the tire to do this. Repeat this on the other side. This will give you about -0.6 deg of camber. While it doesn’t sound like much it will be noticeable.
If you want to go a step further and do a suspension mod, a set of IE fixed camber plates are great for the money at your level. And they won’t change the ride of the car or the tire wear.
Get real race brake pads up front. Hawk HP+ at least. Carbotech XP 10 or the G-Loc equivalent are the best.
Get a set of CG Lock safety belt adjusters to hold you planted in the seat (MINI seats are bad for the track)
Lastly, but most importantly, get an instructor in the car. The best way to get faster is to have someone teach you how to drive faster. In the NE here the BMW car club chapter do a great job of teaching people how to drive. Look into it.
I am currently running RE71Rs on my R56. I am looking at getting a set of the S007As for my F56 JCW as a dual purpose tire (road and track), with a bit better wear than the RE71Rs while retain reasonably good track performance. There are almost no posts about the S007As. If/when(?) you get them out on the track, it would be interesting to hear about your experience.
Eddie07S, what alignment settings would you run on a R56 for a track day assuming camber plates and adjustable links? Is there a setting you consider a good compromise for track and street?
Run the stock settings for toe-in front and rear. Up front, you are limited by the stock springs. I have been running -1.5 up front with the IE fixed camber plates and -2.0 deg in the rear. The rear camber on the MINI is adjustable and the -2 is within the range of available adjustment. With the stock front springs, you can only get about -2 deg using adjustable plates, so that make the IE fixed plates a good deal.
Not sure what you would need the adjustable links for.
17x7 Enkei Racing RPF1 205/45ZR-17 Toyo Proxes R888R
I spent hours researching this and talking with people like Mario Kart. Wider isn't always better, it's also heavier. These wheels are about the lightest out there and the tires are R compounds.
The JCW has the larger brakes. If I could have fit 16's over them I would have gone to a smaller wheel.
Have you tried this set up with same Toyo Proxes R888R but 215/45 or 225/45 with the same 17x7 Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels? also what is your wheels offset and if there is any rubbing?
Where I live I can't afford making a mistake buying wheels or tires. It is very expensive in my country.
Also I'm currently pushing 300hp to the wheels and I need to go wider than 205/45
Have you tried this set up with same Toyo Proxes R888R but 215/45 or 225/45 with the same 17x7 Enkei Racing RPF1 wheels? also what is your wheels offset and if there is any rubbing?
Where I live I can't afford making a mistake buying wheels or tires. It is very expensive in my country.
Also I'm currently pushing 300hp to the wheels and I need to go wider than 205/45
it started as a 2009 Mini Cooper S hot pepper 184hp MT. Now with all forged internals, and a 47mm turbo twin scroll, catless downpipe, AEM air intake, costume build intercooler, with a costume build clutch equivalent to a stage 2 or stage 2+, Ignition Projects Coil-Over Plug Plasma, NGK spark plugs (don't remember the model). Currently at 300hp and running stable as a every day car. I have to solve wheels, tires and brakes for track use.
I have a 2012 S that I run on the track and this is my experience with a stock suspension. Coilovers will have different needs...
I have run 215/45x17 and 225/45x17 tires on the track. Both on 7” wide wheels.
The 215/45’s are a great fit on anything from the stock wheel (ET 47) to a wheel with ET 38.
I recently talked with the the owner of a 2013 GP2. He was running 215/40x17 on 7.5” wide wheels and they fit nicely. Sorry I don’t know what offset they had, but I do know that they need to have sufficient offset to clear the GP2 brakes. I think the wheels were by Sparco (not sure I got the spelling correct on that one). So this would likely be a good option for more tread width.
In my opinion, the 225/45’s are pinched on a 7” wide wheel and are no more functional than the 215’s as a result. They should be on a 7.5” wide wheel or wider. With 225 tire on a 7” wide wheel, and ET45, they fit OK in the front, but in the rear I had rubbing on the inside of the wheel well arch. Maybe this could be resolved with added camber in the rear. The rubbing wasn’t bad. It wore a hole through the plastic liner and rubbed the paint off metal of the arch. I don’t know how the fit would be with 7.5” wide wheels. I should also point out that this was with the older Toyo R888 R-comp tire, which seems to run wide. I would think that the 225s are likely the upper limit to the size you can easily get into the R56 wheel wells. Although, I have seen posts by people who have put even larger tires on the car; not sure how, though.
