Hey everyone. Just ordered an SE in Enigmatic Black with a white roof (probably). And the funky power spoke wheels. I'd love to see more pictures of Enigmatic Black electric hardtops, if you have any. Bonus points for an Enigmatic Black/White roof combo. We have a clubman in Reef Blue, now, and the colors seem pretty similar, but I've never seen an Enigmatic Black MINI, only pictures.

I've read up on the wheels. I'm just curious if anyone has real world experience with them. I like that they are light and aerodynamic. I like the asymmetrical look. I'm nervous about the plastic inserts? And the need for a special tool to balance them. But again, anyone have experience with them on your car?

Thanks!

 

The plastic parts of the wheel seem robust to me, but I bought some used Loop Spoke wheels for the winter. What terrifies me is the thought of curbing my Power Spoke wheels, leaving a trail of Energetic Yellow behind.

I believe there are two categories of MINI Cooper SE owners: those who want to drive an electric MINI Cooper and want other MINI cognoscenti to easily identify it as such, and those who prefer the look of the ICE-powered MINI Coopers, but want the advantages of electric power. I'm in the former category, so I decided on the Power Spoke wheels from the get-go. They ARE the wheels to have, being both the lightest and most aerodynamic 17-inchers MINI makes.

After my hometown MINI dealer closed the day after delivering my SE last August, I decided to purchase the Power Spoke balancing "accessory" to avoid a long drive to Motor City MINI near Detroit when it was time to get new tires.

You can see how the metal-weighted piece of plastic occupies off-center hole of the two holes into which the asymmetric wheel cover snaps. I've identified the part number on the box in the photo if you want to google for one. I got mine on sale for about $20 plus shipping.

In the photo of the backside of the wheel you can see how many wheel weights the factory had to pile on one side to balance the wheel. I superimposed a ghost image of the wheel cover in that photo to show how it's oriented when mounted on the outside of the wheel.

There was a post on Facebook from an irate British SE owner who didn't know about the balancing accessory when he had his wheels balanced. He found the resulting vibration made the car undriveable until he removed the wheel covers, which didn't make for a good look. He should have looked on the back of the wheel cover to see a sticker showing the accessory installed for balancing.


MINI Cooper SE Power Spoke wheel balancing "accessory"

 

It's a great color combination. A few pics, although we did add the Blackjack roof decal.