Sorry in advance, I have read every post online about spacers for the r53 and I don’t have a clear answer.

I am refinishing some R98 wheels (et48) and would like to get some spacers to get the tire to sit flusher to the fender, with no poke. FWIW, I’m on Koni gold shocks which I understand is stock height. I am also aware I can just buy aftermarket wheels with the correct offset, so I’m hoping this doesn’t turn into a debate whether spacers are good or bad. My motivation is purely aesthetic. I have 3 sets of wheels already but I like the R98s.

3 part question:

1) For a Mini at stock height, stock camber and on 17x7 et48 OEM wheels with 205 tires, what is the ideal ET for a flush fit? I have read between ET33-37, but there are a lot of lowered cars with camber adjustments that make the answer less definitive.

2) I am also reading the ideal offset is different front to back, and back requires 5mm more than the front because of the negative camber (from factory)

3) I am running Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 at 215/45/17. They are a little meatier (I am also aware not all tires are the same dims). The extra sidewall bulge seems to reduce the offset of the wheel assembly by -4 or -5 ET. I don’t want any poke, tire or rim.

With that said, should the car be on:
5mm front/8mm rear
8mm front/12mm rear

Or square:
8mm front and rear
12mm front and rear

My calculations show:

5mm front spacer (et48-4-5=et39 front) and 8mm rear (et48-4-8=et36 rear)

8mm front spacer (et48-4-8=et36 front) and 12mm rear (et48-4-12=et32 rear)
*et32 seems aggressive when you factor in the 4mm bulging tire but ideal when you run a 205 tire on a 7” wheel.

I was initially under the impression that since several aftermarket wheels are 17x7 et37…so minus et11 from stock- meaning on 205 tires 12mm spacers are ideal, with the bulge from a 215 tire, 8mm is ideal.

This is stock 205 vs 215 tire to show the tire bulge I’m talking about.





This shows the offset adjusted by -5 to flush the wheels out. Disregard the back spacing from the strut. In retrospect, -4 seems more accurate.

 

this is a good topic. its difficult to say for the reasons that you already mentioned

i think if you literally measured your wheel to fender and wheel to strut clearances you might be able to get close. leave some room for error

 

side note: make sure the spacers that you uses are hub centric, fit tight on existing lip of the hub.

final note: be sure to get longer lug nuts (increase buy the same amount as your spacers)

 

I have always run spacers, for sure hub centric and longer bolts. I prefer 7075-T6 aluminum over 6061, but I don’t track my car and spacer options are slim. Thickness is limited because of hub fitment so even 8-12mm is harder to find in the same brand. Ecs has 8mm but not 12, H&R jumps from 5mm-15mm.

I suppose I’ll have to try and measure but thought it was good to poll the experts. I have Enkei’s on my car now that are et45. I don’t love the fit.

 

You’ve done much homework but…

The following was generated by Claude, only because it’s too much for me to type.

In 20 years, four Minis, SCCA Nationals, Tamil of the Dragon, I have NEVER used spacers.

Here’s why. (Get the right rim)

For achieving a flush fitment on your Mini Cooper, you’d be better served getting wheels with the correct offset rather than using spacers. Here’s why:

**Why proper offset is preferred:**

The offset determines how far the wheel sits inward or outward from the hub mounting surface. Getting wheels with the right offset (likely a lower/more positive offset for flush fitment) means the wheel is designed to handle the loads and stresses at that position. This maintains the structural integrity that the wheel manufacturer engineered.

**Issues with spacers:**

Spacers effectively change your wheel’s offset by pushing it outward, but they introduce several complications:

- **Increased stress on wheel bearings and suspension components** - Moving the wheel further from the hub creates a longer lever arm, multiplying forces on these parts
- **Additional failure points** - You’re adding more bolted connections that could potentially loosen or fail
- **Torque specification complications** - Proper torquing becomes more critical and complex
- **Potential clearance issues** - May cause rubbing on suspension components or fender wells during compression/turning

**The better approach:**

Calculate the offset you need for your desired fitment, then source wheels with that offset built-in. You’ll also want to consider:

- Ensuring adequate clearance for suspension travel and steering lock
- Maintaining reasonable scrub radius to avoid affecting steering feel
- Checking that the wider setup clears brake components and suspension arms

Most Mini enthusiasts find that a well-chosen wheel and tire package with proper offset gives better results than spacers, both in terms of performance and reliability.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

Thanks for the reply. I don’t want to debate spacers vs a wheel engineered with a proper offset. There are several valid points there and some less pertinent. That also doesn't account for the cost differential. Lots of people run spacers with no issues. In fact Porsche offers 15mm spacers in their parts catalog to run a wider track.

I’m ultimately just looking for the correct offset. With wheels or with spacers, it’s effectively a moot point I can work backwards. None the less, I appreciate the comment.

 

R98’s with 5mm all 4 corners

 

Really clean looking, Jason. Is your car lowered? Looks like you’re sporting the same 215 Firestones.

This is mine. I have matte silver racing stripes front and back and aero side skirts getting painted.

I keep flip flopping which color I will powder the centers of my R98s and calipers. I was leaning to frozen silver with a polished lip, but considering a light matte black (despite the fact I don’t love black wheels).

 

No she isn’t lowered and yes those are Indy 500’s 215/45. As for color I think black would look good on silver, or gunmetal.

 

Since you have to get longer lug bolts, just put studs in. So much easier on wheel swaps.

 

Hey @AirborneMini003

I am running the factory 16s, 215/50/16 ET48. I wanted an almost flush setup that your after.

I went with the Burger 18mm spacers on all 4s, although as you say the front ends up way more tucked do to camber. I however did not want to "ruin" the wheel track from factory and kept the front and rear the same. My solution was to camber the rear a little more then wanted just to get an even look front and rear, however. If you were to try and get the front to match the rear without cambering the rear, i would say about 5mm more spacing on the front maybe a tad more (really depends on camber, mine are maxed).

The burger spacers are truly awesome, they are almost press fit into the rims. Take a wheel off and the stay attached to the inside of the rim, makes it easy to put on. Or as mentioned by others converting to studs makes this super easy to.
Best of luck and happy motoring!

 

I think I’d need rear control arms to truly adjust the camber in the back. Not sure I’m ready to go there. I was thinking 8mm or 12mm squared.

I’m shocked to hear that 18mm spacers are what get you flush with 215 tires. That’s a true offset of 30, and a little muffin top to account for. Is your car slammed? Got any pictures?

I agree that running the same wheel track is ideal. Mixing spacers front to back isn’t like a proper staggered set up.

 

Sorry 205s, not 215s

Lowered yes, slammed no. I kept BCs setting which is about 1" lower then stock. Correct, the rear you would need at least adjustable lower controls, just had alignment a few weeks back.
Front -3.5
Rear -1.5

The Cooper tires i have are super muffin toppy, not a fan and looking to burn them off asap. Indy 500s have a better not so muffiny sidewall i can say. Can see in the pictures that the muffin top is actually almost flush wirh the wells, but throwing indy500s would almost certainly push the muffin in allowing even larger spacers to bring it out flush. They do sell a wheel spacer fitment kit which would give you the best scenario for your tires and ride height, but there almost 200usd.

Hope any of this info helps you!!

 

Another suggestion, I had bought some cheapo Amazon 4mm spacers 20cad. Stacked them and played around with fitment (obviously didnt drive) which helped dial in a proper look. Could be worth a shot

 

Looks solid. That is quite a bit of meat for a 205 and a 7” wheel. The back has a hair of poke from the tire it seems. My clubman was lowered on springs by 1” and I needed 7.5mm spacers to correct the offset from the change I in camber. Cleaned it up a lot.

I figure at stock height, that 18mm would bring that back tire right to fender level.

Super helpful. I’m in Canada so no way I can get a spacer kit up here. I need to do it the old fashioned way and measure. So far I really don’t mind a little tuck, so 12mm square might get me what I’m looking for, even 15mm square looks like it will work thanks to your pics.

 

Yes i do remember you being a fellow canuck, we were looking at that clean R53 whos owner passed over my way in the GTA. We do get hosed on auto parts so i feel your pain there, like i said the best bet is likely cheap ole amazon spacers so you can play with spacing or measure manually.

I do think your right, about 12-15mm should be close for you and achieve a flush or almost flush look. Indeed the rear does poke a tiny bit, i have adjustable upper and lower controls + R56 trailing arms so it wouldn't be much to pull the rear in a tad. But i don't feel like another alignment just yet lol. Again though take away the muffin top tires and the tread is actually inside the fender! I think once you find a look you like, buying the same or very similar tires is key to maintain the look your after.

Anyway, if your ever out this way on a mini cruise like the upcoming fall rattler let me know!!!
Take care

 

Yup, that’s me. I’m happy to have rescued the car I found. It’s been a labor of love but perfect project for me. I tend to go overboard with everything. I’ve had the car just over a month and it got a lot of love.

Very nice to find other Canucks on the forum. Our weather and roads don’t lend themselves to modding, and seeing a good conditioned gen 1 is a real rarity.

Thanks for the input. I think 12mm might be the safe spot for me. I do product development so I see everything in millimetres. Im running spacers on my SQ5 for summer and after changing the tires I’m 2-3mm wider than I’d hoped which is why I’m on a tangent here.

It would be great to have one sticky to show various wheel/spacer/tire set ups with all the details. The Audi forum has one and it was super helpful. Apart from that, and one guy (Mops) who is the ultimate stance guru, I never warmed to the car or Audi community.

 

Ok, so I used a pretty rudimentary measuring device (straight cut box with a clean edge and no visible deformations). Seeing we are talking mm something more rigid may be better.

Anyways, front is 12mm (drivers side was 10 which may suggest I need an alignment). Rear was 15mm. I am on et45 tires and I don’t know my camber so take it for what it is.

+3et for oem wheels using 215 Firestone Indy 500 tires. That would put you at 15mm up front and 18mm in the rear to be dead flush.

With oem spec 205 tires, stock height and no sidewall to account for, you could get 20mm spacers on in the back with stock camber and 18mm should be dead nuts.

 

thats good info. thank you for posting it up here. def would like to see a pic once you get them on

 

Glad you have a better idea, I dont believe you are wrong even with some solid caveman measurements lol.... as Sol said post up some pics when you are done!

And again, come out to a Toronto Mini Club event... posted a solid 93 cars last year cruising around cottage country muskoka!

Take care Eh

 

That would be awesome to make it out there. Last drives we did was Mini Takes the States in Burlington and the drive around Mount Washington in the Clubman.

I will definitely post pics of the fitment. I am sending the wheels to get split, bead blasted and powder coated next week. I’m still flip flopping on colors for the face. Matte silver or matte really dark grey, leaning to darker at this point.

I’ll order up some spacers. Takes forever to get anything delivered here so fingers crossed I can mount them before I put it away for the season. I have some winter projects for it that will keep me busy.

 

Happy this question popped up! I have been wondering the same.
@Jason Cornelius clean r53!

 

Glad it helped. Bear in mind, my car is stock height. If you are lowered on springs or coilovers, the variables change. It all depends the look you’re going for.

Post your pic up in the thread when you have one to share it may help someone else. Try to include your wheel offset, tire brand and size and if you are lowered (if so how much/with what)

 

she will be even clearer once rear bumper is swapped.