I have two questions...First, does anyone know if the 16' inch R90's will fit the JCW brakes? Second, Which is better, the 16' or 17' R90? I am trying to save weight, and keep the wheel circumference down, but I want to attain the maximum grip as possible. Any help would be appriciated.

 

Read this to find out what fits according to MINI and JCW-
http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/03/...hat_wheels_fit

Pretty confusing except that stock MINI wheels in 17" will fit including the two piece R90. But it is unclear which of the many 16" MINI wheels will fit.
The new R94 16" rim and older R87 16" rim will fit. Unsure of the others but I have emails out to check on this.

Between the two R90 wheels-
The two piece R90 is 17x7" more expensive (has bolts along the rim edge which are hard to keep clean) and weighs 24 pounds
compared to the one piece R90 16x6.5" which weighs 21 pounds.
The 17" R90 wheels look fancier but will get dirty in a hurry. The 16" R90 is better for daily use and for keeping clean without getting a headache from all those nice cross spokes. 3 pounds lighter is nice.

Then there are the differences in the selection of tires to fit rims that are 17x7":fits 205/45-17, 215/45-17 or 215/40-17.
16x6.5" rims fit 195/55-16, 205/50-16, 215/45-16.

Overall I'd suggest the 16" R90 and 205/50-16 non runflat tires-
If your budget allows- talk to Alex@tirerack.com about the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires and if you are on a more basic budget then check out Toyo Proxes 4 or Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires from edgeracing.com

 

>>The 17" R90 wheels look fancier but will get dirty in a hurry.



I think the 16" R90's will get dirty just as quickly as the 17's...

I have the 17" R90's but have not used it for a LONG time due to
its weight. its quite heavy..but was surprised to hear that the
S-Lites were even heavier!

 

I have the 16" R90s with the JCW Brakes. Dealer just changed the factory wheel weight placement to a slightly different position, more on back of wheel. Works just fine

 

jrbbmcs, do you have any pics with the JCW brakes?

I have the 16" R90s ($152 each from Classic MINI ) which I bought after selling the factory X-lites. The tires are 205/50/16 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. The R90s are a pain to keep clean but I love the look and what I did was put 4-5 layers of Zaino on each wheel before having them mounted with tires. Has helped keep them clean :smile:.

 

Anyone have real pics of the JCW brake kit and 16" R90s???? I would order it today if I knew they fit :smile: