With winter comming in a few months its time to start looking for a set of wheels/tires. There isn't much selection for 17'' tires and 15's seem the way to go. The problem is the rim. I hate to put a cheapo rim on, and there really isn't much that catches my eye in the mid priced range. The SSR comps are what I am thinking but running a spendy rim like that in the winter seems a little crazy, what do think? I would also like to run them all year, different tires, just for a smoother ride then the 17'' S lites.

My second choice is the BBS RG-F's.

What's everyone else doing for winter wheels?

 

run your factory wheels in the winter.. wrap them with snow or all season
tires that are closest to the factory size. (a profile taller is even better to
clear the carwash rails).

factory wheels = durable finish (and who cares wat happens to them )

 

Bambam,

Most of us have practical budgets and needs.

A good place to start is to read-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=30473

Give alex a call and go from there.
Functional solutions that fit the MINI and leave some $$$ for performance wheels in the months when the weather improves.

 

All depends on where you are and what your winter driving is like.

IF winter means going to all-seasons b/c it gets into the 30's and you may have some light snow, then go with the OEM's or pick up a set of Rota wheels (great wheel & very short money.. do a search for more info)

IF like me, winter means DEEP snow, ice and slush a plenty and rutted ****-poor roads for 4 months, then I highly recommend steel 15" wheels. Steel is strong, and IF it bends you can introduce it to Mr. Hammer, plus if the finish goes and starts to rust, a little sanding and a can of spray-paint makes them good as new

There's no sence paying big bucks for winter wheels if there's any chance they'll see road-salt.

 

Steel mounted snows are the way to go if you live in any snow belt area... You can add some hub caps to dress em up a bit too... frost heaves and hidden road hazards make running nice wheels not the best way to go in my opinion... Also, steel wheels are cheap to replace if needed... I have the bbs rg-f for summer use and will use my stock all season for winter and will eventually get steels for the winter with snows, so I can safely pass those $40k suv's when in VT

 

After sleeping on it I think you guys are right about not running spendy rims in the salt. I live in Minnesota and winters here can be very bad or no big deal, you never know what your going to get but one thing is for sure, they love dumping tons of salt on the roads. I think I will still go with 15'' steelies instead of 17'' tires. Its cheaper to 15'' rims and tires then just 17'' tires.

 

I save my stock 16 inch five stars for warmer months. For winter I run Haak RSIs on factory 15 inch holies that I treat with paint sealer to afford some protection from the salt and grit.

Pete

 

Utah winters can be unpredictable; two years ago we had heavy, heavy snow all winter long, last year (after I bought a snowblower ) we got very little snow on the valley floor at all. But I do hit the ski resort frequently, so I can't skate by on all-seasons.

I don't know that I could stand ugly steelies for 4-5 months given the chance of little snow on the roads, so I picked up a set of 16" factory 5-star takeoffs on eBay for around $400 (shipped). I'll throw on a good coat of Klasse AIO and a coat of wax for some protection against road salt. I plan on picking up a set of Dunlop M3s as soon as Tire Rack has them in stock. So I'll be in the setup almost a grand, but I suppose it's money well-spent. And the tires should last me several winters no problem (and the wheels, well, forever).

 

I use the R81 15"x5.5" 7-holies for my winter wheels. Very light(5.45kg/12lbs) and still MINI labeled. They make great wheels for snow tire because they are narrower and can mount tires that work better in the snow, ice and slush. They can be picked up pretty inexpensively on ebay.

Otherwise get some cheap steel wheels from tirerack.com for the winter.

The others are correct, with the 15" wheels you will have larger sidewalls to adsorb impacts with winter and spring potholes.

There is also an R87 double spoke wheel from MINI that is a 16"x5.5" specifically made for winter tires. It is even reasonably light at only 7.5kg/16.5lbs.

 

I need a little reasurance here. Mini and discount tire say you can't put a 15" wheel on a Cooper S because the brakes are bigger. Tirerack and a bunch of people here and on Mini2 say you can, and have done it, and the brakes are the same on the S and the regular Cooper. Why would they say they don't fit?


Another rim I am now stuck on is the Konig Rewind 15x7 with 40mm offset. They are only a little over a hundred bucks and look really cool. I'll try to post a picture so you can check them out. Or just do a search on it.

 

Here is a link to the thread.


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=Konig+Rewind

 

Coopers and Cooper Ss have the same brakes. You can fit some 15" wheels on them. Some 15" wheels will not fit. When I got my 15" steel wheels from tirerack ages ago, the first ones they sent did not clear the front brakes. They were sent back and replaced with a set of steel wheels that did work. I doubt tirerack would have the problem again... but other places might.

 

Bambam, dont' swet what they're telling you. Goto Tirerack (they know what fits) and you can get the 15" steelies for the MINI. You can ckeck my gallery and see the lovely black finished 15" steels from TR on my baby.

4000 miles and no issues last winter, and they'll be going on again, but hopefully not until Dec

 

just like aaron said... If this reassures you, I run 15 inch x 7 inch bbs wheels (42mm offset) with summer tires that fit just fine... on my 2005 cooper s lowered with jcw suspension too... no worries-- you can get 15 inch winter tires with no apprehension