Haha i know about the circumference thing, as both the 16 and 17 inch wheels are basically the same when it comes to overall diameter. I was inquiring whether someone has felt the difference between the 16 and 17's. Thanks though!

 

I haven't done back to back 16" and 17" with the same wheel model / width and same tires model / width. But, my gut reaction is that the difference is negligible at my driving ability.

I don't notice a huge difference in accleration etc when switching from my stock 16" 5-spokes to 16" x 7.5" Kosei K1 Racing wheels to 17" x 7" Centerline RPM wheels. I might notice a bit of a difference when I switch to the 15" steel wheels with snow tires, but that might be more due to less grip in the snow tires than a summer tire more than reduced weight.

I know all the theory and numbers say that lighter wheel is so much faster. Of course it is. But, I don't think I really notice it that much.

The availablity of the tire you want in the size you want will probably make the decision for you. If it's available for both 16" and 17", I'd go with the 16" just because it will be cheaper, and money matters to me.

 

Ya...it would be pretty hard to tell the difference between a 16 and 17 unless the 16 has significantly less weight. The height difference isnt all that much. However the more extreme you go in either direction the more noticeable it will become. A 15 with a low profile tire on it with a height of about 22 inches will make a big difference compaired to a 17 or 18 with a height of 25

Using the 07 MCS gear ratios provided by miniusa and a 7000rpm limit. The difference is quite noticible.

22 inch tire, 1st gear top out is 36mph
25 inch tire, 1st gear top out is 41mph

only a 5mph difference...which isnt that big. However overall top speed is has alot larger gap

22 inch tire 6th gear top out is 144mph
25 inch tire, 6th gear top out is 164mph

a good 20mph difference in top speed.

Of course these numbers may very slightly as they are not real world numbers and came from a gear ratio/mph calculator. But it does give you an idea of how each gear you will start to see a bigger difference with the smaller or larger tire/rim.

As far as the MINI's 16/17's the two wheel weights arnt that drastic between the two, i think the only difference you might notice is the ride comfort. 17's with run flats have been reported to be a much harsher ride than the 16's. However i have only had the 16's and never been in one with the 17's. So perhaps someone who knows more about this can chim in.

 

Re-read the first post, he said "faster acceleration."

 

I know, old thread and topic, but I was a history major. And old habits die hard.

Considerng the above specs listed, anyone here ever record a change in their MPG after swapping out to either larger or smaller rim/tire set ups ?

 

In reality the true tire diameters used on a MINI are closer than you think-

For example-
205/50-15 or 225/45-15 are 22.9" tall
215/45-17 is 24.7" tall

A difference of 1.8" not 3" as in the above post. This would cause some speedo and odometer error that you can't really electronically correct for.

Mpg would be different with change in diameter wheels but not due to this difference of tire diameter as much as the change in rolling resistance.

When I change from 215/45-17 which has higher resistance to 175/65-15 on stock rim sizes I get about 3 mpg increase with the more narrow tires both using slightly higher air pressures. The actual numbers are about 26 vs 29 mpg and my MINI is mid level modded with manual transmission.

 

We run the 17" S-lites with Dunlop 9000 high performance runflats most of the year, and we run 16" S-winders with the OEM installed all-season runflats during the winter (can't remember which tire they are, and I don't have the MINI today, but they're the all-season tires that shipped with the S-winders).

There is a marked difference between the two that even the most insensitive butt-dyno will reveal. The 16" wheels accelerate faster and ride smoother; the 17" wheels corner better and run noisier and harsher. I suspect the tire/tread makes as much a difference as the wheel size . . . . but I'll probably never know for sure. The weight difference for the rim/tire combinations we use is substantial--the S-winders with 16" tires are about ten pounds lighter for each wheel--40 pounds of unsprung weight.

We've decided to keep runflats on the car since there is no spare! I realize others have made different decisions, but this is what works for us.

With a bit of patience, it is pretty easy to pick up a set of take-offs from someone with a new MINI who just had to get different wheels from the get-go. I've bought two sets this way, both sets (tires and wheels) for less than the cost of two run-flat tires from a tire shop.