Hello everyone, I'm new here, and to the Mini world as well, however, i do have a decent amount of knowledge with cars, mainly wheels and tires. I can't seem to find a clear answer to my question. What I need to know is this... I've just purchased an R53. It is all stock as of now, with the 17x7 4x100 56.1 wheels. I'm looking at aftermarket wheels, and I'm seeing a lot of 17x7's, 17x7.5's, and I'm wondering if 17x8's would fit without rubbing on a stock suspension. In particular I was looking at these models:

http://www.apexraceparts.com/ARC-8-1...x100_p_27.html

http://www.wheeldude.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id=6435

I'd like to go with a white wheel, and I know both of those are black, but i have a friend that does powder coating, so thats not an issue. I'm just not sure if they will fit, being an inch wider than stock, and having a lower offset. If anybody has any info or experience with these sizes, I would really appreciate the help. My ideal style of wheel im looking for is the Konig Lightning in white with a polished lip, but unfortunately I'm told they do not make them anymore. Again, thanks for any information you might have for me.

 

hey just wondering if you know the stock offset on your wheels, i've got an 04 mcs

 

I find that if you go much bigger than a 205 width on an R53, you might have problems. You might be able to get away with a 215 width if you haven't lowered your car much. Therefore, not much reason to go with a wider rim than 7 or 7.5 since 205 and 215, and even 225s will work on 7 inch wide rims (although I would probably go with a 7.5 or 8 width for the 225s if they were to fit without rolling the fenders).

I use 16x7 OZ Ultraleggera rims for my race tires and they fit great. Stock 17x7 S-lites for winter tires. All tires 205 width.