Hello,

THere are many great reasons to get a MCS. I like all of them but I HATE one of them!! I cannot tolerate the 16 inch ride from the showroom. I dont want to buy a car I have to make concessions for to my passengers like, "the ride is sporty, sorry" I want to do the horrible thing and put the simple, cheap 15 inch rims on a MCS. My salesman things it wouldnt be stable.

First off, a 15 inch rim SHOULD be good enough for cop outrunning handling (oops I am supposed to say Spirited right?) on a car that is low to the ground, has a low center of gravity and weighs only around 2500 lbs. right? or am I wrong. I will NEVER bring this to the track. I will however floor it for fun or fun, um, running from the law!

Anyways, is it a bad idea? Tire rack says it isnt a bad idea at all. They are pretty freakin awesome over there. I wish they also could install my stuff as well as sell it.

Some guy at tire rack said that I could put on 195/60 HR15 tires by Bridgestone. I thought this company made some crappy tires, but according to tirerack, the OEM Potenza's are the crappy ones. Their new pole position line is ultra good.

this is the tire:

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position

All season, ultra performance category (grain of salt), and supposedly, a more spongy ride. I want up and down spongy and side to side moderate stiffness and safety.

I have a hard time believe that 16 inch rims can give me a pleasant ride. The MCS already has a more taught suspension right?

Thank you and wish me luck in choosing all of these $$$ options.

 

I have used 15" tyres off my 02 Cooper on my 04 cooper S very stable, handles better quieter, but not runflat so don't get a flat tyre

 

I run 15" wheels with snow tires in the winter on my 2004 MCS. While it's true that the ride is less harsh, it's also less fun.

 

That's because they're 15" snow tires. You really can't compare a snow tire to anything since the tread is designed with heavy siping and is generally very squishy. This doesn't lead to good handling on dry pavement, but it leads to great performance in the snow.

And the salesman that thinks the car will be less stable on 15" wheels does not know what he's talking about.

I really like the ride and handling of my Cooper on the 15" Conti's. Of course, it's faster on the 15" Azenis, and faster still on the 16" V710's - but having high ultimate grip on the street is totally over rated. High grip on a closed autocross course or track is a different story.

 

If I were to buy new wheels and price was no object, I'd get these incredible lightweight BBS RG-F wheels in the 15x7 size. Only weigh 10.2 pounds! Get 205/55/15 size tires and this would be an incredible setup for both performance and comfort.

 

how much are they, im ugessing since you said "if money is no object" i may not be ready to handle the truth, but ill man up and accept the price, and that i prob cant afford them

 

El_Jefe,
Time for you to talk to Alex@tirerack.com, he knows what wheel and tire options can work well for the MINI inside and out.

H rated tires are not quite the best choice for performance driving but they are less expensive and will wear longer.

When buying a new MCS you really don't have that many options for wheels- it's stock 16" runflats or upgrade to 17" runflats. You can purchase stock 15" MINI rims and tires but they are not so good a match for the MCS. However if you pick 15" stock 7 hole rims and put your own 205/55-15 performance tires on them then that would work just fine- good street performance and decent comfort.

16" stock rims (16x6.5) can be fitted with good non runflat tires 205/50-16 or 205/55-16 to give you very good performance, decent prices, good comfort so if you opt for the lease costly stock 16" wheels then you always can use up the stock runflats and just replace them. Go for a ride in another MINI that has gone this route and see for yourself.

Aftermarket 15" rims are also very popular and a good option. Low cost, low weight, good selection, decent 15x7" width, decent selection of tires in 205/55-15 and if bought at tirerack you can get both rims and tires mounted balanced and shipped to you and you can sell the stock 16" rims and tires which are good for some owners.

There is nothing really wrong with any MCS and 15" wheels. On the one extreme I am driving right now with a very modded MCS and stock holey 15x5.5" rims with stock continental 175/65-15 tires for daily street driving. Seems to work great as long as I remember I am not driving with my 17x7" aftermarket lightweight rims and Potenza S-03 tires in 215/45-17 which work great wet or dry. I'm currently running an experiment of sorts to see how gas mileage is helped by running the stock 15" wheels on my MINI plus I have the extra set of stock tires to use up or throw out.

The MC comes with stock 15" because it is a practical choice (14" wheels would be too basic). The MCS gets upgraded 16" wheels for being the performance car of the two and the stock 16x6.5" rim is a bit better for performance tires than the stock 15x5.5" rim.

16" rims can give you a decent ride if you use non runflat tires with comfort in mind. Go for a ride with any MINI using 16" rims and 205/55-16 tires. If you have a local MINI club nearby just go to one of their events.

 

Have '03 MCS that came with stock 16" Wheels w/ runflats (begged dealer for flat trade for 15" stock at time of purchase, but he wouldn't bite); bought a practically new set of 15" stock 7-hole "Holies" w/ stock tires on eBay, and have been loving the improved ride and the negligible dip in performance ever since. I still can corner as quick and hard as I dare (normal street driving, not track) w/ no change in handling that qualifies as even slightly bothersome.

 

I think it has more to do with fitting over the brakes than being "too basic". The MC has the same brakes as the MCS, and I just don't think there are 14" wheels that will fit over the front brakes. I had some 14" autocross wheels from our old Civic, and I couldn't even get those on the rear of my Mini because of the brakes, let alone the front.

 

$340 each from tire rack

 

Actually, I believe that the MC and MCS both come with the same suspension. But on the S, you can upgrade to a sportier (stiffer) suspension. At least, that's what I was told when I was buying my '05.

Even the wheels, although cosmetically patterned differently (5-spoke for MC, and Y-spoke for S), are identically sized.

Zip

 

True on the MINI brakes- smallest practical size given the calipers would be 15" rims- Otherwise I would have put on 14" wheels for autocross. I found they did not fit as well.

I meant that more basic Toyota and Honda small cars come with 14" wheels as a baseline and usually 15" or 16" wheels as options. Their fairly small calipers tend to do a decent job at braking though- helps to be light in weight.

 

Actually the MCS comes standard with SS+ suspension which is optional on the MC.

 

a properly inflated 17" runflat will actually be decent to ride on. Mine were off by .5 at 32.5 and made the car unbearable... im used to it given my other cars, but my wife complained about getting sick so I checked the tire pressure. Surely enough, it was off by .5. am glad to report No complaints after the correction.

 

Hm. I was told that the wheel well/fender object around wheel thing is more open/larger radius on a MCS than on a MC.

Is this true?

The dealer said that 15" wheels would look rediculous. I hate to have to sell on ebay the rims and tires. I will though. For the children. For the country.

I would LOVE to try and make the 16's work. I do fear however that in bumpy situations on hard crap roads of NYC when I am running from the law, I will either bust a tire or at the very least, want to shoot my car for having a ghetto ride.

What model 15" rims would be good for me? 7" rims seem really wide or is that just me? I want the most sponge possible with getting 195 traction and all season decent performance. I have learned from ALEX (yes he is a smart cookie, and a swell guy) some stuff. I need to call him again and get a price quote on rims and such. I like a simple looking rim that has spokes, either 5 star or a few more. I wouldnt want a soft rim as I know for certain it will bust.

I drive psychotically sometimes. That doesnt mean racing needs, that means like padded cell and valium needs.

 

I'm running 15 inch wheels with small cooper tires on them and having no problems. . . they are way more fun than my 16 inch all season runflats which came with the car. True, I can heat them to the point of stinking . . . but they worked just fine the whole time. They seem to bend rather than skip at the limits of adhesion. I bought the rims to put snows on but simply can't give up the tires that came with them until I wear them out. I wouldn't race on these but the ride and economy are much improved . . . the sportiness is completely there. I will put snows on them and when I wear out my 16 inch all seasons I'll put performance tires on them . . . but for now my summer tires are on the 15 inch rims and I'm having a blast (it is great to have two sets of tires you want to wear out!).

 

El_Jefe,

MCS and MC use the same wheel arches, wheel well liner, etc. I think I've read that the MCS suspension is slightly lower (1/4 or 1/2 inch) than the MC; otherwise MCS has the same radius or space as an MC.

Your dealer says 15" wheels would look ridiculous? Then they are also saying that an MC with standard 15" wheels looks ridiculous. Look and decide for yourself.

Most people buying aftermarket 15" wheels seem to be getting 7" wide rim and installing 205 tires.

 

Hm. Ok. That sounds like it makes sense. a wider rim gives better side to side traction in extreme manuevers. 195's can go on 5.5" rims, but a 7 is rather huge. Would like to see what the max 205 i could go with that.

However, I would think that a 195/60 15 would be better for bounce. I am a firm believer in soft tires on crappy roads. You tend to stick better.

I am still a n00b when it comes to tires and such. I thank you all so far for your assistance! (i still need a tire/rim lesson that explains if i have this rim, this tire will have a lot of wall vs this rim and tire etc)

 

There is only two things different between the MCS and the MC:

The motor, and the buyer.

I think if you ditch the runflats, you'll be better off.

 

Well, Of course I would ditch the runflats. There is no question about that. I would also wonder about 15's vs new regular tires for 16's. I am doubting a 16 inch can be made to feel as good as 15 inch with all options looked at.

love to be proven wrong though. It would be a lot cheaper!

 

Cheap depends on the wheels. If you have 15s already, yeah 15 inch tires are cheaper than 16 inch tires (usually). If you have 16s and you want 15s, tires for the 16s would be cheaper than buying 15 inch wheels + tires.

As far as telling a difference between the two... Everybody' tastes are as different as their opinions and you'll be the one in the driver's seat.

But generally, the 15s will have a taller aspect ratio (sidwall) allowing more potential to flex and a potentially softer ride, depending on the tire/manufacturer.

Whether or not this change would overcome the MINI's ride with either suspensions is another question.

My suggestion: Try 16 inch non-runflats first. If still bumpy when the 16s are done, go all out with 15s. Still bumpy, trade MINI on a G6 Pontiac.

 

I've tried every wheel and tire combination one can imagine - 17" runflat, 17" non runflat, 16" runflat, 16" non runflat, etc - and this is by far the best ride I have ever found. I have the 15x7 Konig Rewind wheels with 205/55/15 Toyo Proxes4 tires and the car has been transformed into a driver car. It is quieter, handles better, brakes better, and can be driven comfortably as an everyday car. I absolutely loved the look of my Hammans but I wouldn't go back to larger wheels for anything. I am going to a high end alignment shop this Tuesday to have the suspension dialed in. I am currently running Alta springs.

Edited by Dave to turn large photo into link

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f3...i/DSCF1842.jpg

 

Really though, if you hate the ride that much I don't think a wheel change is going to affect it enough to make you happy. This is a firm riding car regardless of the wheel size.

 

I absolutely disagree. Going from 17 to 15 was like night and day and I have since taken my MINI off the market and decided to make it my every day car because of the ride improvement.

 

i second the notion to move from 17 to 15's