I am getting ready to order a Clubman S, and I am trying to get down to the nitty gritty of what I actually want/need. I have been searching the forums for a couple of days trying to figure out the answer to this question, but I have not had any luck.

The Clubman S is going to be my daily driver, but I also plan on doing some track days with it. So the question came up, which are better wheels for racing and driving - the 16"s or 17"s. If the 17's are better, I was going to order the sports package. If the 16's are better then I would just get the sports suspension.

Any information or opinion on this subject would be most welcome.

 

If you query the people who track their cars they'll probably say don't get either. The sport suspension is pretty minimal, limited to 1mm thicker antisway bars. Trackfolk usually get an even larger (19-22mm) rear antisway bar as a minimum (about $300 installed), many lower with springs, the heavy hitters do coilovers (as much as $2000).
As for wheels the size won't matter for track use. The stock wheels are pretty heavy (bad news for track use), and the upgrades are expensive compared to aftermarket wheels (which are a lot lighter). What many recommend is getting the standard 16" wheels/tires and using what you'd saved (vs the 17" wheels) toward aftermarket wheels. You can use your oem tires, or sell the whole oem tire/wheel package and go with nonRF tires which ride better and can have better traction as well depending on what you buy. If your wheels/tires are brand new you can probably get a lot, runflats are expensive.
In summary: don't get the sport suspension (I didn't, added a rear ASB), and only spring for the 17" wheels (I did) because you like the looks, not for performance.

 

Bignewt explains it pretty well..

I went with the sports suspension for the 500. Saved the rest of the money to get my own choice of custom wheels and tires, and H&R lower springs. Happy in the end.. all looks and feels great.


OBTW bignewt what part of AZ you in

 

I'm in Prescott.