I live in Kansas City MO. and was wondering which size wheel/tire is preferred? Hope to be in my MINI by early fall and ready for winter road trips. Is there a major difference in the ride between the 16" or 17" wheels?
Thanks.

 

Big difference in my opinion as far as durability and ride comfort, little in handling.

Which ones best for you all depends on the roads you travel, if you run into your fair share of potholes and rough roads, or if comfort and durability are most important to you, go 16's all the way.

If you travel mostly perfectly maintained asphalt, dont have to deal with curbs much, and really prefer the looks, go 17's.

I find them for to rough for up here in the Northeast, and really the handling aspect is such a small improvement its not worth it IMHO.

 

A perfectly maintaind road, hardly here with our seasons.
I have a long commute each day so comfort will out weigh performance.
Mostly Highway (I-70) and some massive downtown potholes.

 

I would say that there is a noticeable difference between the ride of a 16" wheel and a 17". I'm not sure I would call it major, but every little bit helps. I tend to use my 16" wheels more than my 17". Yes, I have a set of both.

My 16" are 16x7" (stock is 16x6.5") and I have 205/55-16 tires on them. That gives me the tread width of the tires that come with the stock 17" wheels, but the ride of the taller sidewall.

The 17" wheels and 205/45-17 tires can have a slightly more responsive turn-in (depending on tire model), but the larger wheels tend to be heavier. Many who race their MINIs prefer the smaller wheels for a lower unsprung weight. The stock Crown Spoke and Web Spoke 17" wheels weigh 22.5 lbs. each, for example. You can find aftermarket 17" wheels that weight 16 to 18 lbs., but my aftermarket 16x7 wheels weigh less that 14 lbs. A lighter wheel has less inertia, so it will accelerate faster, stop faster, and give a smoother ride. It is easier for the suspension to absorb the vertical motion of a lighter wheel. A heavier wheel transfers more force through the suspension into the cabin.

I can't tell you whether the differences in wheel weight make a big difference or not. I changed too many parameters at one time to quantify the weight differences. I changed from runflat to non-runflat when I first went to lighter wheels.

 

go 18" 's

 

Go with at least 17" wheels

 

Yeah I'm wondering the same thing. Last week I reserved a slot to order an R56 in December, when the factory begins building the new sport package. The $1250 package includes DTC, xenon headlamps, white turn signals and 17" wheels. Based on everything I've read I'd prefer 16's, but Mini is essentially throwing in the 17's for free compared to buying the other options individually, so I'm kinda stuck with the 17s. I drive the 5 in LA every day and I'll probably feel every pothole :\

Actually from what I've read, the runflats seem to do more to impoverish ride quality than the 17's versus the 16's. So maybe I'll just ditch the runflats ASAP. I'll just have to see how long I (and more importantly my gf, haha) can stand the 17's + RF's..

 

Unless you really like one of the option wheels just get the no extra cost 16s and burn through the first set of tires and then pick whatever you want up in the after market. Wheels will be cheaper and lighter with way more options. The 16s will be better performing due to weight of 17s and have better ride quality, but there will always be your preference of looks.

 

I have the 17" wheels w/runflats on my '08 MCSa and if I could do it all over again I would get the 16" wheels for better ride comfort.Most of the roads down near me are fairly flat and smooth but the ride is still on the harsh side.

 

16's will give you a better ride ride, lighter wheels, more responsive, etc...
but the 17's are bigger if you're into that look and will give you more of that wagon-wheel/straight-line stability on the freeway.
Our roads around Seattle are just too beat up to make 17's practical.

 

Yeah but how much of that harsh ride is due to the 17's? And how much comes from the run flats?

Sounds to me like 80% of the harshness is due to the RFs. True?

 

go with 20's I know I am soon

 

Well if you do 20's you have to go spinners to be a true baller

 

no spinners here i was thinking of the KMC slide or the KMC zero

 

The runflat's aren't a whole lot harsher than non-runflat performance tires, but the road-noise transmission is a fair bit higher.

 

If you travel the 435 loop, I-35, 69 or 71, go for the 16's. I've had both and w/ the rough conditions of the roads, the 17's make for one rough ride!

 

The big problem I have with 17's or higher (on the Mini) is while they look great (well not 19's or 20's they are just to big for the car and look silly) you have to run 45 or lower profile tires. I have run a ton of tires 45 seams like the magic number for bubbles (or tires that can't handle potholes). Obviously if you live in the southwest, or anywhere else you don't really see potholes,then thats not important.

 

My car came with the 2007 Sport Package that included 17" Crown Spokes and Dunlap SP Sport 01 DSST 205/45ZR17. With about 1,000 miles on the tires I sold wheels and tires together in the NAM marketplace forum for $600.

I don't know if the market for them is still as good, but if you take them off immediately, you should get a decent price for them.

Go to the configurator and see what it would cost to order everything in the Sports Package, except 17" wheels and compare that to what you might be able to get back from selling the wheels and tires, then add what new wheels and tires would cost.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like it's approximately a wash either way -- see below. Maybe I'll just stick with the sport package and see how the 17s feel once I get the car. If they're too harsh I can always sell 'em.

DTC 500
Xenon 500
White signals 100
16x7 wheel set 500
4 x Bridgestone RE-01R (205/55VR16) 464
Sell stock 16s w/RFs - 400
TOTAL => 1664


Sport Pkg 1250
16x7 wheel set 500
4 x Bridgestone RE-01R (205/55VR16) 464
Sell stock 17s w/RFs - 600
TOTAL => 1614

 

hahahah yeah, because obviously potholes don't exist in the southwest way to go strong island


i love 16s myself but it requires a bit of lowering for it to look right IMO. even tougher to pull off in a 2nd gen MINI without coilovers. but that's not for everyone and i know that

 

If you pick carefully, you'll find some 17" wheels as light or even lighter than a 16" wheel. They wont be cheap. $250 or more for a forged light weight wheel is common. Quality costs.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.
I think the 20" spinners are the way to go! Thanks JudgeS.
16" wheels seem to be the logical choice.

 

if your going to go 17s, go after market and get yourself some lightweight rims such as:
BBS RSRs


Enkie RPF1


O.Z. Ultraleggera


SSR Type C RS


they are all light weight, come in 17s for the mini, are quality brands, and would look killer on any mini IMO

 

Do you know the weights for these wheels? I'd be curious and Google didn't find anything quickly.

 

I don't know how much snow you get in Kansas City, but if you get the 17's you won't be able to use snow chains. Mini says that only 16's and smaller have the room under the arches for the chains to clear without doing any damage.