I'm thinking about buying my first MINI, a 2007 Mini Cooper S with a LSD. Which combination of suspension, wheel, & tire options will provide the best possible handling & braking performance (fun-to-drive & accident avoidance) and still be comfortable enough for a 100-mile/day-roundtrip commute?

I like the look of the "crown spoke" wheels but have noticed that they are currently only offered as 17" wheels.

Which MINI Cooper S wheels are the most lightweight?

For maximum winter safety, we're in the habit of using 4 dedicated winter tires mounted on separate rims for easy swapping.

Thanks!

 

You will probably get 95+% of the performance with the stock setup even at the track. If that last 5% is more important than comfort then it seems to me that the sports suspension wouldn't make you happy enough either and the after market would be a better place for your dollars. You would then have the opportunity to see if the standard MCS suspension with 16" wheels is good enough for you. That's my logic. The reviews seem to indicate not much performance difference between the 2.

To me the s-winders look the lightest of bunch, but no one knows yet. Maybe a post over on MINI2.com could get some to weigh their different types of wheels with tires on them.

 

See I stuck with Stock Suspension, but opted for 17" wheels.. I do want a comfy ride.. I'm kinda sick of being bumped around and thrown around in my car (been dealing with that for 6 years now with my current car)

Will 17" wheels really ruff up the ride (Crown Spokes)?

 

Thanks for the reply inomis!
The the s-winders don't grab me. It would be great if MINI would offer lightweight 16" crown spoke wheels.

 

Larger diameter wheels are used with lower profile tires to maintain the same outside diameter. Lower profile tires have shorter sidewalls that will absorb less / transmit more of the bumps & road irregularities to the car. To what degree they will "ruff up the ride" is the question! Run flat 17" tires will probably transmit even more harshness to the car.

 

i wonder with the standard suspension if it will be pretty bad.. Looks or ride quality ... damn decisions =P

 

PezRadar,
Check out the following links if you're an online CR subscriber:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...view/index.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...-off/index.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...lose/index.htm

 

I was debating over the same question, but I'm going to go with the 16" bridge spoke style wheel and sport suspension for my new S. I've been reading quite a bit about the new mini, and on mini2.com forums Paul Mullett mentioned that the new (and R53) minis are setup 'optimally' (ride/handling) for the 16 inch wheels. Now I'm not sure what the definition of 'optimal' is, but he got this information from a mini engineer that actually worked on engineering the car. With that said, it is most likely that you'll have slightly better grip with the 17s as the previous poster said. The 17"s come with 205s and the 16s are 195s I think. So that is a good 10mm difference in section width which probably can give you a bit more traction, plus you'll have less sidewall flex.

This is a good article on tirerack explaining the tire measurements: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=46

Another reason why I want 16" wheels is because the roads here in the south bay are horrible. I constantly knock the 18" wheels on my current car out of balance. Also the ride is quite harsh on all the crappy roads.

I figure I could always buy 17s later if I want them.

 

I think im gonna stick with the 17's.. I just don't like the look of the new MINI with 16's.. just doesnt look complete. I will suffer a bit on the ride quality as it will be a bit more tossy but I will get more traction due to the tires the 17's comes with.

Thanks Mini-S-Man for the links/articles =]

 

Your welcome PezRadar.

Now, back to the orignal question of this thread:
Obviously, I know what CR has written about plus-sizing. However, with the R56 S, there are more variables/options besides tire diameter.

Thanks!

 

Have you read any articles at MINI2?

http://www.mini2.com/review24-full-s...ve-report.html

He makes note about the Suspension and tires here I believe.. also in his 7 day report he just posted he makes note about the normal suspension he had in his test car from MINI.

 

I thought the 16s didn't look too good until I saw the pics on automobilemag.com with the bridge spokes.

 

I went for the standard suspension and 17" Flame spoke alloys on my MCS.

The sports suspension was just too hard for a car i drive 160+ mile each day to and from work. I don't think I could have lived with it.

Must say I am delighted with the handling, though have not yet given it too much as it has less that 150 mile son the clock.

 

apparently the suspensions are set up for 16" wheels, so stick to Sports Suspension and 16's for optimum handling.

i went for sports suspension and 17's are on their way :D

 

This S looks ready to take on the Paris to Dakar Rally. And The new cars ride way softer (liek a couch) than the O2 and earlier 03 cars thanks to the winey american MArket. ARGHHHH

 

+1 the more i read about this car and see pictures of this car the more i hate it.

 

Then I'd highly reccomend not reading the "MINI TALK :: R56 (2007 - Models)" forum

I still don't like the 16's on the MINI's and Crown Spoke looks the best imo.

 

I went for these with standard suspension

 

For the 07 MCS:
Per MINI2:

• No additional cost wheels
• 16" S-winders ??
• 16" Bridge-spoke 20.9 lbs

• Optional wheels
• 17" Crown-spoke ??
• 17" Web-spoke 22.3 lbs
• 17" Flame-spoke 22 lbs

• Accessory wheels
• 17" R108 multispoke wheels ??
• 17" R90 cross-spoke anthracite 24.1 lbs
• 18" R99 double-spoke ??
• 18" 105 black 23.3 (same as silver?)
• 18" double-spoke composite ??

Does anyone know the weight of ?? models?
________________________________________________

FWIW, the lightest OE wheels listed in the mini2 FAQ are:

• 15" R81 7-hole = 12.0 lb
• 16" R84 X-lite = 17.6 lb
• 17" R91 5-spoke Bullet = 20.6 lb
• 18" R107 GP ET52 = 19.8 lb

 

To me, ALL the factory offered wheels are just UGLY. Let me add that I am no fan of "big wheels", and am sticking with 16" wheels. I chose the "S-winder", as it APPEARS to be the lightest, but that doesn't mean I like it. How can a company like BMW offer a bunch of wheel choices and all of them be just soooo ugly. I'm amazed they don't offer something like the Superlite aftermarket wheels, which have a nice retro look reminding me of the 10's that were on my 62 Cooper. Let me guess... the Superlite doesn't pass some spec for their level of strength or something?
You might find this early R56 test interesting in regard to wheels and suspension. I just found/read this last night, but I DID go with MCS with sport suspension and 16" as Honest John recommended when I ordered up some time ago. We'll soon see how that works out.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm/id=249

Update: The car was reordered when it showed up minus the MFSW and I made a switch to 16" bridge spokes instead of the S-winders. I am very GLAD I made that change. Also, the dash option went from PIANO BLACK to BRUSHED ALLOY, and chromeline interior was added. Standard black/carbon grey leatherette, anthracite headliner, solid pepper white exterior. I have close to 2k miles on this car now and I LOVE IT. - Surfblue

Thankfully, there's an aftermarket, but it seems like a big waste of $$ to have to go there with a brand new car like the MCS.

 

I'm not crazy about the wheels either. I got the bridge spokes because they were less fussy than the s-winders. I like the 5 spokes they offer on the convertible, but for the extra cost there is a world of options after-market.

 

Is the crown the same as the S-Lite?

 

no - similar look, different wheel. Crowns have covered lugs, slites do not

 

Ahhh....I've been looking for some S-lites and summer tires for the R56...hadn't seen an explanation of the two before..

Thanks!

 

Since the original posters question seems to be answered ---
The more I see the R56 the more I like it --- to each his/her own.
The more I read the more I like as well.
I did't like the choices for wheels (ordered the bridge spokes) either but I'll decide later if dislike them enough to want to buy aftermarket 17s. Might make that change if and when I put on an aero package. Might get the car and feel they work better than the pictures.