Ordered a chili red/black MC earlier this week (Prem pkg, CW pkg, fog lights, spoiler, bonnet stripes) with standard 15" 5-star Spooler rims. Went with these rims so I could go with all-season tires. Thinking of moving up to 16" wheels (5-star Blaster rims) with all-seasons as part of Sport package. Few questions about 16" option:

Make any difference ride/performance wise between 15 and 16"?
Traction better?
MC look better with larger wheels?

This is the final decision to make and I'm running out of time to make changes so any opinions would be appreciated.

I'm scheduled for production the first week of March and never thought I could be this excited about waiting for a car to be built. Was skeptical about postings that the wait is a great part of the experience, but as soon as I got my production number I was hooked.

Mark

 

You should check out the "Tires, Wheels, and Brakes" Forum and do a search...there are several existing threads with a lot of good information on the pros and cons of changing tire/wheel size.

Good luck and happy motoring!

 

1) Performance/Traction: at the U.S. Press Launch autocross I was 1.5 seconds faster on the stock 16" tires than I was on the 15". If you were going to do aftermarket wheels and do 15x7 wheel size with 205/55 R15 tires, I think those would probably out perform the stock 16's though. But the best performing wheel/tire combination out of the box is the 16".
2) Ride: not much different. The R56 has an excellent suspension.
3) I say this as a R50 owner who love's 15" wheels, the R56 looks better with 16's than 15's. The 15's look too small (for my taste), and I run 15's on my daily driver now.

 

I am on my second MC. With the first Cooper I went with the Sport pkg because I loved the look of wheels that came with it, and still do.

That said on the second Cooper I went with the everything in the sport pkg except the 16" wheels. By this time I had after market 16s that were lighter and, from my point of view, that looked better.

The 15s (on the first gen MINI) made a world of difference in the car. Turn in was sharper, the car got up to speed faster and stopped better. These are because there is less weight moving around. The second MINI gets better around town gas milage when the 15s are mounted as well (1-3 mpg). I think that has to do with the smaller contact patch in addition to the unsprung weight issue. Before anyone gets their nickers in bind, there is a trade off in grip in the corners so the going with the smaller wheels is not the end all.

The 07 MC will have runflat tires at all four corners with 15s. I do not know if there is as big a difference in unsprung weight as there was with the 02-06 MC when comparing the 15 vs 16 inch wheels.

But mostly get the wheels that you like the look of. You see the profile of the car every time you walk up to it for a drive.
John

 

The 15" tires are not runflat (same as the 1st generation).

 

I'm surprised we haven't seen weight of the various OEM wheels (however I would not be surprised if it was posted I missed it somehow). I'll be sticking w/ 15s if at all possible.

 

From what I gather, runflats cost about twice as much as non-runflats to replace and require special tooling, which means probably a trip to the dealer where it will cost even more if you get a flat...And who knows what happens if you're on a road-trip and get a flat in...In addition, I've heard that they don't last as long. That said, the stock tire size is hard to find - When I blew a tire on my first R50 I had to have one overnighted on from Tire Rack while I tooled around town on my donut. From a cost and convenience perspective, here are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both. Personally, I went w/ the 15" Rotator Spoke wheels on my new R56 because I didn't want the high replacement cost of the runflats. Of course, that also limited my choice to the MC...But I'm ok w/ that since I'm not planning on tracking it.

 

The 15s are not runflats according to my MA. The 16s and above are runflats. I went with the 15s for reasons sited here, thought that was the best. Went all season.

 

I wanted the Rotator Spokes too, but you can't get them with all season tires . So, I chose the all seasons over the rotator spokes.

 

I wanted all seasons too but figured that I'm planning on keeping the car for quite a while so I'll use up the performance tires that come stock then switch over to all seasons...

 

Good plan. I can't think that far ahead.

 

I have read that the R56 was engineered to handle best on 16" wheels. I ordered mine with 16" wheels. After spending some time with them I'll decide what, if anything, I want to do in the tire/wheel department.

One possibility is to get some high quality (that means light, and more, costly) 16 or 17 inch wheels to use with racing tires for autocross. A bit of testing will be needed, and also to follow the results of the drivers who are doing well in G Stock and see what tire/wheel combinations they are choosing.

I drove a MCS yesterday that was equipped with 16" wheels and Dunlop RF tires. It felt pretty good, certainly better than I imagined they would feel. I have found over the years that a really light tire/wheel package can make a very large difference in the feel of the car.

Waiting may be OK for buzzards, but not so hot for those of us waiting for our new babies to arrive.

Happy trails,

Joe

 

Which 16 whls were on your test drive there are 2 no cost 16s being offered.