Hi guys. I haven't posted much, I prefer to sit back, read and learn. I come to the mini world from the VW/Audi community. The 'styling' personality over there is quite different from the mini world. I plan on getting some coilovers, but I want something that is streetable and allows for a monthly auto-x and some spirited driving AND will allow for very nice drop when I get that itch...

KW Varient 1 or 2? Texas Speedwerks new set up? Who is this BC? H&R? Any input here is appreciated.

Wheel fitment. I have always loved pushing the envelope as far as wheel fitment goes. Don't worry, for the monthly auto-x and track events I am going to look for some light, OEM wheels that will fit the JCW brakes... Can somebody give me some advie on this one here??? Next question, can I run 16's over the JCW brakes? 16 x 8 all around? Anyone else running lower offsets? My Jetta had 16x9 et 25 with only pulled fenders...


Is there a fitment guide? I know not many people are interested in this style, and thank you for your help.


-Rick

 

I am a fan of KW. I have PSS9's on the Mini but that is only because I came into a deal on them. KW's are one of the few that drop really low. If your gonna auto-x occasionally, V1's are fine. If money is not an issue...the go for the V2's. Otherwise, KW's all the way BC (Buddy Club) coilovers are big in the Honda world as far as what my buddies are telling me. I have no experience with Texas Speedwerks. As far as fitment goes....My buddy sitting next to me that has the JCW brakes say 16's wont fit....

 

16's will fit over JCW brakes, depending on the wheel design (meaning the diameter of the kit it's an issue). a list of OEM wheel that work (from Morristown MINI's ebay listing):

(18"All)(17"R85,R90-R91R98,R99)(16"R87)

 

Thank you pat! 16's are possible...

Anyone know what the issue is? Back spacing etc...? What about offsets still... I enjoy low and wide stance. What offsets have people ran with success? I know, I know, get out there with a jack, and a ruler and start taking measurements, but just wanted to know what people were running...


-Rick

 

the issue is the design of the inside of the wheel...spoke clearance and how the barrel is formed. I've got 16x7 ET40 Volk TE37's that I'm going to testfit - that design is known for lots of BBK fitments (in larger sizes), so I hope it's going to work on the JCW kit.

 

Fantastic. Please post results once you have fit the wheels. I will be interested. Anyone fit 16x8 et 25 - 35???


-Rick

 

Nobody here has tried pushing the limit on wheel fitment? I find that hard to believe... Nobody that enjoys the down and out look??? I know I have seen a couple cars in the pics of lowered minis section.

 

235 width on 8 inch is about the max, unless you want the VIP look

 

I think Rally and a couple others have wide 15 or 16" rims on their MINI's. They look pretty sweet. You just have to know what your doing since your going to run into clearance issues not only on the outside, but inside as well.

 

Thanks, this is the sort of information I am looking to learn about. As for VIP look, I believe you are talking about tsurachi, japanese flush style, not only for VIP cars, found on many different facets of the tuning community.


I will try PM'ing Rally.


Thank you.
-Rick

 

If you want to go REALLY low, we can swap springs out on our TSW/Leda Softcore kit and you can drop it way, WAY down.

As far as our new coilover offering, we've been given adjustment ranges but won't know for sure until we install the first few sets and verify...

 

talking about this:



and on RallyMini's car:

 

The widest I've seen on this forum was from a user d6-mcs (look up his thread). He ran 17x8 Front, 17x9 Rear. I believe he was running 205/40/17 and 215/40/17 respectively. He was also dropped on coilovers. One of the sickest setups I've seen on NAM. Offset was +35 if I'm not mistaken, maybe even +30 in the rear.

RallyMINI knows more about that car than I do so he can give you the info. He's pretty much one of the few on NAM that like the low and out look and understands that stance is everything.

As you'll soon find, most people will bash your car for that look. Although lately it's been getting MUCH better. To each his own, I like it as long as the wheels are nice and the stretch isn't insane.

P.S: What wheels are you thinking of getting? And FWIW I'm pretty sure +25 is about 10mm outside the fenders of the MCS. You could run 16x9 rear no problems with the right offset.

Oh almost forgot, post pics of your Jetta

 

the problem is you make the car less capable by dropping it too far and putting a tire on a rim width it wasn't intended to fit. If your goal is looks over performance, go for it! I think the typical owner wants a compromise between the two.

 

If you're going to be running B-stock then I don't believe you'll be able to run 16"s on the JCW as that is smaller than stock. I could be wrong and usually am. But if you're running STX or something else besides stock then you can go down to 16". If you do that you'll find lighter 16" rims aftermarket than OEM.

As for 16" OEM rims that fit over the JCW brakes. This is what I'll be running for daily driving. After I get some tires mounted then I'll run some checks on heat to see if I may need to add some ducting.

 

Less capable on the track, yes. On the street, different story, it's not like it'll cause an accident or not allow you to steer out of an accident... He did mention different wheels for auto-x. What people need to realize is that just because you own and mod a MINI doesn't mean you track the car, auto-x it, or even care about its superb handling. You never know a person's intentions with the car or the mods...

 

right. I think most intend to improve their cars in some way. Lowering too much and running stretched tires degrades performance. Period.

 

PGT, seriously not trying to come off as offensive, but lets not forget that we are all driving FWD hatches... does the car handle very well and provide excitement? Yes, but I really think that you are over estimating the the net performance loss of lowering the car below a certain point and installing wider, lower offset wheels with streched tires.


People are usually afraid of the unknown. I remember when the SC3/400 tuning community was certain that anything wider than 8 with an offset under 40 would be impossible to run, at which point we ran 19x9.5 et 25 rear... and determined we could have gone wider! Pic below, sorry so large!




I will pick up a set of wheels for auto-x. I don't like daily driving on my auto-x tires, and coilovers gives me the option of adjusting ride height....


Thanks for the help guys, and really not trying to come across as a jerk. Some people are all go, some are all show, I like to sway between the two and have fun!

-Rick

 

not overestimating at all actually and certainly not afraid to push limits either. The Cooper S has very limited suspension travel, even in stock form, compared to other cars. When lowering past about .5-.6 inches, you begin to compromise the car's capabilities and ride quality. I accept that this isn't a big deal for most people. Trust me...I came out of a Subaru with 8 inch wide wheels running 245's and Bilsteins. I sold that because it still didn't have the handling I wanted, so I bought the Mini (which even bone stock and half the power was more fun).

I'm not making this up....I've been bouncing shock dyno's off a guy at Koni for the better part of a year, trying to come up with an improvement on the Subaru I had. We also had a running conversation about how to improve the MINI I now own as well and he cautioned me against going past the drop I mentioned (I trust his opinion on this because they do have objective data on it).

 

Bingo. "Improve their cars in a way," does NOT mean everyone wants a weekend racer. For some, its making your car look badass and not a high riding euro with 15s and rubber for a 4x4 like most the people on NAM do...

I don't mean any offense but you're talking like the typical NAM-er who thinks that because you have a MINI all you care about is handling...

 

trust me, given the amount of hatemail I seem to cause, I'm not the typical 'NAM'er', whatever that is. Besides...I encouraged the change:

 

Haha alright...