This is a continuation of a thread started in the Mini Talk forum (Non-Mini Wheels) that I felt obligated to bring over here.

I don't really know that much (i.e. I have done basically no research) into MINI's stock wheels, but I was under the impression that while the reduced profile of the 17" tires made them basically the same overall diameter as the 16" wheels, the 15" wheels were in fact a smaller overall diameter than the 16" (and hence the 17").

If in fact all of these tires have IDENTICAL diameters, then what (other than hot looks) is the real point of having larger wheels?

Well, you know what they say, the bigger the wheel the bigger the................

I think most people that buy or opt for bigger wheels (me included) will admit that they're mostly for looks. In other words, people like me like to see more wheel and less tire. In theory, though, the lower profile tires also have less tendency to roll over onto the sidewall, which is good for handling on nice, smooth surfaces.

I didn't order my MCS, because I wanted it 6 months early, and I love the looks of the 17" wheels, but I wish I would have been able to get the 16" wheels, because the car will get off the line earlier.

Show or go...I like the look of the 17's on my MC, and in my case I'm going for strength -the Prodrive P1's I have are the same weight as my OEM 16's, but NJ potholes are notorious and I'd rather not bend a rim. I'm also going for looks - I like the white, look sharp as hell on my car.

But if you want big - and this pic doesn't do it justice (ya gotta see this one in person)https://www.infiniti.com/m/cma/i/veh/veh_gal_fx45_3.jpg

I'm reading about guys putting 22's or 24's on SUV's - it's all bling and bragging rights at that point...

Yeah, how big ARE the wheels on the new Infiniti thing? They look truly absurd in person!

I believe they are 20's - remember seeing it on the showroom floor. And I saw one on the road this morning, floored it when the light went green. Sounded good, but those wheels! Proportions more like a Hot Wheels car :lol:

>>This is a continuation of a thread started in the Mini Talk forum (Non-Mini Wheels) that I felt obligated to bring over here.
>>
>>I don't really know that much (i.e. I have done basically no research) into MINI's stock wheels, but I was under the impression that while the reduced profile of the 17" tires made them basically the same overall diameter as the 16" wheels, the 15" wheels were in fact a smaller overall diameter than the 16" (and hence the 17").
>>
>>If in fact all of these tires have IDENTICAL diameters, then what (other than hot looks) is the real point of having larger wheels?
>>
>>
>>

The OEM wheel and tire sizes:

R81 and R82 - 15" X 5.5 (175/60/15)
R86 - 15" X 5.5 (175/65/15)
R83 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
R84 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
R87 - 16" X 5.5 (175/60/16)
R88 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
R90 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
R90 - 17" X 7 (205/45/17)
R85 - 17" X 7.5 (205/45/R17)
>>

>>The OEM wheel and tire sizes:
>>
>>R81 and R82 - 15" X 5.5 (175/60/15)
>>R86 - 15" X 5.5 (175/65/15)
>>R83 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
>>R84 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
>>R87 - 16" X 5.5 (175/60/16)
>>R88 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
>>R90 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
>>R90 - 17" X 7 (205/45/17)
>>R85 - 17" X 7.5 (205/45/R17)
>>>>

So, regarding the original discussion: MINI doesn't like non-MINI wheels because outside tire diameters may vary from OEM, and therefore cause incorrect calculations of mileage/speed/whatever by the ECU. Here are the outside diameters for all of the OEM wheel/tire combos:

Name " Size A/R Diameter

R81 15 5.5 60 21.6
R82 15 5.5 60 21.6
R86 15 5.5 65 22.15
R83 16 6.5 50 22.5
R84 16 6.5 50 22.5
R87 16 5.5 60 22.6
R88 16 6.5 55 23.15
R90 16 6.5 55 23.15
R90 17 7.0 45 23.3
R85 17 7.5 45 23.75

So the diameter on OEM wheel/tire combos can vary by more than 2 inches between the R81/R82 and the R85. That's a difference of almost 7 inches in distance travelled for every single rotation of the wheel. If I'm thinking about this right, then every mile travelled while shod in the R85's gets rung up as about 10% less mileage than the same mile travelled shod in R81/82's (this is assuming that the ECU is set for measuring mileage based on original equipment of R81/82s). Or do they actually reset the ECU or input something somewhere to tell the computer what the circumference of the tire is?

A little help?

>>but those wheels! Proportions more like a Hot Wheels car :grin:

I think it's funny that there are those of you that would say the gains in handling from a 16" to 17" wheel aren't worth sacrificing the acceleration that a 16" has over a 17". Honestly, do you think you can actually tell (aslide from a timeslip) the difference?

Granted, if you have aftermarket wheels that weigh tons less than the factory heavies, you're going to have better performance. But I find it hard to believe that you'd gain anything in getting off the line faster because you have 16's and not 17's. For that matter, I'd also find it hard to believe that a 16 handles any worse than a 17 does.

I would actually say my car felt a bit "tighter" on 16's, especially cornering. But on 17's w/ wider tires, it feels stickier. Depends on what you prefer. The ride is smoother and quiter with my 17" combo, for sure. The runflats on my 16's were horrible.

Its summed up well here. its Show vs Go.

The Infinity uses 20's wraped in 265/50's

I think the handleing of 16 vs 17's as a rule has too much variation on the tire specifically selected.

16 vs 17 S-03 - any changes would be the weight of wheels, and the diffrence in distance from the hub. I dont think the 50 vs 45 aspect ratio will allow any deviation in flex, the S-03 has ridgid enough sidwalls to compensate.

Compair a 195/55/16 Firestone GTA 02 vs 215/45/17 S-03
We have huge performance diffrences in those 2 tires.

Alex

>>>>The OEM wheel and tire sizes:
>>>>
>>>>R81 and R82 - 15" X 5.5 (175/60/15)
>>>>R86 - 15" X 5.5 (175/65/15)
>>>>R83 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
>>>>R84 - 16" X 6.5 (195/50/R16)
>>>>R87 - 16" X 5.5 (175/60/16)
>>>>R88 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
>>>>R90 - 16" X 6.5 (195/55/16)
>>>>R90 - 17" X 7 (205/45/17)
>>>>R85 - 17" X 7.5 (205/45/R17)
>>>>>>
>>
>>So, regarding the original discussion: MINI doesn't like non-MINI wheels because outside tire diameters may vary from OEM, and therefore cause incorrect calculations of mileage/speed/whatever by the ECU. Here are the outside diameters for all of the OEM wheel/tire combos:
>>
>>Name " Size A/R Diameter
>>
>>R81 15 5.5 60 21.6
>>R82 15 5.5 60 21.6
>>R86 15 5.5 65 22.15
>>R83 16 6.5 50 22.5
>>R84 16 6.5 50 22.5
>>R87 16 5.5 60 22.6
>>R88 16 6.5 55 23.15
>>R90 16 6.5 55 23.15
>>R90 17 7.0 45 23.3
>>R85 17 7.5 45 23.75
>>
>>So the diameter on OEM wheel/tire combos can vary by more than 2 inches between the R81/R82 and the R85. That's a difference of almost 7 inches in distance travelled for every single rotation of the wheel. If I'm thinking about this right, then every mile travelled while shod in the R85's gets rung up as about 10% less mileage than the same mile travelled shod in R81/82's (this is assuming that the ECU is set for measuring mileage based on original equipment of R81/82s). Or do they actually reset the ECU or input something somewhere to tell the computer what the circumference of the tire is?
>>
>>A little help?
>>

I think your #'s are off a little

15" and 175/65/15 is 23.96"
16" and 195/55/16 is 24.44"
17" and 205/45/17 is 24.26"

for the non-oem sizes you mentioned
15" and 175/60/15 is 23.27" (most would use 185/60/15) 23.74"
16" and 195/50/16 is 23.68" (most would use 205/50/16) 24.07"
16" and 175/60/16 is 24.27"

I dunno...maybe my math is no good but I thought the formula was basically (((width x aspect ratio) x 2) + wheel diameter) to find the overall tire diameter. Well regardless of my math, would someone be so kind as to answer my concern: how does the ECU know how far/fast you are going if your tire circumference changes?

>>how does the ECU know how far/fast you are going if your tire circumference changes?

It doesnt.

The ECU doesn't know what wheels you are running. At some meets, comparisons were made at stop points. The 15" R81 and R82 track miles acurately and as you go bigger, there is more of a discrepency. There is a thread on MINI2 that tells of this, but I don't have time to look for it.
That was my point in posting OEM sizes, to show how they varied widely and that the dealer doesn't know what they are talking about.

Thank you, Harmini--you're the best. That was (sort of) my original point, but then everyone started telling me that the circumferences all ended up being the same, and that just didn't seem right to me...

Cheers!

just wondering...i currently got the R83 16 x 6.5 five star with run flats. i plan to change tires to either the goodyear F1 GS-D3 or Yokohama AVS ES100. i'm not sure if i'll change the wheels too. might change to the SSR Comp R or Sport Edition Fox 5. my decision is based partly on money available but also the degree of noticeable difference this would make. also could this lighter weight result in higher gas mileage?

>>I dunno...maybe my math is no good but I thought the formula was basically (((width x aspect ratio) x 2) + wheel diameter) to find the overall tire diameter.
>>
>>

I see where you got the numbers. . . you used the wheel rim width instead of
the tire section width (since it's in mm, divide by 25.4 to get inches)

interestingly my odometer reads within 1/2% true with 205/50/16's, but my
speedometer reads about 5 mph fast at about 70mph.

Just a point of taste but it would seem that "let's be nimble. let's be quick" is more in line with smaller wheels. I think the 17" wheels were a pure function of marketing to satisfy the customers who come in impressed by big wheels available on every other car.

I have 15" 7-hole wheels which I plan to keep, but then I grew up before Hot Wheels hit the scene. It seems like there was a specific time period (early '90s?) when the wheel market really took off...lots of variations and adverts. Its great... but some of us are more into it than others. I like my wheels...my MINI is a commuter car...and so I'm not racing or not trying to look aggressive or "wicked" or anything like that. That said, and although I must admit I don't "get it", I do really like the styling of some of the wheels y'all are selecting...so have fun out there!!!! :smile: :smile: :smile:

For me, moving to a larger rim was A) for looks, sure but also B) for a wider tire. Went from 205/50 R16 to 215/40 R 17.

R

you can still run 215 on the 16's:

Falken Azenis 215/45 R16