Then that ties into what I said "because it makes you feel good"

 

i've got HRE's on my MINI for street tires. they are lighter than stock, but certainly not a light wheel. when i switch to my SSR's for track use, the difference in handling is amazing. i don't change the suspension set-up between street and track. i couldn't believe how much better the car rode and drove the first time i put on the track wheels. that said, i still like the look of my HRE's and will gladly tolerate the fact that they don't ride and handle as well as a lighter weight alternative.

 

an extension of this is what's the point in owning a mcs over a mc. or a jcw for that matter. What's the point in owning a caymen over a fiat 500. What's the point in anything if this is your arguement.

Maybe some people don't drive their cars hard. I have a feeling there are a good number of mini owners that drive their cars hard enough to want lighter shoes and skins. I for one know I drive my car at 10/10th's when i can on the track. Granted with my carbon unit it's probobly more like 9/10ths of the cars ability.

I concede you are right. I'm just going to stop buying anything that isn't pefectly smart and makes logical sense. I'll just get rid of the toys and save my money for when I'm too old to have any fun with it. That's the smarter idea.

Who's with me?

 

Not exactly, because in that context it implies there is no real tangible effect and somehow just makes the owner feel better for simply doing it, like an aesthetic mod.

Anyway, question asked and answered - in the end we only buy these cars or any mods because they make us 'feel good', so if it makes you feel better to summarize it like that go right ahead

If it makes someone feel good buying the heaviest biggest wheels available super for them

 

exactly. It makes a noticable difference. Nuff said... if this isn't enough of an answer then maybe driving cars for a hobby isn't for you. or maybe it is... that decision is yours.

 

THANK YOU LYNNE!!!!

And good to hear some of the feedbacks.

 

Ignorance is bliss as they say, until you drop 10 or more pounds* off of ea wheel on a Mini you'll never know the difference it can make. If you are happy with the way things are and keep with the heavier wheels though it'll feel fine.

*That is what we did, can't say how many pounds it takes before you really feel the improvement.

 

you are clearly looking for one answer only. the answer you got and are happy with... is there is science that proves there is a benefit however ill take the word of just any one.

just wondering. Which wheels are you running on that thar r56 lynnel?

 

I agree it does make a difference, even on a daily driver!! My R50 Cooper w/ holeys (which it still wears) was very, very agile just zipping through the neighborhood.

 

partially placebo effect for most. but if you try different wheels for yourself you'll notice different turn in rates and braking. honest to god you will, as well as using different tires with stiffer sidewalls, stickier rubber, etc.

it's all relative to the carbon unit. if you think it'll help it will. are these items "snake oil"? no, they are tried and proven that these theories will help with being faster/more responsive.

but you're right, not everyone has a need for lighter wheels although it doesnt hurt and it aint hurtin you.

 

Well lets see. There was a recently a giant thread about exactly that question.

If your not really "racing" then your doing it for your enjoyment, a hobby. Nothing wrong with that but his questions was for the street. Again, if your doing it as a hobby for the street, then it does "make you feel better". Its spending money they way you want to spend money and that is the question the OP is asking.

 

I dropped 12.5 lbs per corner for a total of 50 lbs of rotating mass reduction. It's a difference that I can certainly feel in the car, but have not been able to quantify firsthand on my MCS.

On my Firehawk, I have heavy 18" Z06 Motorsport wheels after having a set of magnesium C5 wheels. No difference to me in the seat of the pants feel, but that's due to the power to weight ratio not changing as much as it did with the lighter and lower powered Mini.

Here's an article where you can actually compare the difference between a heavy wheel and a lightweight wheel and it's effect on acceleration on a small, low powered car like the Mini:

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/fe...ram/index.html

This Sentra dropped 13 pounds per wheel, and knocked off .3 seconds and gained 1.5 mph in the 1/4 mile. 0-60 also dropped by 1/2 second. The rest of the article is a rather entertaining, if a bit extreme, look at weight reduction and it's effect on straightline performance.

 

nm

 

Yes, that particular example is applicable to "on the track", but it shows some actual #'s as to the benefit of lighter wheels.

As for "what's the point" on the street to make something faster, then I suppose we should all question why someone would get the AMG version of a Mercedes, or an S version of a Cooper, right?

 

Well like I said, there was a huge thread here recently were many people were very vocal claiming it to be much more fun driving a MC at the limit than a MCS.

So go figure.

 

Statements like this, however, come across as implying that any benefits of lighter wheels/tires are totally pointless if the car is only street driven (as opposed to track driven), other than to "make the owner feel good".

You don't need to be driving at 10/10, or even 5/10, on the street or off, to appreciate a smoother ride due to less unsprung weight crashing around over bumpy roads. Or lighter steering effort because of less gyroscopic effect. Or peppier acceleration and improved fuel economy from less rotational mass.

All of these things are real, tangible, benefits - not just "feel good" effects.

Do I have stripes on my car because they make me "feel good"? HECK YEAH. But appreciably lighter wheels and tires are a definite benefit - especially on any car with performance aspirations.

 

I have both, one set of the BBS wheels done for the Mini that I use during the winter months with Michelin's and a set of OZ racing wheels which are almost 20 pounds lighter at each corner than the BBS wheels. The difference is quite dramatic even when using them on regular roads. I drove my JCWS to the Nurbergring last summer and those OZ wheels with Yoko tires were outstanding! True you probably don't need a light weight wheel for regular street driving but than again I really don't need a JCWS now do I? NOT!

 

hmm, I think you all are missing my point.

If your thing is to enjoy a hobby ... whatever the hobby may be, and you acquire something for your enjoyment, then your acquiring it "to make yourself feel good". Your not buying it to feel bad

But, your not buying to make money. Your not buying it as a professional whose business it is to race and win. Your buying it because "it makes yourself feel good"

Or then again, maybe ppl just like to spend money ... dunno.

 

I'm waiting for the threads about why people get CAI, pulleys, dynotunes, suspension components, exhausts, etc... if they only drive on the street 90+% of the time.

 

Google "causal oversimplification."

 

OK, I see your point now. But with that reasoning, you're saying that nothing that anyone does to make any aspect of their life more enjoyable, other than basic survival, makes any worthwhile difference.

Yes, cars are a hobby of mine, and a lot of the mods I make to my car, whether adding a body-colored shift **** or switching to non-runflat tires or adding a pulley and exhaust system, are to enhance my personal enjoyment of the car. Personal expression, if you will. I don't make my living racing, so none of the mods are essential to the basic function of the car, which is to get me from point A to point B and keep the rain off my head while doing it.

But let's say that I'm not into cars - just consider them "transportation appliances", and used Consumer Reports to make my vehicle choice. I chose a beige, base model Camry with no options. Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that that base Camry came with low-profile runflat tires, and that the only thing that I disliked about the car was that the ride was kind of rough. I mention it to a friend, and he suggests buying smaller diameter wheels and narrower, higher profile, non-runflat tires to improve the ride. I take his advice, and am pleasantly surprised to notice a much cushier ride.

Sure, I've made a change to the car that "makes me feel good", but it's a real, tangible improvement, not just an ego stroker. I couldn't give one wit about what kind/size of tires and wheels are on the car, yet swapping them made a real improvement.

So, just because those of us who have MINIs and post here are more likely to have ego-stroking mods, doesn't mean that the benefits of lighter wheels and tires are irrelevant or purely in vain.

 

i dunno why i read all of the posts in this thread. but, after doing so, i think the original question was a rhetorical one.

 

I see what you mean by the tone of it, but he even reiterated the question "I just wanted to know from others (who continue to put down heavy wheels), why does it matter when you don't plan to take your MINI to a race track?" so it does not look strictly like a rhetorical 'statement disguised as a question' type thing.

In any case, several people answered - cause it makes the car drive better

 

Great... reading this thread used up some time I should have spent loading up my car for the race track this weekend. Seriously.

My car is not a "full race MINI", but it sees plenty of time on race tracks. It's currently my only car, so it gets to do everything. Get me to work, take first in class for the season autocrossing for the last three years, go to time trials at race tracks, attend driving schools at race tracks, etc.

I do think I have been on a track at the same time as "professional race car drivers". The Turner Motorsports team sometimes attends BMWCCA event around here to get tuning / practice time. So, I think I pass that criteria by accident.

Why am I wasting more time... should be getting stuff ready for this weekend.

 

Yeah I noticed he/she reiterated. I was also wondering what happened that caused such a defensive reaction? Did somebody critize Trace in another thread?