I will soon be a Mini owner for the first time and would appreciate some help on wheels. I'm not to crazy about the stock sport wheels that come with the car which are 17 inch. I was thinking of getting 18" aftermarket wheels and wanted to know if that would cause rubbing on the fenders, etc. Any input would help.

Thanks,
Scott

 

I went for the 18" rims after having installed the H&R springs (lowering the MINI about 30mm front and rear) and the German TÜV (Technical Inspection Agency) said it is all well and dandy. Only thing they wanted me to install is a tiny mud flap - which is IMHO bull*** because it is next to useless. My dealer did take away some of the inside of the black plastic on the wheel arches. The tiny mud flaps can be ordered through your MINI dealership.

My tires don't scratch or rub or touch the wheel arches (and I have thoroughly road tested this).

The exact specification for my rims & tires:
OZ Crono HT H2 7Jx18 ET38 with Hankook Ventus R-S2 215/35 ZR18.
The rim colour is "kristall titanium" (I'd say silver) and each one weighs 18.37lbs.

 

The downsides of 18" wheels are greater unsprung weight/less agile suspension performance than with smaller/lighter wheels, and greater vulnerability to rim damage from potholes because of the lower sidewall height. The MCS reportedly was optimized by BMW designers for 16" wheels. Lightweight aftermarket 16" wheels and sticky non-runflats are considered by many the most cost-effective upgrade for an MCS.

 

im running 17's with a HR lowered springs as well, no rubbing at all, and i drive aggressive

 

Nice wheels Baraka, I think I just like the way the 18's fit the wheel wall area more, it has a good look. But good point with the potholes. Thanks for the info so far guys.

 

I have the JCW rims with run flats, they look great, BUT it is a nightmare on the road if you are not 100% paying attention to the road condition your rims and tires are history, that is why i paid $395.00 insurance for 4 years for the tires and rims......

 

I run 215/35/18 Falken 452 with Enkei RPM 2 rims. Stock suspension with no rubbing. Works great so far

 

Are you correct that 18's are usually heavier? I have the 18" OZ ultraleggeras, and I believe they weigh ~17lbs. This is most certainly lighter than anything offered by MINI as oem.

 

MINI's OEM rims weigh in from 20 - 28 lbs depending on the wheel. There are certainly some 18 inch wheels that are lighter, OZ versions included. You get what you pay for with wheels... lighter, stronger wheels tend to be alot more expensive. Funny thing is my old MINI Cooper had17s and 15 inch holeys... the holeys weigh about 12lbs each and there was a huge difference in the nimbleness feel, even though the tires were not that great. I'd love to find 12lb 17inch wheels, but so far, I haven't found any that are affordable.

Good luck whatever you decide. Discount Tire Direct and Tire Rack often have deals on wheel and tire combos.

 

16" Bridge spokes = 22 pounds/each
17" Flame spokes = 21 pound/each

So you're saying the MCS is "reportedly" "optimized by BMW" for a heavier wheel? Rumor; Busted. Furthermore, a lighter wheel/tire setup will throw off that "delicate" optimization just like a heavier setup would.


Back to the OP: You can run 18's as long as your width, offset, and tire size is reasonable. I ran a 18x7.5" et38 with summer 215/35-18 and had zero rubbing, including compression during cornering. The R56 has lots of wheel well space, so you can get away with more aggressive offsets and tire sizes then you could on the old R53.

 

Again, I'm no prfessional, but from what I gather if you really want 18" rims (perhaps because you just like the look) you should stick to a few points:

• pay attention to the weight, because more weight means less performance - up to the point where you think/feel the car has lost power. You can get 18" rims that weigh less than 17" or even 16" rims, but the same one will naturally weigh less in a smaller dimension - e.g. OZ Chrono in 7x17" = 7.94 kg = 17.5 lbs and in 7x18" = 8.34 kg = 18.4 lbs
• go for 7x18 or 7.5x18 any wider an you might get problems
• stay between offsets ET37 and ET42 any more and you start to rub inside or outside
• stay between 205 and 215 tire width

For the above mentioned dimensions I have seen, heard or read of no problems.

 

I'm on 18" too, specs are 18x7.5" at a +44 offset, tire size is 215/35/18 wheels are Volk GT-N custom ordered from Japan!

 

Those look hot on the white mini, I like that graphite color, good choice buddy!

 

Yep, I just need to lower, but I don't regret going 18" at all, in fact these were lighter than my factory R98 (Webspokes) these are at a 18.5 pounds each, I don't remember the exact weight of the R98 but they were in the 20s range.

 

This thread moved to Tires, Wheels and Brakes forum since the discussion of 18" wheels will apply to any MINI.

Just remember that lowered suspension means less clearance and don't pick tires that are larger than stock tire diameter about 24.4". Less is OK.

Larger wheels usually means lower sidewalls which are stiffer. Might be less comfortable and less practical except if you have really good smooth streets.