Hi all,
Pretty noob here in the MINI world. My R56 is on the boat! So, even though I don't even have the car yet, I'm trying to figure out what wheels fit. So far, I've gotten this far:

4x100 bolt pattern
14mm lugs vs 12mm on the R53

But what about offset? How does one figure out what's appropriate? I'm looking at a set of wheels that are 17x7.5" +45 4x100. Will these work?

I tried some searches but could really use some good links to some reading material on offset and such.

Thanks ya'll.

 

i am pretty sure that anywhere between 37 and 45 should be fine. also the stock wheel offset if 42 (correct me if im wrong, dont want to give false info). you've got the 4x100 right and 17x7.5 should work just fine.

 

Thanks Corin.

 

Oh, is the +42mm on the stock apply to all wheel sizes or just the stock 17s?

 

Well there is more to it.

R56 includes both base Cooper and Cooper S.

Cooper S R56 comes with larger front brake calipers that will not fit as many aftermarket wheels as the base Cooper.

14mm bolts are standard on all R56 wheels so check with your vendor about that, not all aftermarket wheels will fit 14mm bolts but you can do a stud conversion to change to 12mm bolts so all is not lost.

+42mm is less than the stock +48mm common to both stock 16" and 17" wheels. Stock 15" wheels have +45mm offset while stock 18" wheels have more than 48mm offset.

The larger number means the wheel sits toward the inner side of the wheel well. When you buy rims that are wider than stock sizes you want an offset that is lower than stock about +40 to +45 is safer. Less than 42mm and you start to get closer to the outer wheel well trim and could risk rubbing if the tire is taller than stock tire diameter or if you lower the suspension.

So +37 to +40mm offset could risk some rubbing but it can depend on which rim width and which tire size. With stock suspension it's not really a problem especially with the R56 MINI.

 

Awesome info Minihune.

Off the top of your head, do you know of any incompatibilities with Rota wheels? Like Torques, GR-As, etc. Will they take the 14mm bolts? And I take it from your explanation of offset, if I understand it correctly, that the size I listed in the original post should work fine?

Thanks for taking the time...

 

I don't know of Rotas that are incompatible but it's always good to check with your vendor.

For 17" wheel using +42mm offset you will be fine with stock suspension and be at the limit if you drop 1" front and rear or if you use wider than stock rims depending on what size tire and how wide a rim.

Anytime you have trouble with 14mm bolts you can always do a stud conversion from 14 to 12mm and that will work.