I have a set of Konig Black Feathers on order (17x7), but now I'm told the holes have to be specially ordered in 14mm since it's the Clubman. Plus, the studs will have to be swapped since you can't find black tuner-style lugs in the correct pitch (1.25).

It's becoming a pain in the ****, so if I can get a set of the JCW black wheels at a reasonable price (set of 4 w/ TPMS & blk lugs for less than $1100), are they good wheels?

Or should I stay on my current track with the Konigs?

 

FWIW, the JCW wheels (while nice looking) are not big brake friendly. I know because I reviewed a couple of them with brakes at AMVIV. They look pretty good...right to the point of seeing the spoke arch turns in too rapidly to fit many calipers.

 

Well, the wheels themselves are definitely good wheels, if a little heavy - standard for factory wheels. The black ones (R105s, I think?) are somewhat lighter for their size, though.

A couple things to consider:

Is the change to 18" going to add to the total cost? Are you going to have to buy new 18" tires instead of using 17" tires that you already have? Or were you getting a new set of tires anyway, and this will just change the size? Is the slightly stiffer ride from the lower profile 18" tires ok with you?

Changing the studs is actually not that big a deal - Texas Speedwerks sells a 14mm-12mm stud conversion kit for $115 http://www.txwerks.com/servlet/Detail?no=47 , and it's about an hour job to install them. You'll need a torque wrench and the appropriate socket (Allen head or ??? - I don't have their studs). The 14-12 conversion will allow you to use the Feathers as is and with the tuner lug nuts. Don't know if the cost/extra work is worthwhile to you, or if the Feathers are worth it to you.

 

I think they're worth it. I got quoted $357 each for the rim only from classic Mini. No tires since I wanted to put on non-runflats. These were for the R105 in silver (not the black one). I'm thinking about getting a set of R105 or maybe aftermarket mesh style rims...decisions decisions

 

You can just get some conversion studs from Texas Speedwerks for your car. They're 14mm X 1.25mm where they screw into the hubs, and then neck down to 12mm X 1.5mm so they'll fit through any aftermarket wheel and accept a wide variety of tuner nuts.

$115 for a set of black steel studs and nuts, and you're done - no worrying about ordering custom-sized bolt holes in your wheels, or drilling the holes out, or having to find replacement nuts or lugbolts in a weird size.

 

I'd recommend the JCW R109's.Heaviest at 26lbs(58lbs w/oem RF's) but are the best looking OEM's.

 

I'd say they're not worth it, especially if you're tracking your car. At almost $400 a wheel, there are lots of very, very good wheels out there that look nice and are less. Craap, you can even move up to forged wheels at that price.

But what do you expect from me, I'm a modder, and the cost of the factory wheels is really astronomical. I have no clue why (other than because they can!)

Matt

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=143600

Matt

 

No tires yet. Ride is a concern of mine, so i was going to run either 205/50-17's (25.1" diameter - there's a member on here running these w/ stock suspension and NO rubbing) or 215/40-18 (24.8" diameter). I like the look of 17's & 18's but I still want the tallest sidewall possible to help with the ride. These will be non-runflats since I will carry a spare.

As in the title, car will NOT be tracked nor lowered. These are strictly for asthetics.

 

All depneds on how deep your pockets are but the bolt conversion is a nice option and opens up a lot more selection for wheels, as Dr Obnxs mentioned aftermarket wheels are much cheaper, you might want to check out the XXR/Sportmax selection of wheels http://www.xxrwheels.com/index.shtml as all of their models accept the 14mm wide bolts so you don't need the conversion kit, my 06 is a late model production and has the 14mm, my sportmax fit no problems (see my gallery) BTW I'm on JCW springs and R53's are lower with less clearance than R56's and I'm running 215/40/18 with no rubbing either. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

Those look very nice--they are also my favourite 18" OEM. Are the RFs really 32 pounds each? Wow. I had no idea they were that heavy.
For track purposes, I would go for one of the many aftermarket choices out there in 17s that will get you under 40 pounds/corner.

 

Greg, I have struggled w/ the same dilemma and chose the route of ordering my own wheels (rather than factory JCW wheels), here's why:

The factory JCW's I wanted (solid black) are $2775 +$100 to install from the dealer, so almost $3,000. The plus is that it's easy, they fit and no worries.
The big negative is the price and the fact that they weigh 26lbs a wheel ...that seems awfully heavy for such expensive wheels.

I opted to go the pain in the **** route and order some Konig Runaways. The entire setup is only going to cost me about $1,400 w/ tires installed. Here's the pain in the **** part: They are on special order ...have to wait about a month or so for them to come in. I have to order the TPMS sensors and valves for the tires and make sure the company puts them on my new wheels + have to now find black lugs to match (still trying to figure out where I can get a set for a 2008 MCS).

So, the dealer option is $$$ but easy.
Getting the set yourself is cheap, and you can get a better quality wheel+tire in my opinion, but it's a bit of a pain ordering and making sure it's all done correctly.

I think in the end it will be worth doing it yourself.

 

Do the R56s not use black lugs? Have you checked into getting a set of lugs for a late '06? As far as I know, all the R50/R53 lugs are black (my stock lugs are black), and the late '06 cars use the 14/1.25 lugs that the R56 takes. Check with your parts dept.

Edit: Sorry for the thread-jack. Sent eR1c a pm, too.

 

70spop,

you know I wasn't sure what color the R56s used, (my MCS is on order and not due to arrive til July). You just answered my question though and saved me about $89 bucks (thanks)! ...okay, entire wheel + tire set is now costing me $1,300 !!

 

It's nice when they're easy.

 

Trouble is most factory lug heads don't fit tuner lug style wheels, my 14mm wide on my late model 06 were too fat at the end where the lug wrench fits for the slim aftermarket tuner wheels nut holes.

 

-gotcha, ...yeah, I figure I'll just have to wait and see. I don't have the car or the wheels yet. Both are on order. I have a pretty well equipped garage to do this all myself, so once I get the car and the new wheels I'll see if the stock lug's fit, if not i'll order something slimmer.

 

Yep, factory lugs are too large for aftermarket wheels, and since MINI switched to the odd 1.25 thread pitch, black "tuner" lugs are nearly impossible to find. Texas Speed Werks makes a conversion kit that includes new studs to neck down to 12mm w/ black lugs w/ 1.50 thread pitch (standard on many cars) to match the new studs.

However, they have to be installed, whcih adds another hour's labor.

As stated before, I can get the JCW wheels w/ TPMS sensors and lugs for a little over $1100.

Konigs w/ lugs, sensors, and new stud kit is around $700 plus the stud exchange labor equals $800.

So, the question is.....For $300 should I get the JCW's that are "Plug-N-Play" or stick with the Konigs? Remember, no tires yet so the difference between 17's and 18's is negligable.

In the past I've had issues w/ aftermarket stuff working as well as I'd like, so the older I get, the easier I want things to be.

 

didn't realize you could get the JCW's for so cheap (my bad for not reading all the posts carefully).

I'd go w/ the JCW and avoid the hassle

What is the size of the lug nuts for a 2008 MCS? is it 1.25? what are the exact dimensions I need? I found many options available at:

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...FSgtagodXjJ9VQ

-still a little confused as to what size I need.

 

the 2nd one down is what I think I need??

http://www.jegs.com/p/Detroit+Wheels...10002/-1/11611

12mm x 1.25" thread

 

They're not nuts - they're bolts (which is part of what makes them a hassle, and another reason why people convert to studs). The new ones (late '06 to R56) are 14mm with 1.25 thread pitch. Old ones are 12mm with 1.5 thread pitch.

 

Actually, you'd want the FIRST set (12x1.5), BUT you'd need a set of the 14-12 conversion studs from TSW to go with them.

 

on a non S? hmmmmmm......

 

really? I didn't know that. odd, ...okay.


-thanks! I am going to see if I can find a solution w/o converting them to a standard size.

What are you referring to?

 

May I ask where you're getting that awesome deal? This is w/o tires right?