Wide 15's and 16's are my favorite. They allow you to get your car truly low if you properly size the tires

 

I do think that larger wheels are about a certain current aesthetic. It will probably pass like most styles. Remember in the 60's/70's the tire style was to have huge wheels in the back and small ones up front? Oh and you had to lift the back end too.
My mom use to say that it looked to her like the cars needed to go to the bathroom lifted like that. And me being a smart*** kid would say "but mom you don't put your butt up in the when you have to got to the bathroom do you?"
I find it interesting to watch Overhaulin' and see Chip Foose take these old gems and put huge rims on them. IMHO some of those cars just a little out of whack that way. Especially considering what was stock in that era:

 

I'm really happy with the ride on the non-RF 15s. MPGs are excellent as well. I'd consider a light 16, but I'd probably be just as happy with a 15" set that looked better than the OE 5-star spoolers. Rotator Spokes weren't offered for the Clubman, or I'd have gone with them.

 

I think i made the right choice with white, I think i'll call mini to day and ask where the hell my car is. There's a vietenemese restaurant in town (very good too) called "The Mini" first place im taking a picture of it is infront of that place, maybe if im lucky i can get a girl with a teeny tiny backpack to stand next to it.

I've driven a bone stock miata with 18" wheels on it and it was terrible, it felt like a runner where army boots. I've got to figure the mini has the same problem with unsprung weight.

Also 15-16" just looks cool. I cant say why just do>

 

?

 

Yeah, sorry that last post of mine was kind of a non sequitur. Nothing to do with rims at all.

My train of thought last night.

Saw the white car in a previous post, got excited about having ordered my car in white. That night i went to 'The Mini' http://www.restaurantica.com/on/wind...rant/23004431/ a restaurant in town and thought it'd be cool to get a picture by the sign. Also the place is near the university and there's alot of attractive asian girls with teeny tiny backpacks and they usually fawn over how cute toyota yaris' are. But whats cuter that this?


In hindsight the "girls with teeny tiny backpacks" line had a creepy undertone to it, which i didn't really think about. Like i was hanging out infront of grade schools or something, thats not the case and i apologize thats not how i meant it to come across.

On a rim related point though, i live across the river from detroit and all the roads look like manuel norieaga's face. so 15's or 16's will avoid this.

 

They look great ... can you spare more details about the wheels?

 

Those wheels are Konig Feathers are they not? Oh, by the way I do have 15 inch wheel as well and I have t say, I love the feedback that 15 provide in comparison to my 17 inch wheels. Either way, I love my mini, regardless of the wheel size!

 

I love the feathers. I wish the 16s didn't have the 8 holes. The 15s and 17s don't. I don't get it.

I also wish this thread had more pictures. (hint)

 

Thanks guys ...

I see that Discount Tire carries the Feathers ... but don't seem to show up in their listings if I specifiy the MINI. ... but yet they have 4x100 ones.

Anything I should ask for? Is it an offset issue?

 

Well, having just gone 35/18, count me in the Hot Wheels club! I ran 215/35/17 for 3 years and they were great, even on the track, but I wanted something with more visual attack, so went with 215/35/18 that are 1/2" bigger in diameter. They sure look big, but they are black so they don't look DUB. I can't run smaller than select 17s though due to the 13" BBK, even with 8mm spacers.



In the Mini world, it's all good...

 

I'm happy with my 16x7 SSR GT1 (no longer made) with 205/50/60 summer tires
and with my 15x5.5 7-holies with 195/60/15 winter tires.

 

I believe the 17's are also 8 hole !

 

Discount tire is a good place to buy the Feathers, better yet when theyofferd free shipping and no sales tax, but I bought mine from www.goodwinracing.com. They're local to me and I'm one of those people that after buying two sets of wheels sight unseen, must look and touch before I buy ! When I unboxed one at Goodwin Racing, I was very happy with the fit and finish. The 16 inch feathers are a 16x7 with a 40mm off set. I run a set of Nitto Neo Gens in a 205/50/16.

 

I just ordered my cooper with 15" wheels. I like them myself and would rather have a spare and not have the runflats.

 

I have the Sport package 16's and I think it's a great size for looks and real world driving. The rims are easy to clean (inside and out) and I like some sidewall in my wheel wells.

I am looking to replace the godawful runflats soon and it doesn't seem there is much available in the stock 195/55-16 size. What are you guys running?

 

205/50/16 - tons to pick from

Alex

 

We love 15's and 16's for track work, as well as on the street. Problem is that it's getting harder and harder to find good sizes in 15's and 16's for the track - hopefully, Toyo and Nitto will continue to make r-comps in MINI-friendly sizes (especially 225/50 or 225/45 15's and/or 225/45R16). I recently snagged a set of Hankook RS-2's in 225/45R16 before they were gone. And, I think we might have gotten one of the last few sets of Hankook RS-2's in 225/50R15 for the e30 (BMW) as well. Unfortunately, the tire biz seems focused on bigger rims as consumers are driving the sizes up...

 

consumers AND car companies. It's rare to find cars that come stock with 15's anymore. Most of them are coming with 17's stock and 18's or 19's as their "upgrade packages".

 

What would you recommend for a year-round high-performance non-run-flat Seattle tire? It hardly ever snows here (and when it does it's an icy event that shuts the city down). It does, of course, rain quite bit.

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Asymmetrical?

Thanks

 

I love my 16s. The ride is incredibly more comfortable than my old 17s, but the difference in performance is negligible.

Running 205/50/16 Kumho ASXes on 5-stars

 

I like 15" wheels for any small car. Especially for daily street use or for performance driving.

Tirerack.com still have a decent selection of 15" wheels for most small cars.

My local wheel shops have hardly anything in 15".

My 2008 Honda Fit comes with 14" steel wheels in the base model and 15" alloy wheels in the Sport model. This means one can buy 14" to 17" aftermarket wheels with a good selection of tires to choose from.

And my MINI wheels fit on my Honda!

 

5000's are very quiet and smooth, but lack hydroplaning resistance you could benefit from.

I like Firestone Firehawk Gt's or Michelin Pilot Exalto AS's.

Alex

 

I love the look and ride of my 15"s. Ultralight weight at just 12.5lbs and really make the car stand out.

 

love them