I know I know I'm another sheep who went for hamann HM2's but I'm wondering.. at stock ride height, a sharp bump will make them rub (215's, they hit the fender flares) there is a 3 inch gap now between the tyre and the fender well. should I drop it 2 inches? and just get wider fender flares? or should I leave well enough alone?

 

Whatever you do it'll still look sharp. My personal preferance is the MINI looks best lowered. That being said, mine's not. Way too many things I can see myself plowing into with the aero bumper up here in the great potholed Northeast.

 

The tires are 215/45/17 correct? What are the offset on the Hamann's? BTW - they look fantastic....

Reason I ask about the tires, there was a lenghty debate on here regarding whether 215/45/17 would rub. I know there have been others that had some occasional rubbing issues with this size. Is it the Hamanns? Or do you need to go to 215/40/17 even though it is not recommended due to low load rating.

I say drop it...

 

From my experience a wider fender flare is not the answer since the rubbing occurs on the fender liner itself (in the wheel well). What i was going to do was to modify the metal underneath teh flare and inside the fender well, but i decided to sell my Oz's and i am looking for another wheel that will fit w/o rubbing.

 

i would leave the ride height as is. :smile: looking good.

Are those ES100's?

 

Mini_Street_Racer,

I had the Hamann HM4 wheels which were 17x8" and 43 offset. I'm assuming your wheels are the same dimensions since they look identical to what I owned. After lowering the car with H-Sport springs I had nothing but problems with rubbing. I got so tired of the rubbing, even after trimming the inner fender liner, that I eventually sold the wheels. I was running a 215/40-17 tire also. I would recommend leaving the suspension alone if you don't want ro encounter the issues I went through. You are going to encounter enough issues with having a wheel that's 8" inches wide.

Jason

 

I sold these to Ryan who purchased the Yokohama ES100's. Did you purchase these from Ryan?

Jason

 

yes I did. as of yet at stock ride height, I only get problems when I hit a speed bump though Randy has the exact same set-up, ans is lowered but no problems for him. the reason I was considering it was most of my aggressive driving was in a straightline anyhow. and I usually cruise.

whats on there are 215/45/17's ES100's which I'm burning through right now, but I'm thinking of switching to ao32r's



in similar measurements. and just getting a set of volk te37's for canyon driving/ track.

_________________

 

huh, they look like HPI tires.

 

<<whats on there are 215/45/17's ES100's >>
These will probably rub if you lower the car....!!!!!.

I have 215/45-17's and no rubbing...... as my MCS is NOT lowered.

It's all a personal preference.... ur choice dude :smile:......
either way as long as U like it..that's all that counts

Peace,
D

 

If you decide to lower the car and change out the tires then make sure you use the 215/40-17's. The problem is more with the width of the Hamann wheel then the high profile of the tire. The 8" wide wheel pushes the rim too far out towards the fender which will cause rubbing with either tire size. Even with the inner fender liners completely trimmed out you will encounter rubbing over any surface unless you plan to purchase coilovers. Those on this forum that have used the Hamann HM4 wheel and don't encounter rubbing are all using the coilovers. Just contact SMG to get his input. He was using the A032R's also.

Jason

 

>>huh, they look like HPI tires.
>>
>>

I have a friend who works for HPI. and it is the reason why I'm getting them. the HPI 1:10 scale cross pattern radials are a copy of the yokohama.

I know that it's the width that rubs, which is why I was considering wider fender flares, then lowering it. but I'm worried it will look too goofy with really wide fenders and 17's tucked in.

anyway thanks for the advice guys. will get coilovers.

 

I have a friend who works for HPI. and it is the reason why I'm getting them. the HPI 1:10 scale cross pattern radials are a copy of the yokohama
>>


cool, Im friends with Akira Kogawa-san. He's a very talented guy and very nice to
hang around. :smile:

I would consider getting camber adjustable control arms than anything to
eliminate your rubbing. coilovers will enable you to lower/raise your car, but
don't do swat on your bump clearance at full compression.

 

I do have set of Falkens 215/45/17 on a set of MOMO X-1. And yes my MINI is lowered with no rubbing at all. I have H-Sports Springs and stock shocks. Even with my two kids in the rear not a single rub anywhere.

 

It's not surprising that people are able to fit 215/45-17 tires on their lowered cars and have no rubbing issues. The issue, which I encountered owning the Hamann HM4 wheels, is that the HM4 is an 8" wide wheel. Here is a comparison between the Hamann HM4 and the Momo X1.

Momo X1 is 17x7" with an offset of 42MM

Hamann HM4 is 17x8" with an offset of 43MM

Using the wheel offset calculator the Hamann HM4 will reduce the strut housing clearance by 14MM and push the outside edge of the wheel further towards the fender by 12MM. The extra inch in width makes a huge difference regardless if it's in the safety zone for offsets with 40-50MM. The Hamann HM4 isn't rubbing on the fender flare but the inner fender liner which means that extending the fender flare would do nothing. I'm still uncertain why Hamann, a reputable builder, would design a wheel that is too wide for our cars.

Jason