why wont these wheels fit.... or was the firestone tech not knowing what he was talking about and me being new to this car, not knowing any better??


So these are my rims, stock 17x7's x48mm on OEM 205/45's. according to this source, http://www.allfactorywheels.com/prod...%22-71399.html Normal right? or not?
So yesterday my Konig Deceptions came in... 17x7.5 x45mm and the plan was to swap my OEM 205/45 RF's on to the decepts.


well when i was at Firestone, the tech pulls me into the bay and puts one of the bare Decepts on the hub and shows me that "these new rims with the tires are gonna rub, and points outs that my stocks dont have that much room as it was and rub already and shows me where the stocks are rubbing inside. I didnt get siome pix( I should of), but heres what I got today from my drive way.You can actually see the smudge on the strut, thats where the stocks rub and the tech pointed out that there would be even less room with the new wheels.
now ive actually been trying to figure out WTF, and I definatley dont feel safe if the tires are making contact on the inside. Is this normal? Do I need spacers and if so, what sizes does anyone recommend?

 

and yes, i have been searching all day, most people say that they clear, but I'm not warm and fuzzy about it?
PS. when the car was on the lift, I didnt notice any aftermarket springs so I'm 90% sure its OEM height.

 

That clean spot is not from the tire rubbing, that much I'm sure. I'll bet it's from when the lug bolts were removed, and the wheel didn't come straight off, and made contact. If that's not enough, look for rub marks on the tire. I can't see any in the photo, and I'm willing to bet they aren't there.

Now your new wheels are offset 3mm to the inside, but are 12.7mm wider. What this means is that your tires will not bulge out as much, so you are not even really going 3mm closer with the sidewall. This is a guess (it depends somewhat on the tire) but I'd guess the sidewall will fall right where it is now, or maybe 1mm closer. Even if it's the full 3mm in, I still think you have enough clearance. As far as the outside is concerned, I dont know. But on first gen cars, people are running 8" wide wheels with 215s and lowered, so I'm thinking you should be ok with stock tires, stock suspension, and 5 to 6mm (again, my guess) outboard

 

feel around with your hands for clearances with the stock wheels and tires then you can compare,you gotta get them mounted and see if they fit.

 

Sounds like the guy is clueless. Go somewhere else.

 

I have 17-7.5's on mine, different wheel, but no rubbing. If your tires were rubbing, that smudge spot would be shiny.

 

Contact the seller if the wheels are recommendedand they don't fit. There is difference in wheel width though.

 

It shouldn't be a problem. There isn't *that* much clearance on the stock wheels but you're talking a few mm. The new wheels are a half inch wider (12.7mm). Divide this by two because it's a quarter inch on each edge. That is ~6.3mm. Then your offset is 3mm farther out than the stock wheels so subtract 3mm. This means the inner-most lip of your new wheels are 3.6mm (or about .120") farther in than your stock wheels.


The flat spot on the shock is there from the factory so the tech might have thought the wheel rubbed and caused the round shock to become flat in that spot. I'm pretty sure MINI found this out when testing the car and that's why there's a flat spot to begin with.

Worst case, if it is indeed rubbing when mounted up, you just need a 3mm spacer and you're new wheels will be back to where the stock one's were on the inside.

 

Hey Guys thanks for the responses and input, I'm off to NTB to have them mounted. Will post pix of the finishing product...

 

So we got the car on the lift today and did a good inspection under and thru the visable frame and suspension. Didnt see any signs of old damage. But I did take pix of the signs of rubbing that had been pointed out befor on the front struts/suspension.




It worried me, but the guys at Goodyear pretty much said, lets get them mounted and see how it sits and worst case scenario, we'll swap them back. Really good customer service from Carlos at Goodyear off toepperwin and Kitty hawk in Universal City Texas, near Randolph AFB.
Heres the finishing product, drove home and felt NO rubbing and the ride felt good. Thanx for all the post rep,lys on this thread and the insight guys.


I'll be sure to post more pix when clean up better tommorrow.

 

Sweet!

 

Looks awesome. When I lived in SA, I had them align my vehicles, they do great work and race alignments to boot. FYI if that rubbing was caused by driving, you would see bare metal and not just a little shiny spot. As the previous person said, it was probably just tire removal contact. Nice wheels!

 

Glad it worked out! Wheels look great - really work with that MINI color.

 

..wheels look very nice on there.

when I got some new wheels several months back...those deceptions were something I was considering between some others.

I see you are in the San Antonio area, ...the mini of SA dealership organizes group drives through the hill country area occasionally...check out their facebook page..
MINI Of San Antonio


Save The Date! The next MINI Drive is set for January 29th. Details to follow.

..hope to see on one of the drives...lotsa fun if you like spirited country driving