I'm fairly new to the mini community so, please bear with me. I have an 02, S...running 225/30x 20's...it looks awesome, gets all kinds of compliments, but rides terrible!..a road reflector makes you check your filings!
My question, I want it to ride better, but love the big wheel look...will 18s ride any better? Should I go to 17s? I travel highway to work, 60miles each way...
Thanks for response..
Oh, and to answer your question, the 20s rub only with a big dip in the highway or a hard compression, no rubbing with turning.

 

I'm sure you like to be different but the wheel size you have limits your tire selection for the MINI.

In your case 225/30-20 fits rims 8" wide and has a tire diameter of about 25.5" or roughly more than 1" taller than stock. This decreases wheel gap by 1/2" and raises your ride height by 1/2" along with a higher center of gravity.

Overall the tires will look (too) large for the proportions of the MINI, how about a picture of your MINI?


Maybe something like this-
I think this is the same sized tire as you have and with stock suspension it doesn't look bad, just a bit extreme. Tire weight is not bad in that size but wheel weight would be, likely more than stock for an OEM 18" wheel.

Here is a video of 225/30-20 on the road.

The reason for a jarring ride is the tire has a very short 30 series sidewall that is very stiff compared to stock 45 series sidewalls.

You can improve the ride quality and comfort by choosing-

17x7 or 17x8 wheels with 205/45-17, 215/45-17 or even 225/45-17 tires with stock suspension.

Or
18x7 to 18x8 wheels with 205/40-18, 215/40-18, 225/40-18 or 215/35-18

A great tire choice would be-

Michelin Pilot Super Sport (Max Summer tire)
Good for handling and good for street use. It's a much better tire than any you can get in 225/30-20

If you can pick a really light weight wheel and that will help a great deal on allowing for better acceleration, nimble handling and shorter braking distances.

Other than looks for street use the 7" wide rim will work with all of the tire sizes I mentioned above.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the response....the detail is impressive and appreciated. I think 18s are in my future! Question. You mention 7 inch wheel a couple of times. Is that the best figment size?
Thanks, robert

 

For aftermarket wheels 7" wide is easiest to find while wider wheels can be a little harder depending on what brand or style wheels are available.

Wider wheels are usually going to weigh more which is fine if you don't drive aggressively and follow the speed limit. At constant speed heavy wheels are fine but for changing your speed a lighter wheel will require less energy to stop or speed up.

18x7, 18x7.5 or 18x8 will all fit the MINI with not much fuss. Wheel offset will need to be about 42mm to give enough clearance for the tires. As offset gets smaller in number the wheel position is moved further outward in the wheel well.

A 7" wheel usually fits a 205mm wide tire well, while an 8" wheel and 225mm wide tire is fine. You can stretch a 205mm tire on a wider wheel or wider tire on a narrow rim but it's less optimal for the performance and stress on the tire.

When possible to get the smoothest street ride using a tire with a taller sidewall is usually better. The shorter sidewall helps with handling response but is jarring on anything but the smoothest roads as you know.

 

I want the wheels in the picture but don't know who makes them, i have Google it to death with no luck. I got to have the wheels in 17" inch or 17x7.

Does anyone have a clue who sells these wheels?

Much appreciated!

 

Contact South West Tyres from the picture. They probably were the ones who originally sold those rims/tires on that MINI.

Sent from cellular device.

 

How can I contact South West Tyres from the picture if there's no (link) address or phone number? I can see that you haven't attempted to Google "South West Tyres" yet because if you had you would understand my dilemma. Google spits out tons of like names making it impossible to locate the actual South West Tyres.

Does anyone have either a link to their website or know where South West Tyres is located? Address, City or State?

 

give them a call:
http://clevedon.cylex-uk.co.uk/compa...-18856563.html


South West Tyres Ltd

Address
Tweed Road Industrial Estate
Postcode/City:
BS21 6RR Clevedon
County:
Somerset, England
Phone:
01275-335830
Fax:
0127-533-5834

 

If you are interested in a particular wheel start a new post and list:

Your requirements for budget
Wheel diameter and width
Your suspension
Your tire requirements
Rough preference for wheel design

 

Thanks for finding them, there on the other side of the pond. They might be able to point me in the right direction.

 

205/50 R16 Michelin PS3, 205/55 R16 PS4 (beware, taller!) or 215/45 R17 PS4S (may cause fitment issues depending on wheel offset).
R56 MCS brakes (former JCW brake kit 294 mm) are a good idea. However they do require running either min 16" OE wheels or "bigger barrel" 15" aftermarket wheels.

 

hello new member ... we appreciate you 'reading back'

but also note on this thread

previous post 2014

 

Oops, you're right, pardon me!

 

IMO,

20" and 19" are way too large for a gen 1 Mini.

18" is more of a show size, but 17" fits the Mini just right
and the 16" gives the best ride.

Its your car, so spend your money wisely.

I purchased light weight 17" wheels and all season tyres
which gives a very nice ride.