I recently ordered a set of enkei pf01s (16x7 +43). I would've went with a more aggressive width and offset but I really wanted 16s and that was the only size they came in so I'm thinking of getting some spacers. I read on tire rack that using an offset of 42 or lower may require trimming of the fender liner? This doesn't seem right to me as I've seen people running lower offsets with no issues?

So yeah, I'm not looking for any poke or hellaflush type fitment, I don't want to do any trimming, and I want to use my original lug nuts if possible. I'd just like to make the wheel a bit more flush with the fender if I can. Any recommendations? Pics of a similar wheel width/offset with or without spacers would be great since I haven't installed my wheels yet.

Thanks

 

It wont be the rim giving you problems, it will be the tire. I ran 18x7.5 ET42 (thats 5mm less clearance on the inside and 7mm more of poke vs. your wheel) on 215/35 P-Zero Nero on my R53 (lowered) with no problems. However, when i changed over to Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric in the same size, I started rubbing the inside plastic whenever the road dipped. The Nero's were much rounder than the Goodyear's.

What tire size have you picked?

 

The biggest factor with rubbing is tire size. Are you buying new tires or reusing old ones? I run 16x7 +33 205/55r16 and don't rub (as far as I know). Actually, I was pretty suprised I don't rub. Biggest spacers are probably 5mm, as 10 mm spacers won't work because they aren't hub centric and I think 15mm would be too much offset.

 

I'm just going to be using them with stock sized (195/55/16) general gmax as03s. They have a very round edge to them so they almost look like they are a lower profile. I probably should've mentioned that I have an R53 lowered on H&R sports (~1" drop).

 

Another question.....I've been doing a bit of reading on scrub radius and how it affects the handling characteristics of the car. From what I gather, slightly positive is ideal, and most cars come with a relatively neutral scrub radius from the factory. Going with a lower offset gives you a more positive SR.

Does anybody know what the SR for an r53 is from the factory and what would be an ideal SR as far as performance and drivability is concerned? Using the tire rim calculator on this site, this new setup will extend an additional 11-12mm outwards than stock. Is this enough to change the driving characteristics of the car in any noticeable amount?

 

Ohhhhhhhhhh... How is scrub radius supposed to affect handling? I noticed with my wheels it was harder to steer the wheel the farther they were from center and they returned to center much more quickly.

 

I found this on a mazda forum

"At zero scrub radius, the car steers easily and will have little or no kickback from bumps. At the same time there will be virtually no road feel or feedback and there will be a feeling of directional instability while cornering due to the tendency of the tires to squirm. This condition is also known as center-point steering.

A positive scrub radius will increase steering effort, torque steer and kickback on bumps to a considerable degree. At the same time, a blowout or a failure of one front brake could yank the wheel hard enough to pull it out of your hands. The advantage is that there is much greater road feel and feedback so that you can feel when the front tires start to break loose in a corner. Consequently, this is often the set-up of choice on race cars.

Negative scrub radius will also increase steering effort, torque steer and kickback but to a noticeably lesser degree than the positive kind. Additionally, front tire blowouts and single brake failures will act with less force on the steering wheel. Finally, there will be less road feel and feedback and less ability to feel when the front tires are about to break loose as compared with the positive state. In general, front-wheel drive cars are set-up with negative scrub radius."

 

Yeah, that seems right. I noticed slightly more feel, but its not even close to the steering feel with power steering off

 

see
http://www.racecartuner.com/03/307.html

For your MINI you want a scrub radius as close to zero as possible for best steering feel.

This means for the front wheels you want to use the least wheel offset or thinnest wheel spacer that allows correct fitment.

You can also adjust negative camber so that more camber allows for a wider front wheel track (more aggressive offset) to be close to zero scrub radius.

 

Now we just need anti-spacers . I'm surprised that said positive radius decreases feel, I notice alot more feel now. Like I can feel when I'm starting to lose traction or getting wheel spin in corners

 

Other way around. It says positive increases feel.

I'm gonna put these wheels on first and see how it looks before I decide anything at this point. They're technically going to sit like my x-lites with a 11.36mm spacer so I'm hoping that looks decent.