I have searched this topic and can not find anything, maybe I am not putting in the right words.

Anyway, I have noticed that pretty much everyone who runs AutoX or races run 17" rims. Why not 18"? What are the advantages of the 17 or 18? Also I notice that a lot of guys run a max width of 7.75....is that right?

I am new to the Mini and I am researching as much as I can prior to buying. I want to well educated before buying. Sorry if this is an old topic.

Craig

 

Weight. Class restrictions.


Inherently, 18's weigh more than 17's. 16's are lighter than 17's. 15's lighter than 16's, etc. Ideally, you would run the smallest that fit, and get the lightest rims you can find. Stock on most mini's is 17's (sport package), so to run in stock class, they run what they bought on it. 18's weigh more, aren't stock sizing, so they avoid them. Width also is a consideration of class, in stock, it can't be wider than stock. It's all a matter of what class you want to run in, and how much horsepower robbing weight you want to burden your drivetrain with. Remember, rotating mass is your enemy, something like 1 pound off of your rims is equal to like 3 on the body.

Hope this helps

 

An 18" wheel is heavier than a 17". You've gotta be careful what tires you get with a wider wheel, as they may have rubbing issues. I plan on purchasing 17", the reason being potholes ruin wheels, especially with the lower profile tire. My last MINI had 16s and I had a big dent on the inside bead of my wheel. I am sure from a set of RR tracks I came up on a little too fast. So I figure if I go bigger I'll have to be more careful not to hit road hazards. If you look around alot of people are racing with 15 & 16" wheels. Less weight=better acceleration and braking. If you are looking for wheels just to race I'd look for nothing larger than 16" personally. If you will use these wheels day to day you may want to go with the 17" if that is the look that you want. Just watch the weight of wheels, they can get pretty heavy! If you have an S you may only go down to 16" I think, but I'm sure someone can verify this. Alot of classes only let you race with OEM size wheels within certain perameters. Figure out what you want to race in and look at their rules would be you're best bet. Hope I helped a little.

 

I dont want to have 2 sets of rims. I would want the same rims for everyday driving and racing.

 

Then you must stay within stock wheel sizes to compete in most events. Get what you like in size that'll meet that criteria. I'm making sure my 17's are no heavier than 20 lbs., which is pretty easy to do. I'm looking for chrome, those are harder to find in a lightweight wheel.

 

Not all 18" rims are heavy.You can get forged wheels that weigh as little as 13lbs. But the price is HEAVY! The SSR's weigh 14lbs. for the 18x7.5
The Racing Hart CP F-Tune-R's are in the 13lb range. for the 18x7.5
http://www.andysautosport.com/racing...rt_cp035r.html

 

Ah, but the 16" ssr's weigh 11.1 lbs. I have to agree, you can get lighter 18"s, but they do take you out of stock class.

 

Depending on what midlifecrisis2 wants, it can be very difficult to find a lightweight 18" wheel. I haven't been able to find chrome plated 18s that won't cost MAJOR $.

 

Here's a 17" rim that is in the 12lb range! The RH Evolution


I don't think they are still being made?

 

Also the lighter the get the more you potentially have to worry about damaging them from road hazards, as sometimes lighter = weaker.

-mike

 

I'm buying 18" Kazera KZ-S which weigh in at 19.4 lbs. from www.tirerack.com. I also bought MINIs tire/wheel warranty which covers any wheel/tire combo I put on the car for 5 years.

 

Some of the lighest wheels are forged and are much stronger than their cast counterparts. But you'll pay out your a$$ for a good set of these rims. Just remember you get what you pay for.

 

with a 18 you are not leaving very much room for tires and the rims are more likely to get eaten up in cornering. Other than that the choice of size is limited by the class you want to be in, and your own personal sense of style.