R56 Spare Tire
 

Did a search and didn't get much traction there for spare tire fitment on the Mini Cooper non-S. Here's what I know:

4x100
15 inch to clear front brakes.
$220 CAD locally at my mini (+ tax, so about 250) for the spare tire.
Mazdaspeed Miata spare is 15 inches as well, so it will work.

However, I'm wondering if we need 15 inch spares since our car is FWD. You should never swap a smaller overall wheel onto a drive-wheel. So if you flat a front wheel, you swap a rear onto the front, and then put the spare on the rear.

If the 14 inch tire clears the rear, then I can go to a 14 inch tire and it becomes easier to hunt for a spare.

Did anyone here purchase a spare and try using it?

We tried using Mazda spare long time ago, but wouldn't clear even the rear brakes ad the dish is different than the MINI.

We just use the MINI ones and they are still pretty cost effective
https://www.waymotorworks.com/mini-s...ire-wheel.html

Got it! But, did you try the 15 inch wheels or the 14 inch? It seems the miata comes with 14 inch and the mazdaspeed comes with 15. I'm going to try a civic 15 inch tomorrow.

Does the S and non-S use the same spare, if you were adding a spare to your S model?

So, I got a 15 inch Honda Civic spare today for $40 CAD which is $30 USD. I test fitted it on the rear (only place that matters since if a front flats, you HAVE to transfer a rear full size to the front and transplant the spare onto a rear tire). The 15 works. Didn't get a chance to test if the 14'' Civic spare works.

The spare offered by WayMotor is a much better purchase but since I'm in Canada, that tire won't ship to me. The local Mini dealer would charge me 220 CAD + tax = 250 CAD = 180 USD~. 118 for a tire shipped to my house would've been a steal.

Short story - you should be able to use the same 14 or 15 inch tire as a spare for an S and a non S - but you should only ever put the spare on the rear wheel. Also, you have to test to see if the wheel fits (offset related issues).

Long story - people say you need a 15 for the S to clear the brakes in the front. However, you should never be putting a spare on the front since the diameter of the entire wheel isn't the same diameter as the full size - and you should not have the wheels rotating at different speeds. So the solution is to donut the rear wheels if you get a flat in the rear or transplant a rear full size to the front if you have a flat in the front, then donut the rear. And if you're donuting the rear exclusively, you should be able to get away with a 14 inc h wheel with the right offset.

I have a wheel for sale. Insurance recently totaled my R55 clubman S. I have the kit linked below. I'd love to sell it locally. I'm in Morristown NJ (07960)

http://www.outmotoring.com/micro-spa...5-clubman.html