hey there,
I recently purchased my r53 cooper s from the mechanic at my local mini garage and i love it but im really interested in getting new wheels. I have zero experience with changing wheels so i was hoping someone here could help me wrap my head around what exactly i need to do to give it a proper fitment. its also difficult for me because it has a few upgrades already which I assumed were good because it was the mechanics personal car, but im so new to minis that i figured id just ask a forum if anythings worth changing. its an 05', he told me he upgraded to jcw suspension but im not sure if he just changed the springs or if he had the whole kit, or maybe just changing the springs isnt even an option lol. he also changed the run flats for Michelin's which he was saying are great but i really dont know anything about what tires perform best. ill try and find out the model name of the tires but the sizing says 225/45zr17, thought i at least knew what that meant but ive never seen a z in there before ahah. I was looking briefly online and it seems people like the enkei rpf1's , also i like the styling.

basically what im trying to ask is are my current tires worth keeping and therefore should i get rims which fit these tires? if so does anyone have recommendations for 17 inch rims that look good on r53s and perform well? would i have any clearance issues with the jcw sus when shopping for aftermarket 17s? and lastly with that setup is it going to look good or is it going to look like it needs to be lowered further?

thanks and sorry for any stupid questions!

 

Hi and welcome! Let me first say that there are no stupid questions. Nobody knows everything and we can all benefit from other people's knowledge.

Now as for your '03 R53, most people run 17 inch wheels with either 205/45R17 or 215/45R17 tires. Both these tire sizes ensure that you won't have any rubbing on suspension components and/or the wheel wells. There is also a great selection for tires in both sizes for summer, winter and all-season tires. I myself have been running 215/45R17 on all my R53 cars. I have never tried running 225 - some people have no issue with them, but others report slight rubbing when the suspension compresses.

I also noticed the Ontario license plate. I'm in the Ottawa region. There are a few MINI clubs scattered throughout the province. These clubs are great to meet other MINI enthusiasts and can be helpful in getting answers to many questions.

Here are a few web sites that may be helpful in getting started exploring what's available out there for wheels:

1010tires.com - Canadian web site for tires and wheels. Pretty good selection.
Tire Rack - one the biggest US web sites for ordering tires, wheels, suspension components, etc.
Discount Tire Direct - another US web site that sells tires and wheels. Most wheels offered here are "budget" brands but they still have a decent selection.

Anyway, hope this helps. And enjoy your new-to-you MINI

 

@Minibeagle thanks so much for the detailed response! I’ll take a look at those links today and hopefully find something that suits my needs. I’m also in the Ottawa region actually, do you have a link to any mini groups around here? I joined one on Facebook but I wasn’t sure if it was the right group. Thanks again!

 

No problem @jeromenclature. Glad I was able to help you. The LXM Ottawa MINI Group on FB is the Ottawa area group. Great group and pretty active. Some of us are also active in the Motorsport Club of Ottawa: we have an autocross event tomorrow at parking lot #9 of the Canadian Tire Centre. Action starts around 10 AM and runs to about 3:30 pm. Drop by if your curious.

 

@Minibeagle Awesome! ill see if i can swing by thanks again!