New Mini owner, 2007 base model.

Need to get a set of rims, as the original rims are all curb rashed. :-(

Like many others, I do most of my driving on pretty smooth road surfaces - but I do use some poorly-maintained roads and I'd like to smooth out the ride a bit, if I can.

I'm looking at ICW Racing 210MB Kamikaze rims (15x6.5 4x100/4x4.5 38mm).

Believe it or not, this will be my first time buying aftermarket rims, for any car. Just never had the need or desire. Now I do.

Planning to pair them with Bridgestone Ecopia tires. Not certain which size I'll go with, could use some advice on that too -

so I guess I'm interested in finding out if anyone is using these rims and how they like them - and which tire size will help the most to smooth out the ride on rough roads without losing the handling while cornering, or rubbing in the wheel wells.

Any and all opinions are welcome! Thanks.

 

I have a 2015 Base model MC, which came with upgraded OEM 17 inch wheels, with touring tires. The ride and handling are excellent. Though I like to punch it, I don’t race it. Personally, I don’t like the look of the 15’s on any car. They just seem too small. Just my 2 cents.

Kat

 

I would suggest looking at 16" wheels. They may look better on your model Mini than the 15" wheels.
Depending on your taste look at Enkei wheels and if you find something you like, try to find
images online of that wheel mounted on your R56 Mini. I got the PF01 wheels in black for my Mini, and they are lightweight but strong.
Also practice not getting so close to the curb. Just practice now with the old wheels. Your new wheels may not look very good if you keep curbing it.
I try to stay far from curbs and if I am too far away, I just move in a little closer. Remember the Mini is a small car
Take your time and find the wheels you like the best.

MiniKar

 

My thanks to you both, and any others who take the time to reply.

And for the record, I've never curbed a wheel in my 30+ years of driving. I truly wish the previous owner(s) had been taught how to park properly though, would have saved me some $... (just bought this car)

 

Sorry, did not mean to blame you for the curbed wheels.

I some how mis-read how the wheels got curbed; previous owner did it.

Good luck with your search.

 

Here is my input: pay close attention to wheel weight, and get the lightest set within your price range. Since you have a Justa Cooper, you’ll notice the car feeling sluggish going with a heavier wheel.

 

Totally just cramming my opinion in here....dual drilled wheels look incredibly cheap and cruddy

 

So I tried to find out the weight of the rims I was looking at, but I can't find it anywhere - 1st red flag.

I did, however, find that the shipping weight is 24 pounds per. BIG red flag.

So I've ditched the idea of buying those rims.

This car is my semi-daily driver, my driving style is grandma. I baby my car, never race.

Looking for suggestions on which rims / tires to get. 2007 Justa, red/white. Prefer black or black/machined rims. Not a big fan of the 5 spoke, generally speaking. And I really don't want to spend a lot - I can only justify a max of $150 per, and really $100 is my target - but realistically, I'll probably be paying more than I'd like to.

Love your rims? Tell me about them! Share a pic. I'm interested. :-)

 

These are reasonable:

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...+Black+Painted

 

ICW Racing 210MB Kamikaze rims (15x6.5 4x100/4x4.5 38mm) are 21 lbs each rim.
https://www.tirebuyer.com/wheels/icw.../p/WV278000058

If you have bad roads then tire sizes and wheels either 15" or 16" can work fine. Some tires come with softer sidewalls for more flex which helps with ride comfort and less firm ride. 15" tire sizes are a little harder to come by but still OK for Grand Touring All season tires. More performance minded tires are easier to find in 16" sizes. For a Base Cooper the All Season route is fine for daily street use.

You might try tirerack.com and check what wheels are possible and what tires are available. they can be shipped already mounted and balanced. Wheel weight is nice to minimize up to a point. Roughly 15- 16 lbs for a rim is a nice target but you may pay more for less weight. Many rims are heavy because the alloy used isn't strong enough to be made any lighter and still hold up. Many MINI OEM wheels in 16"x6.5 are about 18 lbs which is fine.

 

So as per the advice I've been given, I'm currently looking at 3 different sets of rims - Sparco FF-1, 15x7 35mm 11.25 lbs @~$150 ea; Sport Edition a10-2 16x6.5 38mm 17.5 lbs @~$125 ea; or Enkei EDR9 16x7 38mm 18.8 lbs @~$135 lbs ea.

Leaning towards the Sparco option, as the look of a smaller wheel really doesn't prioritize for me, I am looking for the smoothest ride on rough roads as I can get - combine the deeper tire sidewall with the substantially lighter weight of the rim, and I think I've hit on the formula - plus, they're not made in China, somehow (Malaysia). Obviously, Enkei are quality rims, and also not made in China (Thailand); not sure about Sport Edition's quality, but they ARE made in China. Sparco appears to be of at least moderate quality, they are partnered with OZ although they use a manufacturing process which is inferior, but generally speaking they seem to have a good rep.

Opinions?

 

Agreed, 100%. Which is one of the reasons I'm leaning against the Enkei's and towards the other two choices.

TY for taking the time to share your opinion - it will likely affect my final decision.

 

I vote the Sparco wheels. That weight savings will be NICE!

 

Hello. What about tyres? Anybody use federal RS R semi slick?

 

I know I'm late to this conversation but if your looking for a 15 inch wheels that are lightweight and in expensive

Konig Helium 15X6.5 11.4 lbs in bronze, flat black and silver . $82 at Goodwin Racing look them up for a 1990-2005 miata. I use to run these on my mini for autocross .

 

6.5 is pretty narrow for autocross, I run 15x8's 949racing 6ul for autocross & hpde, they are 12.6 pound wheels

 

Street class formally Stock class. Have to run stock size wheels within plus or minus 1 inch diameter and + - 7mm offset. The 15 is just a cheap and very lightweight way to keep weight off base coopers in HStreet. You do have to machine 2mm off to make them legal, but for just a street car it's not necessary. Even though I don't run my mini anymore I do own a set of SSR competition 16x7 42mm offset at just over 11 lbs. Bought a new car for autocross before I got to test them vs the konig heliums

 

Followup:

Yes, this is a year-old thread - it took that long for me to burn through the original tires and finally justify the expense of the additional investment in new rims.

Went with the Sparco FF-1's (15x7) wrapped in 195-60R15 Continentals, thru TireRack. Only put about 30 miles on them so far, but they feel fantastic. Very happy with my choice.

My thanks to all who contributed to this thread. Photos to follow, once I get a chance to wash the car & do the wing mirror cap swaps.

 

Thanks for the follow up, enjoy the new tires. Your choices should be fine for street driving.