Hi,

Since I'm still in a dispute process with the 16" winter wheels (OEM 5-stars) I bought on eBay ( ), I don't dare mount them on my car. I'll just have to see what happens and possibly sell them in the spring if need be.

Now I'm looking at aftermarket wheels, and in a bit of a rush as the snow will be falling soon (nothing like last-minute panic research).

I've taken a bit of an infatuation with the graphite-colored Konig Rewinds, which only come in 15". Searching the forums results in plenty of claims that 15" wheels do indeed work fine on an S, despite what every wheel/tire catalog and tire shop are telling me (including Tire Rack's configurator). (P.S. I have seen pics of the Rewind on some Cooper S cars on the forums, but want to be sure no "make it fit" mods were needed).

So....before actually ordering a set, which I'll be stuck with once they arrive, please confirm this for me if you can:

15" (specifically 15x7 40mm offset) wheels do work on a stock S cabrio with no rubbing/etc. issues (stock suspension) with no modifications needed (and if they do work fine, why do all the tire dealers tell you they won't???)

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience and expertise!

 

I have an '05 S with the 17" S-Lites/All Season tires.

Just yesterday I had my "winter package" mounted. 15" ASA wheels w/ 185-65-15 Blizzak REVO1 tires. I broke them in with over 50 miles of driving on dry pavement. This morning I drove to work in the rain and I really felt confident with the wet pavement grip of the tires. Can't wait to see how they perform in snowy and icy conditions.
The package was put together by Alex at TireRack and I'm content.

 

Some 15" wheels will work, some will not. It's not just offset, but how the wheel is shaped. The front brake caliper is the possible problem - some wheels will not fit over the brake calipers on the front wheels.

 

Are the '05s identical to earlier year models in this regard? So if a particular wheel fits an '03 S, it will also fit an '05 S (cabrio)?

 

I just had JCW brakes and suspension installed on my MCSa with 17" R99s.
My winter set are 16" R87s.
I know the R87s will fit the JCW brakes.
Do I have to do aything special when I swap the 17" to the 16".
Do I need to do an alignment? or raise the suspension?
Help.