My MINI is coming up on it's one year anniversary and I'm still looking at wheels. I've looked at EVRYTHING on the market, and after going from, "I'm DEFINITELY getting 17" gram lights," to, "DEFINITELY getting 17" Enkei RPF1s," I have decided to look into 15x7s, sice I love the look of my holies.

I want a deeper lip than most wheels have to offer in our offset and I was wondering if I went with a 20 or 25 offset if the 1/2 inch would really make such a big difference. Custom ordered Superlites or Revolution wheels are my top choices, in black or anthracite (to match the Astro Black) with a polished lip. Tire choice may be able to cover the offset difference along with a little dremeling.

Here are some of the examples I'm considering:

Revolution wheels : http://www.revolutionwheels.com/index.shtml



Superlites : http://www.superlite-wheels.com/




So the offsetbeing deeper is really the biggest issue here. Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks-

Steve

 

Changing offset will affect steering predictability, bearing and suspension loads, etc. In addition, for example, if you add more negative camber to the front end, the offset changes will become more dramatic.

A wider stance is always a good thing, just like placing the CG as low as possible is the single best thing one can do for performance. However, you're working with a production based car with many limitations and compromises. It is best not to veer too far from stock...20 or 25mm offset is a lot in my opinion.

In a glass bubble, it's a great idea.

 

Thanks! That makes sense...

I know some have used wheels with offsets in the 30s... Is that still realistic? Maybe low thirties? Plus, I may want to go with a smaller diameter tire to minimize rubbing and increase accel...

At the same time, if I increase offset, then increase width, the extra width will be added to the inside of the wheel, essentially cancelling the extra offset. Does that sound about right?

Dropping offset from 40mm to 30mm only pushes the wheel out 4/10 of an inch. Is that really enough to cause major problems in handling?

 

Here's what I think is the best looking 15x7 on the market (for the MINI):



BBS RW. GMP Performance sells for $175 per (gmpperformance.com). I'm sure it's not the lightest wheel out there...but gorgeous! It's also listed by BBS as a wheel made to fit the MINI...so no offset issues.

 

Pretty stock and tame looking, though...

I'm looking for some retro-old-school-flavors, here.

 

Like all BBS, pictures don't do them justice. Bottom line is, it's the highest quality wheel you can buy. I can't imagine anyone mistaking it for OEM. Youmight want to check the MINI2 wheel gallery. They have pics of just about everything on member's MINIs in alphabetic order, including the RW. Enjoy your wheel shopping...

 

Thanks for the reference... I have never taken a good look at things over there at MINI2 because I'm all NAM, baby... I looked thru the wheels gallery but I did not find any revolution wheels, or superlite wheels. There were some good pics, but I want to do something different. More offset, wide 15 inchers, must have lip.


So I'm going custom made, to my specs, 15x7 with an offset of 25-35. Has no one tried this except this guy, paul (page 38 "show me your wheels thread)?--->


He's running 15x8 smoor wheels et 25, with 195/45 tires, eibach springs and no rubbing issues.

I'm looking to do 15x7 et 25 with 195/50 tires on hsport springs. Should work, right?

 

It might work, but you won't be doing your rolling chasis any favors. This is one reason why I don't buy used cars. Reason #2 is that proper "break-in" is a hit or miss proposition, and you'll never know if it was done right or not. Reason #3 is that proper maintenance is a lost art (especially in America), generally speaking.

 

If you ignore all but the positive, you can do anything to your car.

Personally, I wouldn't venture beyond a 38mm offset. 42-43mm is probably ideal if you wish to retain stock geometry and avoid other more technical problems.

If you know the stock geometry values, you can re-construct a front suspension model using three straws; one is the kingpin Axis (SAI) - which is also camber for a strut - one is the axle - horizontal - and the third connects the two from the center of the hub and the point where the SAI intersects the ground. Tape a coffee cup top to the end of the straw that depicts the axle - this is your wheeel/tire - so make sure it is attach exactly at the center. You can also use a Kinematics program if have one.

You can get a sense for what happens when you change offset, camber and or caster by spinning these straws as if turning your steering wheel. Carefull, the straw that depicts the SAI must be angled to also depict caster.

Beyond this table-top construction, the physical loads can only be determined by skilled suspension engineers while the sensations can be felt by anyone with a developed tactile acuity for things automotive.