You all have inspired me to go ahead and get a set of 15's.

The real deal came when I drove a loaner Cooper with 15's for a few days. The handling and drive was a sheer joy. The bumps and jarring from my 17's were totally non existent and I found myself attacking the corners and turns with more fun rather than having a twisted knot feeling, slowing down at each road imperfection as not to dent the s-lites...

thanks to everyone who took the time to post photos. It was clearly the best mod ive done for my MCS.

 

Glad to hear another 15" convert I switched at the begining of summer and haven't looked back. The ride is so much nicer, and the little squeaks have stopped. I've got the BF Goodrich g-force sports and the handling is better, and wet traction is a lot better...

 

The BBS RG-Fs look really good, and lightweight at about 10 lbs. Last year when I was purchasing, my choice came down to the RG-F or the 15x7 SSR Competition. I finally went with the SSR because I couldn't find a picture of the RG-F on a MINI. I like the SSR but if I had the choice again I'd probably go with the RG-F for a bit more style. How hard is it to clean all those spokes?

 

looks like a lot of the cars pictured aren't at stock ride heights. Any pics of 15s on stock suspension?

 

Many of the pics look like stock height. At least posts #4, #27, #29. Maybe also others I couldn't be sure of (such as #10).

 

You're right about mine #29 electric blue, it's stock height.

 

New addition to the collection. Team Dynamics Race 2s: 15 X 7 with V710s

 

we'll know soon enough. only been on a week tomorrow. I looked at the SSR too, but the new ones. 15x6 and 8.8lbs. I wanted something wider to handle a 205+.

Sadly, I'm not happy with these BBS. The wheels and tires themselves are great, but the car just looks damn odd. Perhaps I'm just used to the 17's and 18's on my Subaru or the 17's on our Cabrio. Even my wife commented about how the BBS wheels looked. She could care less but didn't think the money I spent was a good thing considering the result.

So....new plan. Ordered some super-top-secret limited edition wheels in 16" fitment....coming next month. I'll be selling these BBS and tires at that point. They'll be essentially in new condition, as I don't drive the car much....the Subaru is my primary car.

PGT
<consumed by large wheel envy>

PS - new wheels are 16x7 ET 42, forged and 12.5lbs :D

 

Post #17 is stock ride height. The 225/45-15s have a smaller diameter than stock, but the suspension itself is exactly as it left the factory.


Jason

 

Sorry you didnt like them, I think the look hot, and I will have a set by next season!

Alex

 

no worries Alex....thank you for answering all my questions quickly.

 

Kosei K1 TS 15x7 rims with Kumho V710 205/50-15 tires during autocross.
Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, RDR front camber plates, H-sport rear control arms

 

I'm sure you've seen "Rally IT" around...

Check out his thread on the motoringunderground.com forums.. he has some awesome pics of his MINI with 15's.

http://www.motoringunderground.com/f...read.php?t=357

 

The 15"s will give you better accelleration and they will lower your car by at least 1 inch if you're coming off of 17"ers. You save money on the lowering bit and get improved handling. It's a great mod.

 

ummm.......no. If you drop the OD on your tires by an inch in conjunction with running a smaller wheel, you will lower your car precisely half an inch. You can run a 205/55/15 and keep it close to the stock OD for proper gearing. If you buy a heavy 15 vs. a light 17, than it's a wash. Saying 15's will give you better acceleration and lower the car is a generalization and isn't a given - you can do the same thing with any size wheel, if you so choose.