I need some help guys. I don't know jack about rims and tires, but I've been looking and reading the past few days. I want to use my 15" holies and Goodyear's as my winter wheels since they performed so well these past few months in the snow. So, I've been looking at rims the past few days and narrowed it down.

I want:
-A lightweight wheel, no more than 17 lbs.
-Multi-spoke design with 8 spokes being my fave.
-Some shine or sparkle without being chromed-out or obnoxious

I really like the way the CP8R looks. It's hands down my favorite in the looks department. I think it looks great on the SG/W in this picture, but the glossy black with a polished lip might look even better on my SG/B with the tinted windows. I'm worried that 17" is too big? Will I need springs with these rims? Will my ride quality suffer tremendously?





My second choice is the Rota Circuit 8. They are nice but don't have the same sparkle as the CP8R. They are 16", so the ride quality won't change as much. I probably wouldn't need springs with them. Right?




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You should be fine with the 17's as that is the largest wheel offered stock. I've heard of some problems with 18" wheels requiring new springs but you should be ok with the 17's. The guys at tire rack should be able to help you.
-Chris

 

HARMINI,

Ride quality will have far more to do with your tire choice than the diameter you pick. For example, some that have gone all the way to 18" have reported improved ride comfort with normal 18" tires versus the 17" runflats. Of course, given the same tire, 16's will be more compliant than 17's due to taller sidewalls; but the difference is subtle. Alex at the tire rack can give you some great advice on the ride quality of different makes/models of tires.

You will not "need" springs with any wheel/tire combo you pick. When people say they "need" springs with new set of wheels, they're usually refering to the stock tire to wheel-arch gap that looks a little odd with the larger diameter wheels. Changing to lowering springs reduces this gap and makes the larger wheels look better.

As for which wheels to choose, one spec which I feel is too frequently overlooked is offset. This is a measurement of how far out the rim is located relative to the mounting surface on the hub to which the wheel mounts. The factory offsets range from 45mm to 50mm depending on which factory wheel, and with the wider, larger wheels being on the upper end of the range. These are negative offsets, so a smaller number means the wheel sticks out further. Too low an offset can affect steering geometry and effort, can accelerate wear of front suspension and steering components, throws a lot more road crap down the side of your MINI since more tire is exposed outside the fender opening, and increases the likelihood of tire to wheel arch rubbing (though not likely on a non-lowered car).

While the wheels you're looking at are very nice, in my opinion their offsets are a little low (40mm for the Circuit 8s and 42mm for the CP8Rs). I would prefer to look at wheels with offsets within the factory range of 45-50mm. When you're looking at wheels, offsets are often specified as ETxx, where xx is the offset in millimeters; for example "17x7 ET45" is a 17" diameter by 7" wide with a 45mm offset.

If you are set on one of those two wheels, I would go with the CP8Rs. The offset, though low, is better than the Circuit 8s. They are wickedly light; hopefully not too light for street use (thinking durability here). And I think the bright semi-polished finish would look fantastic with your SG/B MINI; especially if you added some chrome mirror caps and chrome side vents to accent them (I'm an addict for the classic chrome look). They are way pricey though at $350+ per wheel, so I'd do a little more looking.

Best of luck making your choice and hope this helps,

James

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain this Mister-S. With your advice, I'm holding off on making a wheel decision and when I do will try to find something closer to the factory offset. Now I understand all this wheel jargon a little better.

Thanks for the styling advice. I've got the chrome bumper inserts, the chrome side markers and clear lights all around, so all I need is the mirror covers and some pretty rims to complete the look.

 

I have th SSR comps 18" 43mm offset, and 225/35/18 tires, no problems, no rubbing, rims weight 13.9lbs, 28lbs with tire so having to have springs to run 18" is not true at all, if the offset was different maybe...but i have had no problems with mine, sleepless runs the i think they are 17' version, maybe 16" im not sure his are silver, mine are anthrite.. i have pics posted if you search for them, and so does sleepless!

 

HARMINI,

I did a quick survey of TireRack and TiresDirect and found a good selection of wheels with 45mm offsets. Based on the style of the others you had picked out, I think you might really like this one:



KONIG BLATANT
(17x7 ET45; 18lbs.; made in opal, graphite, chrome-plated, and silver)

Decent weight, perfect size, not a bad price, and I think any of the colors would look excellent on your SG/B MINI; though again, I'm partial to the opal and chrome looks.

Here are some other options:
KONIG HOLES 17x7 ET45
KONIG APPEAL 17x7 ET45
ENKEI RPM2 17x7 ET45 - hyper black (have also seen hyper silver)
MILLE MIGLIA ACTION 16x7.5 ET45
MILLE MIGLIA AVIA 16x7 ET45
MILLE MIGLIA HT3 17x7ET45
KOSEI K1 17x7.5 ET45
SSR GT1 17x7 ET45

Watch out for other sizes of same wheels, as they are often not the same offset.

Hope this is of some help, and again, best of luck with your decision!

Cheers,

James

 

Another nice 17x7 ET45 wheel:

TEAM DYNAMICS wheel from Randy!

Cheers,

James

 

nice.
i'd like to see those wheels on a mini.
randy where you at?