So, now that winter is over, and I have more than enough miles on my ride....its time to get some new wheels. The question is, what do I get? I know some specifics of what I want, but was hoping for some good suggestions from a crowd that really knows their cars.

Here are my specifics currently:
- Light
- Durable
- No mods necessary to attach
- not gaudy(sp?)
- keeping large sidewalls on the tires...(living in pothole central)
- Cheap is good, but not totally necessary

Please, any suggestions are welcome, as long as they are freindly ones.

Cheers!
Brian

 

Can you be more specific about "large" sidewalls? Aspect ratio of 70? 60?, etc?

 

to keep the large side walls, just stay away from anything bigger than 17's

as for light durable wheels, some good brands are
BBS <-- tend to be very expensive
Volk <-- tend to be very expensive
Enkei <-- makes some nice looking wheels, but i don't know about the durability
OZ <-- one of my favorite looking wheels is the OZ Ultraleggera
Gram Lights
thats all i can think of off the top of my head. Your best bet is to check out tirerack.com

I have had experience with Team Dynamic Pro Race 1's and they are very light and O.K. in terms of durability

I am currently running Wedssports TC005 with a Falken 215/45 tire combo and that has plenty of sidewall
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...00&ppuser=5913
light and very durable... so far

 

16" BBS RG-F would be amazing in every respect but they are $421 a pop.
16" SSR Type C $312 Even lighter than the BBS at just over 11lb!
16" 5zigen Fn01r-c $180 each and about 14.5 lbs makes for great value but unknown strength
16" Enkei RPF-1 $228 are a scant 13.5 lbs and gorgeous IMO
16" Enkei Or52's are under $100 each and weigh 16lbs but at that price, I'd be cautious...
17" Enkei RP03 are great wheels (don't come in 16's) and at 16lbs and $270 are not a bad value.
the RSM's are also worth checking out...sorry I'm not trying to show Enkei preferential treatment but they do make good light wheels for cheap (casting for the most part)

Finally, the wheels I'm getting (but in ballerish 18's):
17" SportMax 003 forged, 14.5 lbs for under $200 ea!!!

 

BBS RXs.. 17s around 300+ per corner.
you can search around and pick up a set @ pretty decent price

 

BBS gets my vote. Any one really, their all nice. I can get you a good price on those

 

Montegi Track lites. 10 lbs (15x7) and very understated.

 

15s are too small... lol

 

Maybe not. 15" rims come in wide sizes and are lightweight and tend to cost less.
They can allow for 50 or 55 series tires that are more comfortable to use for street use (not possible with most 17" rims). 16" rims allow for 50 or 55 series tires as well.

17" rims and 45 series tires are pretty stiff sidewalled and don't tolerate potholes much. Be careful if you go that route with bad roads.

Some examples of 15" BBS RG-F (ask Dave how he likes them) $349 each 10.2 pounds

At Evo school Autocrossing

I think they look really nice. They also perform very well and don't cost quite as much as larger BBS wheels.

For closeups see
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=93815
Post #8!!!

 

I'll throw in a vote for 16 inch rims and tires. I run Rota Slipstreams. Very inexpensive, lite weight and good looking. I use a 205/50/16 tire. The 16 inch rims seem to be the best combo that I've used so far. I started with 17's, went to 18's but really enjoy the ride and performance of the 16's. They also seem to look "right" for the car.

 

Lets assume you have an R53 (MCS 2003-2006) with the old style bolts.
What color is your MINI? Some styles come only in silver or white or dark finish.

16" is probably a good starting point but would you consider 15"?
17" is ok but you'll add weight, sometimes increased price, and you'd be looking at 205/45-17 or 215/45-17 tires for street use. 40 series doesn't make sense for bad roads.

If you choose 15" rims esp 15x7 then you can use 205/55-15 or 225/50-15 (wide and fits). If you choose 16" rims then you can pick 205/50-16 or 205/55-16 for street use, both are viable.

Light is a relative term. In a 17" rim anything less than 20 pounds might be considered light. 14 or lighter is light for a 17" rim in my book. But they will cost alot more. 14 or lighter is good for 16" as well but it may not be so expensive to get that. 13 or lighter is easy to get in a 15" rim.

In 16 or 17" at tirerack.com:
ASA JH6 in bright silver finish $169 each 16x7" +42mm offset 17.5 lbs

A classic design for the MINI, looks like the panasport or minilyte

Breyton Flame Mini Bright Silver or Black with polished lip
17x7 +42mm offset $329 17.5 lbs.


Enkei Racing RPF-1 Bright silver paint 16x7 +43mm offset $228 13.5 lbs


Gram Lights 57C Silver Painted 16x7 +42mm offset $258 15.4 lbs


Gram Lights 57 Maximum Bright Silver Paint
16x7 +38mm offset $288 15lbs


Gram Lights 57S Light Grey Painted 16x7" $258 +42mm offset 16 lbs


Kosei K1 Racing Silver Painted 17x7.5" $179 +45mm offset 16.3 lbs


O.Z. Ultraleggera Bright Silver or Matte graphite silver Paint
16x7 +37mm offset $189 14.5 lbs

Special priced!! Black painted $219 each

SSR Type C Anthracite painted 16x7"+42mm offset $317 11 lbs


Volk Racing TE37 Titanium gunmetal $504 16x7" +42mm offset 12 lbs

 

Enkei RPF1s are lighter, but I like the look of the Enkei RS-Ms (one pound heavier). 16x7 seems to be the perfect compromise. 15s look a tad too small, and have a limited tire selection. 17s look a tad too big, cost too much, are too heavy (unless you pay big $$$). They also need a low profile tire, which is not a good choice where I live (land of the potholes). Having said that, I recently purchased a set of 15 inch wheels and tires for my 'monster' Miata, and couldn't be happier. I downsized from a 17 inch combo to a 15 inch combo, lost 10 pounds per corner, and went to a wider tire (949 racing 15x8 wheels and Hankook R-S2 (225/50-15s).


.

 

Yeah, sorry, I have a 2005 Cooper S DS/B. I am definitely looking for a setup that will give me a good ride but is soft enough to survive the potholes in Chicago. Want to stay under 400$ per tire if possible.

All the information so far has been great, thanks for the help.

Brian

 

I like the stock look myself but was getting tired of the 16" x-lites so I put 16" s-winders from an 07 on my all stock 05 MCS. I love the fresh look - personally I think the s-winders look better on the R53 than on the R56. Can't beat the price - you can buy a set off NAM for about the price of one of those $300+ aftermarket wheels. I have 205/50/16 tires for street and a few track days per year, but if I wasn't tracking the car, I'd get 205/55/16s for a bit more sidewall, comfort, and protection. S-winder weight is about 17 lbs.

 

You know what, I think thats a great idea. Rim weight means something (though only marginally since I am not tracking the car), but paying a lot of money for bling/look is only really useful for show. And I don't care that much about look. And for the money paid for stock rims, I can be a little uncomfortable, and still pay some good money for quality tires.

I do have a question though, the S-winders, when I looked on the Mini build site made it look like those rims had a 4 bolt pattern.....and I have a 5 bolt pattern. If this is a stupid question or I am mistaken, please forgive my ignorance.

And again thanks for all the help.

Brian

 

Wow, this thread is right up my alley... I'm ready to go to a 16" lighter weight wheel than the 17" S-Lites w/ runflats loading me down. I've been riding on my 15" snows all winter and they definitely take the potholes much better that the S-Lites.
Paulikeys, your MINI looks fantastic with those 16" wheels and tires. Very nice. I'd have to go with silver wheels though with my HyperBlue Black combo. I LOVE how the S-Lites (when clean) look but damn they're heavy.

 

Also, I'd like the four bolt hole pattern (not five) and NO offset if possible.

 

wow, you guys want the really expensive wheels!
I feel like a cheap Beeestrd, I'm looking at $85 wheels.
I was wondering what you thought about tire fitment and choice though...
For my '07 Cooper
I'm considering a wheel tire combo for Autocross--
16x7 ET40
Question is which tire size will fit /work best?
205/50-16 OR 215/45-16
Thinking Hankook Rs2 Z212

 

I just put x-lites with 205/55/16 Bridgestone RE960 on last night. Had 17" ZE 512 Falkens on S-lites. No more tramlining and the ride is SOOOOO much better now. Tire noise is almost non existent. The handling while not as crisp as the 17 is still fun and I find my self taking the same curves at almost the same speed, being a little cautious until the greasy stuff is off the new tires. The taller tires fill the fender well and I don't scrape my driveway anymore. Just my 2 cents.

Dan

 

For autocross using 16x7 rims et40 (which suspension?)

For Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212
205/50-16 about $85 each 23.5 lbs fits rims 5.5-7.5" wide, 24.1" tire diameter
215/45-16 about $90 each 20.5 lbs fits rims 7-8" wide, 23.6" tire diameter

Also possible with same tires
205/45-16 about $85 each 19 lbs fits rims 6.5-7.5" wide, 23.2" tire diameter
225/45-16 about $93 each 21.5 lbs fits rims 7-8.5" wide, 23.9" tire diameter

All of these will fit your rim and your MC.
205/45-16 has the lightest weight and smaller tire diameter which helps gearing, it will work with a very lowered suspension.

205/50-16 is the least aggressive and a stock tire size for the MINI, it's heavier and tallest of these.

215/45-16 is a good compromise for low weight, wider and smaller tire diameter.

 

Just browse tire rack, discount tire direct, edge racing, and 18 racing for plenty of options. Find some designs you like (tire rack is nice where it shows the wheels on your car) and then ask about specific wheels more, otherwise you'll get way too much this way

 

Thanks guys, It's stock (non sport) suspension I believe. Bought mine off the rack, as you might say. It's got the cool little sport mode button, as well as the ASC. I'll look at the sticker later to be sure.
Yeah I've looked at TireRack, and Edge Racing. I'll be looking at others too.
I don't know how serious I'm going to be. I get very bored sitting around the parking lots these days, so I don't want to spend a bunch of money. Right now, I'm all gun-ho, but after I sit around on a beautiful Sunday for 10 hours, and drive for three minutes, I bet my enthusiasm will wane.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the thrill and competiton. I've been down this road before. Spent many a day out there in variuos classes, from HS to CP. Been to four Solo Nats, when they were in Salina.