Apologies in advance if this question isn't in the right forum ... (there are so many questions about wheels and tires, it appears wheels & tires could be its own forum ...)

Yes, I know search is my friend ... I've been searching for more than 2 hours now and can't seem to find a 16" wheel in 48mm offset. (from what I've found, unless my information is incorrect for '09 MCS 16" (stock), the offset is +48mm). Isn't that the correct offset? Although I'm no chassis/suspension expert it seems to me that unless I have facts to the contrary the proper offset wheel for my '09 MCS is 48mm.

I see 30, I see 38, I see 40 mm offset wheels. I pretty much see every darn thing but 48. Why no 48? I've been to Mini vendor sites (sponsors) and A. they don't have wheels with the stock 48mm offset and B. they don't provide wheel weights.

My reading/background on wheels indicates that 1. unless you autocross or race and have a darn good reason/with experience/background for moving from stock offset you should not. 2. lightweight cars such as the Mini are engineered with not only a specific offset but wheel/tire weight and one should not deviate (go heavier) than stock. 3. in most cases getting a lighter wheel/tire combination is major goodness; benefiting not only ride quality and handling, but in some cases better gas mileage! 4. some Mini folks have already discovered they either ruined handling or compromised it in some why by not watching wheel weight and/or offset.

Enough ranting about losing 2hrs searching and sorry for the 'tude, no offense intended. Is 48 mm the correct (stock) offset? If so, has anyone found 16" wheels in 48 mm offset that will fit 09' MCS?

As always thanks in advance.

 

The Tires, Wheels and Brakes forum might be a good start

I'm not even sure what an offset is, but I thought it was supposed to be 43mm. The MINI2 Wheel and Tire FAQ suggests that 35 to 52mm will do. Do you really think a few mm will make a difference?

I just went to TireRack and asked them what wheels would fit. Of the ones it suggested the ones I got happened to have a 44mm offset.

As far as I know lighter wheel weight (unsprung mass in general) is a good thing, so I went with the lightest wheels offered.

 

15x5.5 MINI wheels have a 45 mm offset
16x6.5 and 17x7 MINI wheels have a 48 mm offset
18x7 MINI wheels have a 52 mm offset, and with the higher positive offset,
require a steering limiter added when you use them.

My aftermarket wheels (SSR GT1 16x7) happen to have a 42 mm offset,
which is close to stock and works just fine.

If you go to a wider wheel (like 16x7.5 or 17x7.5 or 17x8), you may need
to run a lower positive offset than oem so that the inner part of the wheel and tire
don't get too close to the stut/shock and sprint.

 

Yeah, I certainly looked at the Vendor Talk forum "Tires, Wheels, and Brakes", but to be honest, that forum seems to be more of an advertising forum where vendors tell you what they have. So far as I can tell it's not exactly the best forum for unbiased information and member experiences. So while it's nice to know that product ABC for brand XYZ is now in stock, I didn't see too much useful information there. (I will however go back to see if I can post my question there ...).

As for a few millimeters making a difference, yes, a few milimeters of offset does in fact make a big difference as some members here have already found. And the discoveries have not always been very pleasant. There's nothing worse than spending big bucks on new tires and wheels, anxiously waiting for delivery, going through the hassle to change out tires and wheels, and having only discovered you mucked with the car's handling in a bad way.

Wheel offset is a critical for this car whose main claim to fame is cornering 'like a go-cart'. Muck with offset (without having the knowledge/experience/etc. to do so) and you are more likely to degrade handling. The same is true for those who drop/slam their cars without compensating for altering the suspension's geometry. Looks are often at odds with performance.

Offset is determined to establish a specific scrub radius, which has a tremendous impact on the handling/steering of a car, especially one such as the Mini. So far as what I've read, the angle of an imaginary line through the lower ball joint and for McPherson's, the cartridge attachment point, should hit the road surface at the centerline of the tire. If they meet perfect there is no scrub radius or tire torque and the car steers neutrally on and just off center.

Alter the scrub radius and you create tire torques that simply put, can ruin your car's carefully engineering handling.

Cheers!

 

Well it looks like the Vendor Talk forum is in fact for vendors. I wasn't able to post my question there. I got a 'permissions violation' which seems to suggest that forum is for vendors only.

Cheers!

 

The reality is, finding the exact offset-and-size aftermarket alternative is pretty damn hard. Plus, various OEM wheels have varied offsets anyways (check the MINI2 forum, they have an OEM wheel database there). Most of your safer options are going to be in the 40-45 range offset (assuming the wheel width is around 6.5-7 inches). Example: My stock wheels are 16X6.5, +48 offset. I want to order a set a Rota Slipstreams, of which I have two sizes to choose from:
Option#1: 16X6.5, +45 offset
Option#2: 16X7, +40 offset

Here's the fitment difference vs stock.
Option#1 will extend outward 3mm and gain 3mm of clearance inward.
Option#2 will extend outward 14mm and extend inward 2mm.

Both of these wheels will fit with the available clearance, but option#1 will obviously be closer to stock. Option#2 will give a more flush wheel-to-fender profile plus give a more safer platform for wider tires, either way, both WILL fit.

 

Never mind lightweight; you'll have a hard time finding any aftermarket 4x100 16" wheel with +48 offset. Note that to completely follow OEM suspension geometry, you'll also want the wheel to be 6.5" wide with 195/55-16 tires. If you feel that you want exactly +48, then get the lightest 16" OEM (the S-Winder at 17.4 lbs according to MINI2).

Autocrossers sometimes set up a group buy to custom order lighter wheels that stay within their stock class requirements. You might come across somebody selling their set, but even for those, the rules allow offsets up to 5mm difference from stock.

 

Who woulda known getting aftermarket 16" stock offset wheels would be so darned difficult? Thanks for the replies.