R56 Going from 16's to 17's ?
#26
From what I'm told by Alta the OEM lug bolts are a pain in the a$$ to use with this rim in that I will scratch the lug holes with my torque wrench. So of course my next question is does anyone know of a place that I can buy these "tuner" lug bolts in black? Thanks again
Some people convert from lug bolts to lug nuts with kits from Texas Speed Works. They have black, IIRC. Personally, I prefer the bolts and use wheel hangers to make it easy to put the wheel in place. I don't like the idea of dragging the aluminium lug holes over steel threads.
Oh and this crisscross tire rotation..... Is that front goes to back and opposite back goes to front? I'm usually a straight front / rear kind of swapper.
Front to back is the standard rotation method. The "X" pattern only applies to non-directional tires (e.g., the Michelin PE2). Not sure about the Grids. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=43&
Or, maybe the Front Cross method is the standard...
#27
TOad:
Are those the Rota RB in Hyper Black? Right now I am running 205x50x16 tires on 16x7.5 wheels. The ride is good and it does handle very well. Considering 215x50x16 tires since they are the same diameter as stock, although the 205x50's with their lower gear ratio makes around town driving real zippy with the automatic trans.
Are those the Rota RB in Hyper Black? Right now I am running 205x50x16 tires on 16x7.5 wheels. The ride is good and it does handle very well. Considering 215x50x16 tires since they are the same diameter as stock, although the 205x50's with their lower gear ratio makes around town driving real zippy with the automatic trans.
#28
Join Date: May 2008
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well my tires from tirerack just got here in 20 hours and they do have arrows on them so I will be rotating front to back. Now I have to take apart my brother in law's wheels and get the tpms sensors off....he is junking the wheels and tires so I was thinking of just cutting the tire so that I can get it off the wheel - any other suggestions?
#29
well my tires from tirerack just got here in 20 hours and they do have arrows on them so I will be rotating front to back. Now I have to take apart my brother in law's wheels and get the tpms sensors off....he is junking the wheels and tires so I was thinking of just cutting the tire so that I can get it off the wheel - any other suggestions?
Sounds like a plan. You might also need the little kit that includes replacement cores and washers for the TPMS. They are available through TR.
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#32
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The G 019 Grids are working very well. I do have to say that going from runflats to non-runflats is a more comfortable ride but I do see a slight difference in handling. The sidewalls are not as stiff. This could also be due to me going from 16's to 17's as well since the car rides a little higher at 215/45/17 than it does at 195/55/16
They are directional tires so you can only rotate front to back but I do have to say that they kick up an enormous amount of water and work well in the rain.
They are directional tires so you can only rotate front to back but I do have to say that they kick up an enormous amount of water and work well in the rain.
#33
Just got Molly back from having a new set of G 019 Grids installed, so far they are quieter than the RFs, still runnin' 16s, I did notice a change in the handling as well. We have Studded Tired roads so those rougher ones were quite noisy with the RFs, I still notice the road noise, but not as bad as before.
Will definitely review these on TireRack once I've driven on them for a while. I think I made the right choice for the cost comparison of most other tires in this class.
Will definitely review these on TireRack once I've driven on them for a while. I think I made the right choice for the cost comparison of most other tires in this class.
#35
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16" vs 17"
I first went with a set of non-RF's on the OEM 16" S-Winders. I put on 215/45-16 Kumho Ecsta ASX's and it made a dramatic difference in ride comfort and road noise. From my sig, you see that mine is lowered on the Mach V springs. Since I will eventually upgrade to a big brake system, I opted to go to 17" wheels so I went with a set of Rota RB's (Black center/polished lip) and I stayed with Kumho ASX tires but I went to a 225/45-17. I haven't noticed any change in the ride comfort and the nimble steering of the MINI is still there. This coming weekend will be my first time to do some get this set of tires out to curve up the roads but, if they work like the smaller set, I'm not worried too much about them.
If you are even thinking about going bigger on the brakes, the wheel upgrade is a good place to start.
If you are even thinking about going bigger on the brakes, the wheel upgrade is a good place to start.
#36
I first went with a set of non-RF's on the OEM 16" S-Winders. I put on 215/45-16 Kumho Ecsta ASX's and it made a dramatic difference in ride comfort and road noise. From my sig, you see that mine is lowered on the Mach V springs. Since I will eventually upgrade to a big brake system, I opted to go to 17" wheels so I went with a set of Rota RB's (Black center/polished lip) and I stayed with Kumho ASX tires but I went to a 225/45-17. I haven't noticed any change in the ride comfort and the nimble steering of the MINI is still there. This coming weekend will be my first time to do some get this set of tires out to curve up the roads but, if they work like the smaller set, I'm not worried too much about them.
If you are even thinking about going bigger on the brakes, the wheel upgrade is a good place to start.
If you are even thinking about going bigger on the brakes, the wheel upgrade is a good place to start.
#37
Up intil this morning I was all set to move into a set of aftermarket 17's with UHP, Z rated Michelein Pilot Plus all seasons. Then I talked to one of the SA's at my dealer [initially about the advanteages of a strut bar]. Although they look better, they do offer a much harsher ride. So instead I will be using the money to fund the Stage 1 JCW upgrade and keep my 16" Crown spokes with the Michelins in a 16" wheel.
Any comments about my plan?
Any comments about my plan?
#40
When I damaged the RBs I switched to Rota Slipstream 16x7 Gunmetal with a polished rim. The Slipstreams are lighter weight than the RBs by a couple lbs., and easier to clean. However, after switching to Bobcat brake pads, brake dust is no longer an issue.
#41