i've been reading this site forever and have recently started to post. i am trying to decide on the JCW 18in R105 Black but am concern of the clearance or rub. i have never owned a mini so don't know what to expect. this will be for a new 07 mini in astro black. thanks

 

Did you see that MINI has a seperate Part for doing something to accomodate the 18" wheels. I'm not sure what it is but it might be in thwe JCW wheels section in the Configurator.

 

I doubt clearance or rub will be too much if a problem. The tires they fit have different aspect ratios for each diameter wheel, so the overal tires size is very nearly the same. The 17" wheels take 205/45-17 tires, the 18" wheels take 205/40-18 tires.

As for the rim width, I believe the 17" and 18" rims are both 7" width, so unless the offset is significantly different, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

I run the R105 wheels and factory steering stops on my R53 with no issues...

 

thanks for the helpful replies. i am not a car guy so this is a learning experience for me. i just want to make to right decisions before i order in approx 2 weeks.

designerMINI - thanks, i think the you are refering to the steargin adjustment. i will have to do more homework on this topic.

dwdyer - thank you for you input. it made a lot of sense

slag1911 - could you post pics. how do you like to ride? is it harsh or too harsh?

 

This is the only picture I have handy...


My MINI came with the R105's so I can't give you a before comparison. I would describe the ride as sure footed, car handles like a go-kart

 

Here is a pic of R105s

 

There is no reason to concern yourself with tire rubbing when running factory size tires, and more importantly, factory-ish wheel offset. 195/55-16, 205/45-17, and 205/40-18 with a wheel width of 7" and offset between 45-50mm will never cause any rubbing [on an R53 for sure, R56 should be similar].

MINI scares a lot of people into thinking 18" wheels are somehow more dangerous by "requiring" a steering rack travel limiter, reducing steering throw and increasing the turning radius. Anyone with a shred of tire and wheel knowledge can clearly see that merely increasing the wheel size while keeping wheel width and offset as well as tire outside dimensions the same will have no impact on tire rub or wheelwell clearance issues. Don't believe their marketing bullcrap. If the travel limiters were useful for a technical reason, I would recommend them, however there is nothing on the face of this Earth that can change the fact that the offset [and thus rubbing] geometries of 17" OEM vs. 18" OEM wheels are identical.

Cheers and Motor on intelligently,
Ryan

 

Ive just fitted r95s to my new r56 ,ive got the spot sus and its hard as hell .I did get the lock limiters and there is no rubbing at all

 

Take out the limiters, the only thing they do is increase your steering radius, they do nothing to help rubbing.

 

Ryephile,
i plan on getting the 18in R105 as part of my order.
will MINI or the dealer require me to have the steering rack travel limiter installed?
or can i decline it?
if i decline to have the limiter installed, will it void or effect my warrenty? what you have posted makes sense.

 

I would obviously decline the installation of the limiters, however it's best to discuss it with your sales/service person. Ask them the tough question: "Why do the 18's claim to require the limiters when they have the exact same offset, tire height and width as the factory 17's?" They will not be able to answer this without lying through their teeth. As far as the tire and wheel being considered a "unit", there is no dimensional change from factory.

My advice would be to purchase the wheels from the dealer and bolt them up yourself in your garage. That way the dealer doesn't steal your OEM wheels and you get to ensure there's no uncalled-for steering limiter.

 

I would be cautious about refusing a part--such as the steering limiter. Usually if the people who designed and built the car have spent the time and money to install a part, they may know something. Perhaps they even know more than the dealer, MA, people on this site, and whoever else.

Since Pray is a self-confessed non-car-guy, I will add another bit to this thread. Why, Pray, do you want 18" wheels? And, have you ever driven Minis with the 18" and with smaller wheel sizes to get a sense for how they feel on the road? A +2 fitment (2" larger wheel, tires with decreased side wall so the overall diameter of the tire/wheel package is unchanged) may look cool to some, but the coolness carries a price.

An 18" tire/wheel unit will be heavier than say, a 16" wheel/tire package. Increased tire/wheel weight is not good at all. It is unsprung, rotating weight, the kind you most want to reduce on a car. It has adverse impact on braking, acceleration, and possibly handling.

The MCS is reportedly (Mini engineer) engineering to use 16” wheels, so the use of 18” wheels to some extent goes against the design of the car’s suspension system. Moreover, reduced side wall size makes for a harsher ride; there is less sidewall rubber to absorb bumps in the road. The car's tires act as 4 additional springs, so a reduced sidewall will increase shock sent to the rest of the car’s suspension. A final point: Decreased sidewall size can increase the likelihood of wheel damage should the car hit a pothole or other type of damaged road.

So, Pray, I hope you will give thought to some of these points as you decide what wheels to specify on your car.

Happy Motoring,

Joe Stephenson
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Graphicjoe, what you stated is totally true........ However, I have the S-lites on right now with Pirelli SnowSports and the ride is about the same as the R105s with OEM Dunlop RF DSSTs. When I went to 18s, I found the ride to be smoother and less bumpy actually. I really don't believe you have to be concerned about unsprung and rotating weight if you are driving the MINI for street only. If you were worried about weight, you could reduce the weight more effectively in other places like the interior or removing the Aero kit or something similar. I say, get the wheels/tires that you like and poopy to the ones who don't like it.

 

JCW 18"s, no matter the style: 18x7" et50mm
all OEM 17"s: 17x7: et50

No difference regarding tire rubbing at full lock or during suspension travel.

Seriously, MINI is just screwing with everyone trying to scam another few bucks out of your wallet by throwing useless "safety precautions" that make no logical sense. I'm not trying to be a rebellious **** here, just saying that it's better for your wallet to look at the facts before blindly trusting MINI on this one. I'm only trying to help point out the obvious truth here; it's of course each persons decision whether they want to trust the word of MINI or trust the facts. I tried explaining the same situation to the Brits on MINI2, but most of them are too worried their dealer will axe their entire warranty because of a sticker they put on the window to even consider paying attention that there's no geometrical difference between OEM 17's and JCW 18's.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

I ordered the JCW R105 rims with Dunlop runflats on my 06 "S" JCW. With the JCW suspension, the ride of the car is rough to say the least. I ended up with both strut towers mushroomed and feel quite confident in saying the larger heavier rims had something to do with my strut towers failing. I had a Dinan strut brace and when I hit a large ridge in the highway on I-10, both brackets cracked and it bowed the brace. I've since switched to an M-7 brace that's a lot heavier and got my towers hammered back down. If I had it all to do over, I'd NOT order the R105's. They are gorgeous and I love the way they look, but I wish they were 17s!! My parts rep didn't tell me they were that big. He let me find out after they came in and were looking all sexy in the showroom. I'm learning a LOT about cars by having a MINI.

 

While the R105 is no light weight, the R105/Dunlop RF combo is lighter than the factory 17 s-lites/Dunlop RF by about 6 pounds per wheel...

 

You mean they're not making enough charging ridiculous amounts for JCW wheels and tires in the first place?

I mean, if you're paying the $2600-$3300 quoted in the configurator for a set of 18" wheels and tires... well... you need to shop around a bit. That's all.

 

So the ride is unusually harsh? (Sorry but I can't tell from above posts & I also like those 18" wheels.)

 

The wheels do look great. Part of the decision should be types of roads you'll drive on. Here in the DC area, DC especially, the roads are quite rough and full of wheel-bending potholes. Www.morristownmini.com has great prices on JCW wheel packages.

 

The only 18-inchers listed right now seem to be the black double-spokes. $1916 with tires isn't as bad as the $2450 configurator price (assuming you live close enough to pick them up).

That however is with the "performance" run flat tires (oxymoron?). For those who would want to switch those to a standard, non-runflat, sport tire... much better deals still can be had elsewhere.

 

Has anybody run into any difficulty when using lowering springs? I'm only fretting because the aftermarket 18"ers I like are 7.5" in width and I plan on lowering my car.