Not sure of best place for this; most discussion I've seen is by MC Sport owners who debate 16" vs 17". I'm need to decide whether to upgrade the wheels for the MC I'm going to order. My priorities are comfortable ride, economy, looks and handling--no racing or off road driving. I live in Houston, TX so driving in ice/snow is not a concern either.

For the MC base model, the stock wheel is 5.5" x 15" with a regular 175/65 tire (not run flat). The upgrade is a 6.5" x 16" wheel with the 195/55 runflats. Initially I was going to get the upgrade to 16" because I heard they looked better, but that means going from regular tire to run flat.

Unlike the MCS, the base model HAS A SPARE TIRE (according to the dealer) so I don't see any advantage to run flats. I have no problem changing a tire, assuming it's as easy with Mini as it is with most cars.

I'm assuming that the run flats aren't as comfortable as regular tires and might not last as long. Is there much difference in durability? I also don't know what replacement costs are. If I order the 16" upgrade wheels, can I replace the run flats with regular tires once the OEM tires wear out?

What's the difference in ride comfort and/or handling between 15" vs 16"? Is the only real advantage with 16" for a driver like myself, who's not doing any off the road driving or racing, just a better look? The 16" wheels are 1" wider. Will that extra inch make any noticiable difference in drive comfort or handling?

 

On the R56 they redesigned the suspension and rims so that with runflats you get a better ride than on the older R50/52/53's.
With non-runflats you will likely get slightly better handling characteristics but if the car is coming with 16" runflats from the factory I'd burn through those first before buying new tires out of pocket.
Asthetically I think the new car looks better with 16" and above rims so I'd go bigger and for the MC I'd make sure the rims are as light as possible to decrease the weight of the car and hence give you better performance.

FYI, us MC owners don't like it when people refer to the Cooper as the base model, there is nothing base about it :-)

 

Also, technically speaking the MINI One (not available in the US) is the base model.

 

Thanks for the response. I won't make any base comments about the MC again. I also like the 2 unique colors for MC: NiteFireRed and OxygenBlue. I'm leaning towards the OB.

Looks like the only 2 16" upgraded wheels available are Bridge Spoke and 5-Star Blaster "light-alloy rims". So I will be able to replace the runflats with regular tires? Yes, I will wait until they wear out before replacing them.

 

My understanding is that you can replace the runflats with regular tires when the time comes. I think you'll be happy with the better looks of the 16 inch wheels. I strongly prefer the bridge spoke look, but the others are lighter.

 

Thanks, I'm going out to Mini of The Woodlands tomorrow morning to take a look at 15 vs 16" wheels on the MC. I also prefer the bridge spoke style. I'm going with those even if they're heavier. Can't imagine it's a significant weight difference.

 

Did you go for the 15" or 16"ers? I'm kind of leaning towards the 15" on a MC.

 

I went with the 15" wheels for several reasons:

1) To me there's not much visual difference between 15" and 16" wheels. Although the 16" wheels have a greater diameter, they're paired with low profile tires so the combined diameter of wheel & tire is almost the same. The 17" definitely look different, but that's not a factory option for MC.

2) Greater expense upfront and long-term for 16". You pay extra for the "upgrade" and I hear low profile tires cost more (and may wear out quicker).

3) No increase in comfort. I think the standard tires will provide a more comfortable ride than the low profile run flats.

4) Finally, if I change my mind later I think I could upgrade the wheels/tires myself and get better selection and price from a 3rd party place.

 

I have 16" wheels on Romi (MC). It was an aesthetic choice for me, more than anything, as I like the bridge spoke wheels better. And I can always replace the runflats with regular tires.

The runflats definately add a bit more noise and transmit more road irregularities to the cabin. I test drove 15" non-runflats against the 16" runflats. The 15" wheels are quieter and smoother on the road than the 16" runflats. But that is pretty much the tire and not the wheel.

Oh, I do not mind if you call the MC a base model. Any model of the Mini is a great car. The best thing about Mini is you get what you want.

 

Thanks for the info Brad!

 

Skuzzy,

I really like the Bridge Spoke too. I went with the Rotator Spoke which is similar, but not as attractive as the Bridge. Given the size of the wheel well, when you replace the runflats on the 16" wheel, are you limited to using only low profile tires?

One possible advantage of the 16" wheels beyond aesthetic appeal, is they are 1" wider. Wouldn't that give the car better traction because it increases the surface area?

Another downsize, is the larger wheels weigh more. Don't know if the weight difference is significant enough to affect fuel economy, but it can't help.

 

15" wheels use 175/65
16" wheels use 195/60

Not really what I call a low profile tire. And yes, the contact patch is better with the 16" wheels. As far as weight goes, I will be replacing the wheels witha set of 16" BBS wheels which weigh in at 12.5 pounds each. Much lighter than the 15" stock wheel.

Of course the wider tire also increases rolling friction which impacts fuel economy a bit.

 

Brad, Here is a bit of weight data for you. Wheel fit taken from the MY07 brochure.
5-star Spooler 15"

 

Brad, Here is a bit of weight data for you. Wheel fit taken from the MY07 brochure. Weight data taken from Mini2 forum.
5-Star Spooler 15" 13.7 lb
Rotator Spoke 15" 15.7 lb
S-Winder 16" 16.6 lb
Bridge Spoke 16" 20.9 lb
5-Star Blaster 16" 19.0 lb
Crown Spoke 17" 22.3 lb
Flame Spoke 17" 22.0 lb

I believe in one of your post you were comparing the MC OEM 5-Star to a 16" Bridge Spoke upgrade. If so - thats 7+ lbs each. Of course the 15" tyre is probably heaver than the 16" tyre, assuming you compare non-run flat to non-run flat and RF to RF in the various sizes. ajm

 

Brad, Here is a bit of weight data for you. Wheel fit taken from the MY07 brochure.
5-star Spooler 15"

 

Just curious, if you're buying a set of 16" aftermarket wheels, why did you pay for the MINI wheel upgrade? Couldn't you have just replaced the 15" stock wheels w/ the 16" BBS aftermarkets?

I'm kind of ignorant about what those tire specs mean. I'm guessing the lower the last number, the lower the profile or tire wall. So you're saying that 60 doesn't qualify as low profile. That seems reasonable, only difference of 5, but the stock tires are 195/55 run flats, a difference of 15. So you can replace the 195/55 stock tires with 195/60's?

 

Tire specs: here is some info:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=7

 

Try here for a size equivelent calculator:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

I bought the 16" rims so I would have 16" tires ready to roll for the new rims. However, I made an error in that the aftermarket rims I want do not support runflats. So it was a bit of a waste.

Now I will just drive on the tires until they wear out and then replace the rims at the same time.

 

Shot of OB with bridgespokes

 

DanF,

Beautiful car and great color (but I'm biased). I really like the black w/ OB. Hope the white looks as good. With the Texas heat, I felt like the white roof was the way to go..

 

I would have the run flats replaced at the dealer if I went with 16". Buy 205/50/R16s and sell the run flats on craigslist to recoup some of the cost.

I went with 15" Delta Spokes (13.7 lbs) on my '06 MC for weight and looks. 175 is quite narrow and not enough grip for my weekend excursions. Trying to wear them out as fast as possible.

 

thanks for the advice, but I already went with the stock 15" wheels. The 16" wheels didn't look that much different to me. And I can always buy aftermarket wheels if I decide to upgrade later, but I probably won't. I'm mostly interested in a comfortable and safe ride.

 

I'm also struggling with the decision between 15" and 16" wheels. I prefer the looks of the 16" bridge spoke, but not the ride. Since I haven't been able to drive the 16" w/ run flats, I have no idea if they ride "almost" as good as the 15's.

I'm also confused about the wheel weight's effect on the ride. Is more weight better or worse for the ride?

 

The heavier the wheel, the more unsprung mass the suspension has to deal with. Takes more energy to deflect the mass and more energy has to be dissipated to restore the mass to any given point.