Tires, Wheels, & Brakes Discussion about wheels, tires, and brakes for the new MINI.

Thoughts on 17's vs 18's....

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Old 06-07-2009, 07:20 PM
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Thoughts on 17's vs 18's....

When I bought my JCW, I sold the Challenge wheels. (17's) I bought a lighter set of OZ Ultraleggera's in 17's.

This weekend I purchased another set of Ultraleggera's except in 18's. I was going to use the 18's on the street and take the 17's to the track.

One of my fears was trashing the rims if I hit a pothole.

Any thoughts on my track choice or should I take the 18's to the track? I don't know how much the 18's weigh but the 17's are only 14.xx lbs so either way I'm sure they'll work fine.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Mark
 
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Old 06-08-2009, 03:12 PM
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The best place to lose mass is that which is rotational and unsprung -- i.e. wheels and tires. The 17" Ultraleggera will almost certainly be lighter than the 18" so I would stick with the 17" for track. Another consideration is that 17" tires cost less and you will go through them faster when putting track miles on them.

I have the 17" Alleggerita and will be tracking the MINI for the first time this weekend (although I have previous experience tracking M cars).
 
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Old 06-08-2009, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by RaceTripper
The best place to lose mass is that which is rotational and unsprung -- i.e. wheels and tires. The 17" Ultraleggera will almost certainly be lighter than the 18" so I would stick with the 17" for track. Another consideration is that 17" tires cost less and you will go through them faster when putting track miles on them.

I have the 17" Alleggerita and will be tracking the MINI for the first time this weekend (although I have previous experience tracking M cars).
GREAT points.... I didn't think about the selection and extra pricing for 18's over 17's.

That logic is enough to make me chance the 18's getting damaged. (which incidently doesn't really matter... I have a rim and tire warranty)

Thanks bud,

Much appreciated.

Mark
 
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Old 06-08-2009, 03:30 PM
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Hey Orange, if you have the rim and tire warranty from Mini, better read the fine print. IIRC, mine said it applied only to the factory wheels; no coverage for aftermarket. I knew I wanted to go aftermarket on wheels, so canx my plan and got the $$ back.
Fig
 
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Old 06-08-2009, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by fignewton
Hey Orange, if you have the rim and tire warranty from Mini, better read the fine print. IIRC, mine said it applied only to the factory wheels; no coverage for aftermarket. I knew I wanted to go aftermarket on wheels, so canx my plan and got the $$ back.
Fig
I did get the plan from the dealership but it was from an independent company. You know, I didn't read the fine print but I did make a specific inquiry asking if it's for OEM wheels and/or tires.

I was assured that it was for whatever was on the car. Guess I need to go back and read since what if I had a set of 3000 per piece carbon fiber wheels?

I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks,

Mark
 
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