I’ve had my new 2009 MC for about a month now and am considering upgrading my tires. I live in New Jersey, and am thinking of getting a second set of wheels for summer tires and using the original wheels (15” 5-spoke spoolers) for snow tires in the winter. I’m not too knowledgeable about these things so I just wanted a sanity check to make sure that what I’m thinking of makes sense.

For the new set of wheels for summer tires, I’m leaning toward 16” for two reasons. First because I like the look of a slightly larger wheel and lower sidewall, and second because the selection of summer tires seems much better in 16” than in 15”. What I’m currently looking at is a set of either Enkei Racing RPF1 or RS-M 16x7’s and General Exclaim UHP 205/50/16’s. I just have a couple of questions:

I’m trying to picture how much farther out these would extend than the current wheels. After digesting a number of posts on wheel offsets I think I’ve figured it out, but I’d like to make sure. The offset of the Enkei’s is 43mm, and that of the OEM wheels on the MINI is (I believe) 45mm. So this means that the centerline of the Enkei’s will sit 2mm farther out (away from the car) than the 5-spokes. In addition, since the Enkei’s are 7” wide compared to the 5.5” wide 5-spokes they’ll extend out an additional 3/4” (19mm) because of that. So in total the outer edge of the Enkei’s will be roughly 21mm farther out than the OEM wheels. Have I figured that right?

The weight of the Enkei’s is either 13.7 lbs. or 14.8 lbs. depending on which model I decide on, compared to the OEM wheels’ 13.7 lbs., and the Generals weigh 19 lbs. compared to 16 for the OEM ContiPro’s, so this would make for an increase of 3 or 4 lbs. per corner. I’m thinking that this is probably not worth worrying about, and that the gain from having much better tires will be more noticeable then the effect of the few extra pounds. True?

Thanks; all comments and suggestions are welcome.

- Brian

 

This might help you visualize the effect of the wheel width and offset change. It indicates the 43mm offset and 205/50-16 tires will stick out 17mm further than your 175/65-15, and be 13mm closer to the suspension.

I like the Michelin Pilot Exhalto PE2 for a civilized summer tire with good handling wet or dry. If you want something more extreme, and don't mind more noise, you might look at the Bridgestone RE-11 or Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec.

I'm running Rota Slipstream 16x7 wheels with 205/55-16 tires. They fit. The Slipstreams are a little less expensive than your choices, and weigh 13.9 lbs.

I suspect that going from a 175 tire to a 205 tire will be the most noticeable change. Your mpg might drop a little, while your ability to stop and corner hard should improve.

 

I was choosing between the Enkei RS+M, RPF1, and OZ Alleggerita, and finally decided on the RS+M in 17x7.
Cost, styling, nearness to OEM dimensional specs., and weight all played a role in the selection.
I selected the RS+M and am very happy to have done so. Compared to the RPF1, the RS+M looks "bigger" due to the lip design of the RPF1. This was especially noticeable when I saw a Nissan Skyline with 18" RPF1s, and they really looked a lot smaller than that.
Also I felt the RPF1 was incomplete without the optional center cap, yet that cap looked so-so in my opinion.
I will say the finish of the RS+M is very solid, and looks great on my BRG/W MCS. (there's a few pics in my gallery) And the standard center cap on the RS+M is metal fastened with machine screws, you won't want to rap your knuckles on them, it will be a big hurt.
You probably can't go wrong with either choice, and both are MINI friendly size-wise.

 

Thanks a lot for the useful information. Robin, that offset/size calculator is a big help. And mansize, thanks for the pointer to you gallery pics - I have BRG/W as well, and I like the way the RS-M's look on yours. I'm leaning toward those at this point.

Whatever I get, I'll be sure to post some pics when I get them on.

- Brian

 

im in the same boat

07 base cooper and my tires are just about done

the RPF1's are 1.1lb lighter than the RS-M's in the same sizes for $11 more

im leaning toward the rpf1's