My MCS doesn't arrive until early December, but of course I'm already looking around for wheels! Please take a look at these, and tell me what you think: http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse....ShowLarge=True

I haven't gotten into details like weight and whatnot, but I like the look of these in 18". Your thoughts?

 

Not my cup of tea, but everyone has thier own tastes. I'm more into a wheel that has less spokes, and some sort of a deep dish look.
Also, I'm one to keep the size of wheels around 16" and no more than 17". So these being 18", once again.......not my taste.
Sorry to sound so negative, but you did ask for an opinion.
Any other choices? Did you see if you can transfer the image of the wheels onto a pic similar to your soon-to-arrive MINI? Do some Photoshoppin' and see to make sure they're exactly what you want, would be my opinion.
Just my two cents.
Cheers,

 

Personally, I never cared for any rim that has more than the required number of holes to mount it on the car. 4 extra holes just ruin the beauty of a rim.

No need to worry too much about the weight. The only benefit you're going to get is the "big wheel" look. You're performance and handling is going to suffer with the 18's.

 

me no likey :smile:

 

Keep in mind, in the end the wheels will have to please you. Posting for ideas will give you biased opinions. With that, search around for sizing and fitment. If you like the results

(Granted, you are asking for opinions. Just my .02)

 

Opinions are much appreciated. I'm not wed to these wheels, just looking for alternative points of view. Keep 'em coming!

 

Not bad! I'd go with 17" so as not to hinder performance.

 

If you plan on these wheels I hope you are in for some modifying! Take a closer look, they have 5 lugs, plus the 5 "beauty" lugs.

I prefer 16's or 17's at best

 

Kramseib....I thought the same thing at first, so I looked through the fitment guide on the site. They do offer the rims specifically for the MINI. It seems they're just using a 5 lug picture for illustration purposes. I'm thinking the MINI version will be 4 lugs with 4 ghost holes.Maximum I'd put on the car would be 17's. If I was really performance oriented, I'd go down to 16's or even 15's.

 

Just marry the damn things then you can tote around baggage you don’t want like I did for so many years.

 

Snd, dayummm!

To address a recurring point by the posters, I'm not convinced that an 18" wheel has to mean a weight penalty. For example, these 18's (I'm told by the manufacturer) weigh about 16 pounds: http://www.centerlinewheels.com/whee...t&data=4-100mm

Granted, a 17 would weigh even less, but my point is that a forged 18 wheel can still save significant weight versus the S-Lite.

 

Not a weight penalty but the diameter is going to be a little larger, therefore they won't spin up as fast. Also, with the increase in diameter comes an increase in the height of the center of gravity. For example using the size 215- 45, the 18 is almost an inch taller than the 17, which is almost an inch taller than the 16. That means your CoG is about 1" higher between the 16 and 18. Rotation wise the 18 spins 837 times per mile, the 17 867, and the 16 892. All things being equal the 18 is going to have the slowest accelleration time.

On a side note, I'd wonder about the strength of an 18" rim weighing only 16lbs. May be something to think about if you live in one of the pothole infested areas of or country.

But, as noted earlier, it's your car.....

 

IMHO icw do not equal centerlines. Those ICW probably weigh 24 pounds. 18s are just for look- if that is what you want them for I say go for em (and why not 19s???). I would by a light set of 15 or 16 or 17s for performance reasons.

B

 

You guys are making a really good points about performance versus looks and some of the resulting tradeoffs. My car won't be an all-out performance car, but I would like to find a way to upgrade looks and perhaps drop weight at the same time. It's a valid point that ICW (which as far as I can tell) is not a forged wheel, while the Centerline certainly is forged. WRT strength of the wheel as a function of its weight, a forged wheel will be stronger than a heavier (nonforged) wheel because of the way in which it was made. If I do move up to 18's, it would only be with a forged wheel. Even if I stay with 17's, it will still only be with a forged wheel. Thanks again for adding thoughts. It's helpful and educational. Definitely helping me to challenge my thought processes and final decision.