I read the thread about the ride and it seems tha the 16s ride better.
Which wheels look better on the MINI???

My car has the factory 17 inch minilite look wheels, (sports package?)
I like the look of the MINIlites, I dont like the runflats theyre hard as rocks.
the 17s do look like wagon wheels, I always liked the look of 10s on my original Mini (no I dont want 10s on my new BINI, no jokes please!)

Im trying to deside if down the road I want to just retire the 17s with non-runs or ditch these 17s and get 16s?
the whole NO SPARE thing sucks, I dont want to fool with fix a flat...
any other ideas?

db

 

thinkin' u should do 8.5x16" that would look real aggressive kinda like d
ol' skool look..... right?.. u would know since ur into vintage!
& also i like that look but 4 now im running 7.5x17 kinda into that 4 now till i get bored.

 

they ride a little better, but they sure suck.

 

\]

I have to disagree with that. I actually think the factory 16" Dunlop SP5000 runflat tires supplied in the standard MCS, are terrific tires and work fairly well in most daily driving conditions.

Rotate those puppies every 3K-5K miles and you'll juice them up probably until 36K-40K miles easily. That's is if you drive like a normal person, not a maniac.

The 17" S-Lites are heavy boat anchors, but most MCS owners get them because they like the look of the bigger, lower profile tire (Which is more prone to pothole damage, just so you know).

The MINI is a car that was designed and optimized to run best on 15"-16" tires and wheels. I like my "lowly" 16" V-spokes as most MCS around my parts have the 17" S-Lites, so the V's are actually a rarity.

In the future I may switch to 16" R90's. I dig those rims.

 

yeah Im thinking the 16s might look better and be less drag on the car, Im not sure I like the wagon wheel look, theres so many ppl selling their 17s with runflats I doubt I could get much for them?
I would want a Mini-lite style wheel like my 17s.

keep um coming.


_____
/__|__\__
(o)_|___(o)
A nice warm vibratey feeling all through your guttiwuts!
DOOMBUGGY

 

17" without runflats run fine and I live in the pothole state. (PA)

In my opinion 16" look too small and show too much sidewall of rubber.

17" is perfect.

 

I'm the opposite. I dislike the look of 17" wheels (or larger) on the MINI.

You have two choices for 16" "Minilite-style" wheels. Tire Rack sells a new ASA wheel in the Minilite style and there are Panasports (sold by MiniMania I believe) which have been around for awhile (originally for Miatas).

Personally, I like the Panasports. :smile:



They are not runflats, however, and we carry a compact spare in a bag behind the front seat.

 

I hate to sound dumb but where did you get the spare??
"DETAILS"
I want to get a spare, I dont want to fool with that nast fix a flat.

 

Classic MINI in Ohio!

 

Well, some nice lightweight 17" wheels with lighter 17" tires would be a good look for me. Though I do like larger wheels. I have 18" wheels on my other car and would go for 19" wheels if I found others that I liked more (I have the stock wheels on the Infiniti). I am actually looking at getting some lighter 17" wheels (ASA AR1's or Flik Wasps, both around 20 lbs each), with some lighter 17" tires for my mini. I think that will help get the turn in to be a little crisper and i'll lose the cement tire feel of the run flats. Sound sliek a win win situation to me.

 

There are a lot more tire options in 17's, if that means anything to you...

 

Heres another goofy ?
Do you think the dealers have a 17 inch spare available?
If you run 17s can you just use a 16 inch Mini spare to get you to a gas station?
db

 

You can pretty much use anything that keeps you safely rolling until you get to a repair. For example, compact spare tires are typically much smaller (both width and outside tire diameter) than the regular tires on a car.

 

I run my 16x7.5 SSR's exclusively... 17" R90's stacked up in my garage
the last few years collecting dust.


you have to watch out for wheel gap inside the wheel between the
rim and rotor... you can easily make your car look like it's got drumbrakes
on some 17's and especially on 18's unless you upgrade your brakes.
(i bet some people are scratching their heads now looking at their cars
realizing that they got a huge wheel gap inside the rim like if it's missing
teeth. ) yum

 

so would you just buy a reg. MINI (meaning non-S) spare from a dealer
what other car model has the same bolt pattern as the MINI S that you could find used?

db

 

If I change wheels it will be a 16, Im not intersted in an even bigger wheel or I'll just keep the S-lites ditch the runflats after theyre bald.

how much of a gap is there on an S with 16s, anybody got some pics of both 17 S-lites and 16s to compare???.
I know someone is making a alloy wheel for the NEW BEETLE that looks like the old VW steel wheel with the holes around that uses a moon cap.
Is there anyone reproducing a 60's style Mini wheel yet, I dont mean the Minilites Im talking about like the factory steel wheels, of course it would have to be bigger than the original, lol.

db