Why not 15's??????
#27
Tire manufacturers recommend a tire no more than 25-30mm wider than the rim, to prevent the tire from rolling off the wheel during hard cornering, and to reduce the overheating that excessive sidewall flex causes. Too wide a tire for the wheel also reduces control during turn-in and cornering, and offers less performance and handling than a correctly-sized tire.
The recomendation means that a 175 is wider than recommended for a 5.5" (135mm) wide holey.
Run a 205 (8.5" wide) tire on a 135mm rim? Not if you value your life...
The recomendation means that a 175 is wider than recommended for a 5.5" (135mm) wide holey.
Run a 205 (8.5" wide) tire on a 135mm rim? Not if you value your life...
#28
Originally Posted by OldRick
Tire manufacturers recommend a tire no more than 25-30mm wider than the rim, to prevent the tire from rolling off the wheel during hard cornering, and to reduce the overheating that excessive sidewall flex causes. Too wide a tire for the wheel also reduces control during turn-in and cornering, and offers less performance and handling than a correctly-sized tire.
The recomendation means that a 175 is wider than recommended for a 5.5" (135mm) wide holey.
Run a 205 (8.5" wide) tire on a 135mm rim? Not if you value your life...
The recomendation means that a 175 is wider than recommended for a 5.5" (135mm) wide holey.
Run a 205 (8.5" wide) tire on a 135mm rim? Not if you value your life...
-Keith
#30
Originally Posted by RallyMINI2005
Forgot the best angle of these fatties... From the rear the car looks AWESOME, really WIIIIDDDDDEEE.
RM2k5
RM2k5
I am about to do something crazy too ... looking to get 205/55 KDW2's on my holies
#32
I used the white-letter-repair marker from JCWhitney... it works O-K, but not great. I'd look around for a titanium-white paint pen, it might crack off, but it will retain it's color better.
Upside is the JCWhitney marker is only 5 bucks, so its pretty cheap. It hasn't cracked or pealed yet, its just faded a little. I think another coating will bring it back to white.
RM2k5
Upside is the JCWhitney marker is only 5 bucks, so its pretty cheap. It hasn't cracked or pealed yet, its just faded a little. I think another coating will bring it back to white.
RM2k5
#33
I thought I was one of the few that was bucking the cool trend in favor of handling, performance and comfort. What's the downside again? Oh, that's right, not cool. I haven't been cool my whole life, why start now? Those 15" Konig Rewinds remain the favorite in the clubhouse with about a month to go before I take delivery.
Anyway, nice to see such a strong contingent of smaller-wheel MINI drivers.
Anyway, nice to see such a strong contingent of smaller-wheel MINI drivers.
#34
Originally Posted by BucketheadJones
I thought I was one of the few that was bucking the cool trend in favor of handling, performance and comfort. What's the downside again? Oh, that's right, not cool. I haven't been cool my whole life, why start now? Those 15" Konig Rewinds remain the favorite in the clubhouse with about a month to go before I take delivery.
Anyway, nice to see such a strong contingent of smaller-wheel MINI drivers.
Anyway, nice to see such a strong contingent of smaller-wheel MINI drivers.
I personally love my rewinds....first mini on NAM to get them right when they came to the US.
#36
Originally Posted by Mineon
I've got 195/55's (Toyo T1R) on one set of holeys for street use and 205/50's (Kumho V710) on my other set for race use. I wouldn't recommend going any wider than 195 for street use
-Keith
-Keith
#37
Yeah, the only reason I even went with 205mm wide race tires on my stock 15x5.5 holey wheels is that the class I race in (H Stock) requires that I use a wheel that is the stock height and width. I do have a set of 16x6.5 wheels that I'll use this year (optional wheel size for the MC) and install 215/40 tires on them for autocross use.
#41
Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new tire and rim set. Currently running the original S-lites with Pirelli runflats on my MCS, and had always thought I was going to go with a 17-18 inch rim, when the time came, but I came across this thread and am now seriously considering going with the 15 inch setup. I'm a little ignorant on difference in performance between a 17 and 15 inch tire. Any insight would be appreciated. Now I'm thinking of getting a set of Wedsport TC-005's in white (10.7lbs) with Yokohama AVS ES100's. Thoughts on that set up? and what kind of difference in handling and preformance could I expect?
#42
#43
#44
The difference between 17-18" and light (9 lbs.) 15" wheels is huge.
With the 15" wheels, it takes a lot of thump out of the bumps, and the Mini corners better, because the tires stay in contact with the road better. The Mini feels like a Porsche on 15" wheels, compared to a Camaro on 18". You will hear fewer interior plastic creaks and ticks on 15", because less impact is transmitted to the car. You may also notice less road noise.
You will also get noticably better acceleration, and better braking as well.
Downside? Well, some say that the car starts to turn-in quicker on larger wheels due to the lower sidewall, but this also makes it easier to break loose, so that's not an easy trade-off.
To me, the kind of driving that I prefer to optimize for (winding through twisty mountain hairpins) is more like autocross than it is like road racing on a smooth track, so I prefer to optimize as the autocross guys do: lightweight 15" wheels for me. 205x55x15" gives perfect speedo readings, lowers the car about 1/4" vs. stock, and offers a fair choice of tires.
With the 15" wheels, it takes a lot of thump out of the bumps, and the Mini corners better, because the tires stay in contact with the road better. The Mini feels like a Porsche on 15" wheels, compared to a Camaro on 18". You will hear fewer interior plastic creaks and ticks on 15", because less impact is transmitted to the car. You may also notice less road noise.
You will also get noticably better acceleration, and better braking as well.
Downside? Well, some say that the car starts to turn-in quicker on larger wheels due to the lower sidewall, but this also makes it easier to break loose, so that's not an easy trade-off.
To me, the kind of driving that I prefer to optimize for (winding through twisty mountain hairpins) is more like autocross than it is like road racing on a smooth track, so I prefer to optimize as the autocross guys do: lightweight 15" wheels for me. 205x55x15" gives perfect speedo readings, lowers the car about 1/4" vs. stock, and offers a fair choice of tires.
#47
#48
#49
#50
Originally Posted by toddtce
Easy. You guys might start a trend....
I recently sold a brake kit to a customer and we did a set of both size rotors for it; 11.75 and 12.2 for the specific issue of being able to change between the wheel size as felt required. Very good thinking.
I recently sold a brake kit to a customer and we did a set of both size rotors for it; 11.75 and 12.2 for the specific issue of being able to change between the wheel size as felt required. Very good thinking.
You sell a kit meant for 15s right?