I posted this on the 'mini talk' site. Please excuse the duplicate post, but thought I might get insiteful responses here.
I am about to buy a 2005+ MC and I am wondering about which option packages I should look for. My question comes down to this: Do the 15" holey's (sp?) perform better on the street than the heavier 16" wheels?
Here is some background. The car will ONLY be used in the city. For me, that means it will go over 40 mph no more than 2% of the time. Hence the reason for an MC. I find that the MC is geared and performs at least as well as the MCS in this narrow performance window (flame suit on!!). As well, our roads have lots of 'patches' and tend to be less than perfectly flat... no potholes, but lots of bumpiness.
It seems many NAMer's who race use the lighter (15lb) 15" holey's, or an aftermarket lighter wheel. Presumably this is because the Mini responds measurably better (in racing terms) to a lighter wheel and tire combo. Having had experience on my (former) old 911 with light and heavy wheel/tire sets, I know how much difference this can make in terms of daily performance. A lighter wheel set can allow the suspension to perform vastly better, making the road feel smoother and the tires stay in contact with the road more of the time. On the other hand, the 16" wheels change the shape of the tire contact patch.
While I prefer the looks of the larger 16" wheels, I would go with the 15" if there was a noticeable difference in daily driving.
Does anyone have experience with both sets of wheels/tires to comment on "Do the 15" holey's (sp?) perform better on the street than the heavier 16" wheels?"

 

Posting in the Tire and wheel forum makes more sense.

When using an MC for street driving only it doesn't really matter if you use 15" or 16" wheels and tires but if you choose the runflats it will be harsher than if you select non runflat tires.

Stock 15" wheels will be 15x5.5 no matter which one you choose. Holeys are good because they are light weight and function and can accept larger than stock sized tires up to about 205/55-15 with good results. Personally I find the stock 175/65-15 quite acceptible for street use and commuting.

!6" stock wheels will be 16x6.5 and if ordered will come with runflats in 195/55-16. You can add aftermarket 16x7 rims or similar and cut weight at the same time. For street use you can consider 205/55-16 non runflats.

If you get heavy rain or light snow in your area you can choose all season tires, most likely Ultra High performance tires would work fine or even High Performance tires (H speed rated). If the weather is always sunny or light rain then Summer tires will work. Most times for commuting the All season tires will wear better and be slightly more comfortable.

Your question about which wheel is "better" is a relative one. For street use only in a practice sense, the 15" holey and non runflat will suit you needs and function fine. It will be low cost, handle OK for urban traffic, and be comfortable but it is no ultra high performance type wheel.

I have a modified MCS I use for autocross and track. For daily driving I put on a set of stock MC Holeys with continental tires. Works just fine for me.
In the garage I have multiple sets of 16" and 17" wheels and tires.

 

Mine came with the r81 holies. I like the way they feel compared to my heavier aftermarket 17s. I do notice more pick up (like, but I'm not saying , but is probably... accleration...) compared to the 17s... I can definetly feel the 15s are lighter... it feels good.

15s will have cheaper tires than the larger sizes. Thats always a plus for the daily driver.

 

I have both 15's and 16's for my MC.
The 15" holies have winter rubber mounted, and the 16" X-lites have summer rubber.
Around here we need real winter tires, and as I like to stick with OEM wheels, I have the lightest of each size OEM offerring.
If you plan to use one set of wheels/tires year round I would recommend the holies.
I enjoy both wheels, the X-lites give a more aggressive look, but the holies may be the quintessential wheel for the MINI - they are lightweight (actually only 12 lbs.), the looks suit the friendly character of the car, and they are beautifully detailled.
The X-lites are 5.6 lbs. more per wheel than holies - that difference can be felt. It may not be a huge difference in feel, but it does not take much to turn a nimble car into something more closely resembling a heavier small car like a Mazda 3, etc.
If I had to do it all over again I would not purchase 16" wheels for the MC unless they were extremely light, such as SSR Competitions. I would either mount summers on the holies or buy into very lightweight 15" aftermarket wheels like SSR's or WedSport TC-005's.
My opinion at the moment is no doubt being skewed by the horrible condition of our roads through this winter - I am being rattled to the point where Koni FSD shocks are back on the possible wish list.
Maybe come spring time things will improve - my MC rides terribly the colder the temps fall.
Good luck with your selection.

 

I have both the "holies" and the X-lites. I can definitely tell whenever I change wheels. The 15" ride smoother and make the car feel more lively. For a city, daily driver, I'd stick with the 15".

 

excuse me? Are you saying my mazda3 ain't nimble?

Sorry, gotta stick up for my mazda3. . .

(threadjack over)

 

Many thanks to you all. You are confirming my suspicions, which was that with a lighter car like the Mini, there are huge payoffs with using as light a wheel/tire combo as can be found. As mentioned, on my 911SC I was surprised at how much difference my heavy wheel/tire set made. The 911 SC is a heavier car than the Mini, with commensurately stronger suspension/dampening. The better dampening should make the increased wheel weight less noticable than on the Mini. Howeve, on the 911, the heavier wheel/tire combo was simply slower to respond to the road... a bit hard to describe, but very noticeable in terms of driver feel, even in the city. On the Mini, the holey is 12 pounds, and some of the 16" wheels go up to 21 pounds. Include the slightly heavier weight of the run-flats (figure 20 lbs verus 22 pounds) the total difference is about 11lbs (Holeys- 32 lb versus 43 lb for a 16") or an increase of 35%. Theoretically, that should be noticeable, and you are confirming that it is.

BTW the other clue about the importance of unsprung weight is the specs of the new Mini. The new Mini has shed 11 pounds from the rear swing arm weight by changing from steel to aluminum (I suspect 5.5 lb per side).... I suspect that swapping the rear swing arms will become a popular upgrade for the racer set, as the factory would only make this change if it had a significant (and noticable) improvement in ride and handling. And wheels are mounted at the end of the swing arms!

Thank you all for your replies.

 

DD,

Just another idea, though I'm with you on the light wheels. KONI FSDs make the wheel/tire selection a little less critical, since they deal nicely with the ride quality issues on the MINI, even with the heavy 17 and 18" wheels and run-flats.

 

I just knew somebody would be irked...