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MINIAC · Jun 18th, 2001, 03:45 AM

Quote:

On 18-06-2001 2:53 Dranoel wrote:
The wheel size is really the cause of a big dilemma for me. While I have heard that lager wheels increase handling and dynamics, I was a little upset when I saw the 17"s on the Cooper S. Can anybody tell me what exactly the advantages of larger wheels would be for the MINI?

It's all about availability of performance (ie. wider, stickier) tires for a particualr wheel size. For example, the BMW 2002 tii came stock with 165/80R13 H (130mph) rated tires. Most people have gone to 14" or 15" wheels on their 2002s because there are more high performance tire choices.

If you read the Tire Availability thread, you'll see that there are 205mm tires available for 15", 16" and 17" wheels ... assuming that all these wheels are wide enough to handle this tire size. Remember though, as the wheel size and tire width increase, the sidewall height decreases and the ride gets rougher.

After tire availability it's a matter of what you think looks good on the car.

Jun 18th, 2001, 03:45 AM	#6
MINIAC MINI Profiler Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: City By The Bay Local Time: 02:59 PM Posts: 8,619 Online	Quote: On 18-06-2001 2:53 Dranoel wrote: The wheel size is really the cause of a big dilemma for me. While I have heard that lager wheels increase handling and dynamics, I was a little upset when I saw the 17"s on the Cooper S. Can anybody tell me what exactly the advantages of larger wheels would be for the MINI? It's all about availability of performance (ie. wider, stickier) tires for a particualr wheel size. For example, the BMW 2002 tii came stock with 165/80R13 H (130mph) rated tires. Most people have gone to 14" or 15" wheels on their 2002s because there are more high performance tire choices. If you read the Tire Availability thread, you'll see that there are 205mm tires available for 15", 16" and 17" wheels ... assuming that all these wheels are wide enough to handle this tire size. Remember though, as the wheel size and tire width increase, the sidewall height decreases and the ride gets rougher. After tire availability it's a matter of what you think looks good on the car.