[miniyup]

Looking for some advice on spec'ing out wheels for a Cooper S. (I test drove one last Friday and am now hopelessly addicted (like I didn't KNOW that would happen.))

Anyway, I am concerned about the 17" wheels and low profile tires here in the state of potholes, aka Illinois USA. Anyone have experience with very low profile tires on alloy wheels (on ANY make/model car) in an area where the roads are not maintained well under heavy traffic and are subject to a merciless freeze/thaw cycle that breaks up pavement like crazy ? I've seen photos and examples of broken rims on alloy wheels, but I have no personal experience with alloy wheels and performance tires and no feel for how big a hole you have to hit before severe damage like this can occur.

Anyone living in the Midwest USA (e.g. Michigan) or elsewhere under similar conditions who can offer some advice ? Would I be significantly better off just to stick with the 16's ? (Though I am planning to buy the DSC and Xenon's anyway, so the Sport package would be the best value - including those larger wheels.)

[suprchrgdmini]

I had the 17" rims from MINI and changed to a 18" rim. Im in NY and we arent any better with the potholes i would assume. The 17's ride fine on bumpy roads and take the holes with no fear. Even the 18" and that is a 35 profile takes the bumps easy. go with the 17"s they look a lot nicer

[MiniVa]

How well would the R90's hold up in a pothole. How well does it do in speed humps, and bumps?

MiniVa

[BullDog1]

First off, welcome Miniyup. Im getting the 17 inchers on my S, actually I should be getting it this week! I drive often on Western Ave here in Chicago near that bridge over Belmont. Those are some nasty bumps there, I guess I'll let you know how that goes next time I drive by there with the new 'dog. But I suspect it'll be fine.

[Red & White Cooper 2]

I am no expert but it could be that the stiffer sidewalls of the run-flat tyres improve their ability to deal with pot holes. Plus those 17" wheels are very heavy so hopefully they are also strong!

[dave316]

I was actually afraid of the same thing, however after asking around i found that the 17"s would be more than fine, especially with the 45 ratio profile. Usually anything under 40 is where the problems start.

[kapps]

Yea, those Pirelli runflats will stay stiff going on rough roads. Your own ride may suffer (if you really care about that ) but the wheel should be fine.

[lotoole3]

My 17" S-litess held up pretty well here in Philly, notorious for our gaping craters. Got a bunch of nicks and scuffs on the very edges of the rims, though, before getting tires with a rim protector bar.

However, the runflats were a different story. Everytime I encountered a pothole, the Pirelli's stiff sidewalls would actually dent, then the sidewalls would bubble, making very large holes and tears in the sidewall rubber. Irrepairable, of course. I went through SIX runflats due to this problem before finally switching to Yoko AVS ES100s. Grip was better, not quite as stiff, and for the price of one runflat I could get three of the Yokos. No bubbles either, although I still travelled the same roads. About 75% of my daily commute consists of construction zone crappiness, which could explain my experience. Still, it seemed it was happening every month. It ceased with the Yokos.

Mine was such a problem that my dealership (MINI of the Main Line) started offerring tire and wheel insurance. Man did that help, but not before the first few had been replaced. For the price of one runflat you cover any 4 tires and any 4 wheels on your car for as long as they had regular tread wear and were within normal service life. Didn't cover cosmetic damage to rims, but would cover cost if they were bent, cracked etc. Plus. it's transferrable, so it will go on the new '05. For peace of mind, you might want to look into it.

In the interest of cost and, more importantly, weight savings, I opted this time around for the standard 16" with all season runflats that I'll save for the less pleasant cold stuff, and get some lightweight rims with good tires for the warmer weather, model and size TBD...

Something to think about.