[colin morrow]

will a set of 18's running on 35 be a hard ride? is it better to stick to 17's on 45?
any thoughts anyone

[Crammy]

i just changed from 17 inch BMW runflats to some 18's on 35 (non-runflats) and it now feels a lot softer ride so it shouldn't be that bad

[Paul]

I'm all for the smaller wheels on the MINI, the 16" wheel and tyre combination offer the best overall ride and performance for me for sure.

That said, I have driven back to back cars with 17" and runflats and 18" with non-runflats and actually the 18" combination felt better.

Depends entirely of course on the type of wheel and tyre you chose.

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul (original)

I'm all for the smaller wheels on the MINI, the 16" wheel and tyre combination offer the best overall ride and performance for me for sure.

I agree with you on going for the smaller wheels - but surely the 15" are best for ride and performance? Softest ride available, and they're lighter wheels than the 16"... aren't they? Thus, better acceleration.

Also, you can fit equivalent tyres (which are wider) onto the 15" wheels and still get great traction. I'm running 205/55-R15s and they're just fantastic.

[Paul]

We had a MINI One with 15s for a number of years, plus I've had a play in a few other MINIs with the 15" OEM and I find them too skittish, not enough grip on the tyres provided (cornering and wheels spin wise), and the larger sidewall I think for me just tips them into the "too squishy" zone. But not a lot in it, I'd rather have decent 15" wheels than 17" wheels if I was looking for the best overall package. Trouble with 15" wheels for a lot of people seems to be the tyre options and certainly aftermarket brake options are very limited. But they are brilliant fun.

If you don't want to take my word for it, we asked Mike Cooper a long while back why the challenge Coopers where decked with 15" wheels, he just replied something like "they provide the most fun on the track".

[Darthbladerni]

I went from 15's to 18's and thought the ride was harder but better. Love it on smooth roads. Then I lowered the car and the ride imo is better once again.

Entirely up to yourself but 18s with 35 tyre will be better than 17 with run flats.

I'm on 215x35x18 btw

[Weemann]

bigger wheels almost always look better...i've got 215x35x 19, n i got it lowered by 20mm....ride is pretty damn hard but....to be honest its always wonderful on smooth roads the only time it gets rough is potholes and gravel...id say the pro's of bigger wheels (grip, looks etc) outweigh the cons...

[Paul]

I'd argue strongly in the other direction, what's the use of this "grip" if you're bouncing all over, there's no traction if your shocks and tyres aren't giving enough to keep the rubber on the road. Plus people tend (not saying this is the case for you) to go for cheaper (lower end), larger wheels because they "look cool" (debatable of course), over more expensive (higher end, but same cost) smaller wheels, which will tend to be lighter, as well as offering a slightly lower rolling radius, which all increases acceleration and stopping.

[Paul]

Aaalso (disclaimer). It is of course horses for courses. This is why Rally cars and Touring cars have very different wheels, tyre and suspension set-ups, both with the same ultimate aim (speed around their courses) in mind.

For me, our local roads are more like road stages of rallies (or even gravel stages) than they are a nice shiny predictable race track!

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul (original)

We had a MINI One with 15s for a number of years, plus I've had a play in a few other MINIs with the 15" OEM and I find them too skittish, not enough grip on the tyres provided (cornering and wheels spin wise), and the larger sidewall I think for me just tips them into the "too squishy" zone.

Yes, the OEM Pirellis were definately skittish and gave poor grip. Also surprising was that they would aquaplane quite easily.

I'm still running the OEM wheels - but now I'm using a wider tyre. Much better for aquaplaning (due to superior tread design on the Kumho over the Pirelli) and much better for grip (awesome cornering and haven't wheel spun since I fitted the Kumhos).

As for squishy - yep, they are that. I sometimes would like a bit more of an instantaneous reaction to steering input - but tall sidewalls will do that. I think the sidewalls of the Kumhos are a little stiffer (not a lot in it) than the Pirellis, so steering is a little more direct.

Overall, I think if you pick the right tyre, the 15-inch wheels are fantastic. But I didn't like the combination of 15-inch wheels with the stock Pirellis - that was comparatively awful even in the best conditions.

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul (original)

For me, our local roads are more like road stages of rallies (or even gravel stages) than they are a nice shiny predictable race track!

Same round here - one of the reasons why (apart from cost) I wouldn't want to change to 16/17/18-inch wheels... a ride as soft and compliant as possible keeps you more in contact with the road.

[Weemann]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul (original)

I'd argue strongly in the other direction, what's the use of this "grip" if you're bouncing all over, there's no traction if your shocks and tyres aren't giving enough to keep the rubber on the road. Plus people tend (not saying this is the case for you) to go for cheaper (lower end), larger wheels because they "look cool" (debatable of course), over more expensive (higher end, but same cost) smaller wheels, which will tend to be lighter, as well as offering a slightly lower rolling radius, which all increases acceleration and stopping.

yeah fair do's you can get some very nice and still pretty expensive smaller wheels and there are alot of 'halford special' wheels hanging around that look really ******, not saying mine are great as there are many id prefer to have, but it really does depend on the look you wanna go for!!! when i got a flat and had to change back to my 15" hubs i almost killed myself on the first corner i went round because of the speed i was used to....
Mine has never bounced around, always been obscene amounts of grip, i have also got upper and lower strut braces on, i guess that makes a pretty big difference...