Great web article about choosing winter wheels and tires

[milliethemini]

I just had to laugh out loud when I came across this article, it brought to light all the various issues we MINI owners worry about when getting a winter set of wheels and tires!

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articl...nterwheels.htm

Several highlights:

"owners of newer cars with seventeen, eighteen or even twenty inch wheels are experiencing sticker shock as they shop for winter tires."

"the thinner the side wall, the more likely it is that terminal damage will occur. A high performance tire with a very wide tread and a very thin sidewall, is not only a very poor choice for winter driving, but is also very vulnerable to tire and wheel damage."

"it is possible to come down one, or possibly two, inches in size and use a standard snow tire. Inevitably, however, the smaller diameter tire will end up having a very tall sidewall and a much narrower tread. The narrow tread is not necessarily a disadvantage, because narrow treads carry more weight per square inch and are therefore more capable of pressing down into snow, or providing traction on ice."


I think this part of the article applies to MINI owners too
"Of course you can do without the caps, but you don't buy a BMW to have it look like an Iraqi donkey cart half the year round!"



The last part of the article is very relevant to those of us who might be looking for a universal steel wheel to buy and install winter tires on (better to buy the MINI One steel wheel from your dealer instead):

" While we're on this subject, we should mention the so-called “universal” steel wheel.

In this case, the centre hole in the wheel is much larger than the hub it fits over, so that the hub, which is supposed to provide location, while the wheel nuts hold the wheel in place, no longer performs this function. This large hole is there to allow the wheel to fit a whole range of different vehicles. But this means that the taper on the wheel nuts, fitting into the recess in the stud holes is all that holds the wheel concentric with the axle and bearing.

Apparently, this works OK provided that you refrain from cornering vigorously and remember that you are relying on the wheel nuts to keep the wheel from moving off centre. This is not really what the engineers who designed the suspension system ever intended for the wheel nuts to do. So proceed with caution if you see that your new steel wheels have any space between the centre hole and the corresponding hub diameter. "

[snid]

As for the warning about "universal" steel wheels not being hub-centric... I have non MINI branded steel wheels and they hav ethe right hub size for the MINI. I got them through tirerack. So, the right generic wheels are out there, but I guess it very well may be a buyer beware thing.

[bakerjc]

Interesting. Hubcentric, and all. I just tossed on a set of Konig alloys for the winter, the center hole is not "hubcentric". Shall I worry about this? I seem to think many of my previous autos, OEM stock, were not hubcentric.
The wheel bolts fit the concave seat in the Konig rims, I imagine if the wheels were machined correctly, without any wobble, they would have the same bearing mass on the disks. It looked like the wheel centers hugged the disk, not the axle. I could be wrong, and it's cold and dark outside so I'm not checking now.....

Hmmmm.......one more thing to worry about. I'm getting like OddTodd.......

[ontheroadagain]

Thanks for the article milliethemini - I the distinct feeling that 15" steels are calling my name via Tire Rack, if I'm lucky.

Hope your hub is centered, bakerjc. And, if I had the opportunity to get as good a deal as you, I'd probably have gone with it too, but of course I wouldn't have known that it was a good deal.

[bakerjc]

Quote: Originally Posted by ontheroadagain

Thanks for the article milliethemini - I the distinct feeling that 15" steels are calling my name via Tire Rack, if I'm lucky.

Hope your hub is centered, bakerjc. And, if I had the opportunity to get as good a deal as you, I'd probably have gone with it too, but of course I wouldn't have known that it was a good deal.

All the info for "getting the deal" is in the other thread. Konigs are still available @ $75, tires can be had cheap through Sam's, BJ's, Costco, etc. Course, add in the running around and all, maybe I really didn't save all that much. But damn I did have fun. I think.