18 replies to this topic

[joekenton]

Hi,

 

I currently have 165/60 R12 on my 12 inch wheels, I'm thinking of purchasing the MiniSport 12 to 10 inch conversion kit and fitting 10 inch wheels, mostly for the old-skool look but also to hopefully improve the ride a bit.

 

I know a Mini is never going to have a modern car ride, but I've read that going to 10 inch from 12 improves ride. 

 

If my chosen 165/70 R10 Yokohama tyres are not the best for ride, can someone suggest a tyre which would result in noticeable improvement?

 

Thanks! 

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

You might find this thread useful:

 

http://www.theminifo...e-ride-comfort/

[ace01]

I certainly noticed a difference when I went from 12 to 10.  I put it down to the extra sidewall giving more flex.  My Mk1 has a lovely ride on 10s with 145 tyres.  The later mini is not quite as smooth; but close.

[joekenton]

I certainly noticed a difference when I went from 12 to 10.  I put it down to the extra sidewall giving more flex.  My Mk1 has a lovely ride on 10s with 145 tyres.  The later mini is not quite as smooth; but close.

 

145 full profile tyres?

 

EDIT: Also - to anyone who can answer: I have some old Dunlop 21A2744 wheels laying around which need a re-spray, they're '3.5Bx10x24' according to the markings. Would these be fine with Yokohama 165/70 R10 tyres?

 

Apologies for my nooby-ness

Edited by joekenton, 19 June 2018 - 05:40 PM.

[Minigman]

165s on 3.5” rim is a bit big. 145s would be better on those steels.

[Minigman]

Also need to check those drum offset steels will clear the disc calipers.

[absx2]

As ace01 says above, minis ride the best on 145 tyres and 10" wheels.

 

Its a bad idea to use 165 tyres on a 3.5" rim as they will roll around on the rim and I doubt anyone would fit them for you anyway.

 

As Minigman has said, you need to check caliper clearance on 10" steels as some clear and some don`t. There are 2 offsets, one for full wheel trims and the other for small hub caps. The difference is about 3mm .

 

Tyre choice depends on many things. Do you want to go around corners really fast, do you need wet weather grip etc etc ?

[imack]

My friend fitted 165/70x10 to 3.5" rims back in the 80's, it wobbled like a jelly when you rocked it!!!

[joekenton]

Ok so I think I will attempt to restore the steel 10 inch wheels as a project and get myself some new Dunlop D1 (5x10) replicas from MiniSport. What's gonna be the best tyre for ride that I can fit on those? Would 145's fit?

 

I don't need anything special from my tyres, it's the ride improvement I care the most about. Hoping that all new rubber cones and 10 inch wheels will improve it enough.

Edited by joekenton, 19 June 2018 - 08:02 PM.

[Cooperman]

On a 5" wheel a 165 section would be best.

My choice would be an original ST-replica Minilite at 4.5" x 10".

You can fit a 145/80 x 10 tyre and that will make the car feel like an original Cooper 'S' and you won't need wheel arch extensions which can only be a further advantage.

[absx2]

I have just gone through a set of 145 Marshal tyres on LP918 reverse rims. I use the car all weather conditions and found the tyres to be good all rounders.

I really did not get on with Falken 145`s as I found them terrible in the wet.

Camac`s are trailer tyres in my eyes and the stiff side wall is not what you need for comfort, the balancing took a while and they spun like fifty pence pieces.

Dunlops I found to be great after an initial bed in but at nearly a hundred pounds each they are more for period restorations.

 

Either way you will be looking for tyre with a pliable sidewall which kind of rules out 165 tyres as they are more performance based

[joekenton]

My current tyres are 165/60 R12 and I have no arches at all and they don't stick out, so I'm not worried about having 165/70/ R10.

 

The only downside of getting 145's is none of the wheel options I prefer are available as 4.5" or lower

 

EDIT: Can anyone identify the wheel and tyre combo used here: http://3.bp.blogspot...985818229_n.jpg

Edited by joekenton, 19 June 2018 - 10:49 PM.

[imack]

Can anyone identify the wheel and tyre combo used here: http://3.bp.blogspot...985818229_n.jpg

They're a 4.5 x 10 rose petal designed to fit without arches, various companies sell their own versions of them, all the same width and all designed to fit without arches. Minispares sell a nice one. Tyres are yokohama A032r.

[joekenton]

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

 

Just one last question: If I go for 5x10 wheels and 165/70 tyres, are these going to be wider than the body of the car? (I have no arches)

[imack]

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

Just one last question: If I go for 5x10 wheels and 165/70 tyres, are these going to be wider than the body of the car? (I have no arches)

They probably will protrude beyond the body if you've got disc brakes, you might get away with it if you're on drums.
It's all dependant on wheel offset.
I had 5x10 compomotive tf'f on my archless mini in the 80's, they didn't protrude at the time as I was still on drum brakes but as soon as I swapped to discs the wheels protruded and I used to get pulled by the old bill on a regular basis and warned about the wheels sticking out. Still took quite a few tugs before I filled arches though.