27 replies to this topic

[AVV IT]

Whats the widest alloys do you think i can fit on my car without doing any cutting to the bodywork?

I believe that It depends on the offset of the particular type of wheel as opposed to just it's width. So the biggest width you can get away with, will probably differ from wheel to wheel. To be honest it's not my area of expertise, so you might be better off starting a new thread that asks exactly that question.

Personally though, I'm of the belief that you can never go too far wrong with a standard set of 12 x 4.5" minilites in order to give it that classic look. They will bolt straight on and will instantly look loads better than a set of steelies. Also because so many mini owners remove them to fit wider or even 13" or 10" rims, then there are loads of them available. You can often pick up a reasonable set of them with tyres for around £60 -£100..... leaving you with a whole heap of cash left over to spend on something else!!

[MiniMadNox]

Whats the widest alloys do you think i can fit on my car without doing any cutting to the bodywork?

I believe that It depends on the offset of the particular type of wheel as opposed to just it's width. So the biggest width you can get away with, will probably differ from wheel to wheel. To be honest it's not my area of expertise, so you might be better off starting a new thread that asks exactly that question.

Personally though, I'm of the belief that you can never go too far wrong with a standard set of 12 x 4.5" minilites in order to give it that classic look. They will bolt straight on and will instantly look loads better than a set of steelies. Also because so many mini owners remove them to fit wider or even 13" or 10" rims, then there are loads of them available. You can often pick up a reasonable set of them with tyres for around £60 -£100..... leaving you with a whole heap of cash left over to spend on something else!!

I'm going to start a new topic about them, But I think it's just try them and see how it goes. So i may ask if anyone lives near me if I can try putting their wider wheels on and if they don't rub then I'm in

Thanks a bomb for the info, it's really helped me a lot!

[RossKnight]

You got a great deal, looks to be in good condition

I agree with AVV IT, can't go wrong with 12x4.5 minilites, you also have the advantage that you can use your steelies as tyre doners for if you need them on your minilites.

Say £100 will get you a decent set of 12x4.5 wheels, and then when it comes to needing new tyres, you're saving probably about £100 too, just something to think about

[AVV IT]

But I think it's just try them and see how it goes. So i may ask if anyone lives near me if I can try putting their wider wheels on and if they don't rub then I'm in

You won't need to try someone else's wheels on your car to see if they fit, if they fit some one else's unmodified car the they will fit on yours. You just need to ask on here which wider wheels people have managed to fit on their cars without body mods.

[ninham]

I really like these 12" and you could pick up a decent second hand pair for 120 with tyres
http://www.minisport...12___Wheel.html

[MiniMadNox]

Cheers Guys! Is here the best place to look for second hand alloys?

[AVV IT]

You can often pick up wheels here for a lot less than they go for on Ebay. Just be cautious when buying second hand alloys, as the older ones have a tendency to leak where the tyre bead seals against the rim. I recently bought a set of minilites from another member here and discovered that three out of four of them leak in this way!! It's a fixable problem, but involves paying to have each tyre removed, then refurbing each rim before paying to have the tyres refitted again, which is both time consuming and costly.

[MiniMadNox]

AVV IT, Thanks so much for your help, you've really pointed me in the right direction.

I've decided i'm going to buy 5x12's with chrome arches, and i'm having a theme of chrome on the car.

What do you think?

[jbs.998]

Personally, I would stick with black arches.
You can get some group 2 arches and get a chrome trim on the outer edge. Looks much smarter in my opinion.
Interested in some 12x6 superlites?

[MiniMadNox]

I want to be able to fit 5x12's as i dont need to cut any of the body work and thanks for your opinion

[ChrisG10]

yeah looks like you got a sweeet ride for when you've passed. i think you'll struggle to pass by october the waiting list is SOOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOOONG

[AVV IT]

Chrome arches aren't actually replacement arches, they are usually arch covers that fit over your existing standard arches. This makes them very easy to fit as you don't even have to remove your old ones. It also makes them very easy to remove, should you ever want to return your car back to it's original spec for resale.

Personally I can't stand them though as I think they look a bit tacky. I also agree with "rockabillypsychosis" in that group 2 arches with a chrome trim would look much better, but that's just my opinion. 5x12's are probably a good choice in that they shouldn't require any body mods and should also just fit under your existing arches (with or without chrome arch covers fitted on them).

[MiniMadNox]

yeah looks like you got a sweeet ride for when you've passed. i think you'll struggle to pass by october the waiting list is SOOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOOONG

I don't think it's that long where I live because I can't get evenings or Saturdays, and i'm struggling to get time off work. Hopefully i can sort something out soon though

Chrome arches aren't actually replacement arches, they are usually arch covers that fit over your existing standard arches. This makes them very easy to fit as you don't even have to remove your old ones. It also makes them very easy to remove, should you ever want to return your car back to it's original spec for resale.

Personally I can't stand them though as I think they look a bit tacky. I also agree with "rockabillypsychosis" in that group 2 arches with a chrome trim would look much better, but that's just my opinion. 5x12's are probably a good choice in that they shouldn't require any body mods and should also just fit under your existing arches (with or without chrome arch covers fitted on them).

Cheers, I didn't know they went over my original arches, and I don't know if I'm that keen on them, I'll have a look at some other arches on some websites Hopefully i can get some nice easily removable ones