50 replies to this topic

[a lonely peanut]

Those wheels look lovely and as you have said make the car look very retro, very nice.

[davej]

That looks really good.

[CMXCVIII]

10 inch 4,5 width best handling any mini can get.The 90s minis only had the wide wheels for looks,handling on them is rubbish.

Absolutely right there, although where Rover got the idea that those silly wide 13" wheels look better is anyone's guess. Still, with the decision makers at Rover it might be said that 'the lift didn't go to the top floor'.

Like it or not, we all have to accept that from the introduction and sales success of the Metro, the Mini was no longer a serious car; it was essentially a fashion statement!

And silly wide big wheels are more and more in fashion! They ruin the ride quality and, worse than that, the steering feel of virtually all modern cars too - where the best driving versions for enthusiastic bend swinging always seem to have the smallest wheels - albeit a still ridicuious 205/15 per 100hp

[Steely]

They look great! I might have to go to 10's myself.

[mk3 Cooper S]

Not sure how you can compare wheel size like for like without fitting the same rubber.
You have extra sticky 32 yoko's on the 10's, did you have the same on the 13's?

Was the 13" wheel not fitted to raise the ride height without sitting silly high as the late none sportspack cars did? Ever increasing crash targets !!!!

[minisilverbullet]

Not sure how you can compare wheel size like for like without fitting the same rubber.
You have extra sticky 32 yoko's on the 10's, did you have the same on the 13's?

If that is directed at me.. Indeed! I am not bashing 13" wheels. And as you point out i didnt have "good" tyres on the 13" wheels. infact i had SIME's. But I havent claimed that the 10s are better in terms of handling or road holding just that they provide better comfort.

[jamesmpi]

You could argue that Rover (under BMW management) were in deed trend setters by moving away from smaller wheels to larger 13" wheels! Lol look at all modern car manufactures today, all top of the range cars some with 18" or 19" wheels as standard whereas not that long ago (say 10 years ago) 16" alloys were the biggest size available! Lol....who would of thought it, Rover as trend setters

[jaydee]

You could argue that Rover (under BMW management) were in deed trend setters by moving away from smaller wheels to larger 13" wheels! Lol look at all modern car manufactures today, all top of the range cars some with 18" or 19" wheels as standard whereas not that long ago (say 10 years ago) 16" alloys were the biggest size available! Lol....who would of thought it, Rover as trend setters

Any year they add a bigger size to the bini wheels..

[MiniRFC]

Looks brilliant.

[jamesmpi]

Not bigger, but different styles yes.

[mk3 Cooper S]

Not sure how you can compare wheel size like for like without fitting the same rubber.
You have extra sticky 32 yoko's on the 10's, did you have the same on the 13's?

If that is directed at me.. Indeed! I am not bashing 13" wheels. And as you point out i didnt have "good" tyres on the 13" wheels. infact i had SIME's. But I havent claimed that the 10s are better in terms of handling or road holding just that they provide better comfort.

No not directly aimed at you, I just wanted to poiint out that you need to test like for like before asumption.
The 10's will give a better ride as you now have greater suspension travel aided by the 70 profile and tyre deflection.

[Jakeclubby]

so i should ring up minilite directly yes but what do i ask for 'a deeper version of your 10x6??' and how much were they if you dont mind me asking??

[Jake Didsbury]

Correct me if Im wrong, but the mini was designed to have the 10 inch wheel so I think the car will always drive better, hold the road/handle better with 10s on everything was designed around it having that size.

My mpi is a W reg but its a cooper not sport so I doesn't have the 13x6 on it has the 12x4.5, personally I think 12s were the furthest they should have ever gone (but thats each to their own), Id like to have some 12x5.5s on mine purely because I want to keep it on 12s, was told that 12x4.5 with a 165 yoko are great, but if I ever get a weekend mini its gunna have 10s ... I want to experience it! Never drove one on 10's

[minisilverbullet]

so i should ring up minilite directly yes but what do i ask for 'a deeper version of your 10x6??' and how much were they if you dont mind me asking??

Not Crazily priced - I think a tad over 400 wheels only.

[TopCatCustom]

Correct me if Im wrong, but the mini was designed to have the 10 inch wheel so I think the car will always drive better, hold the road/handle better with 10s on everything was designed around it having that size.

I'd say yes and no- and it annoys me when people say straight up "thats the way Alec designed it so thats best" because this was all 60 years ago! We didn't even have computers then, I love period stuff but the fact is that times change and technology moves on. Any race car has non standard stuff fitted because it performs better than what is fitted at the factory due to limiting technology and cost factors, so to shun any movements in development etc is a bit bonkers. I believe all the mighty minis run 13" wheels too, and I know it is different in racing to comfortable road use, but they have to perform well and stop well- which is 80% of the point of choosing tyres etc.

So to all you haters- either stick with what you mean and use an 850cc on 10 x 3.5" wheels, moan when you cut out in the rain and what-have-you, or accept that 998, 1098 and 1275's are modifications over the years, wider and bigger wheels were brought in for a reason, and electronic ignition etc is something that makes life easier- although God knows what Alec would say!!!



p.s. I'm running 10" rims as I love them and want as much suspension as I can get