29 replies to this topic

[Artful Dodger]

Yup very true. I was over exaggerating a bit, the KAD 6 pot bug rake kit is for minis with the bit sticky wide slicks on really..

[MrBounce]

It is like the old adage "If it's bigger it must be better". That's rubbish. My Golf Gti I had a few years ago had 17 inch wheels on it when I bought it. It tramlined horribly and whilst it gripped well, it was just awful to drive. I changed it to the 15s it had from the factory and it transformed the car. It was fantastic to drive after that.

If it's all about looks (and they're in the eye of the beholder) then go ahead. But if you want your car to feel "alive" and fun when you drive it, stick to 10s or 12s. 14s will be expensive and completely unnecessary in my book.

[Kam]

It works on roofless's car because the car is stunning and they don't look huge

Yep Martins car can just pull it off because of that and the fact he has a bodykit and a soft top to break up all the lines

If you run 14's with no kit and just large arches it will just look gash

Will 14's out handle a normal mini wheel on the road? nah, the wheelbase and track is not its friend...

[Cooperman]

It works on roofless's car because the car is stunning and they don't look huge

Yep Martins car can just pull it off because of that and the fact he has a bodykit and a soft top to break up all the lines

If you run 14's with no kit and just large arches it will just look gash

Will 14's out handle a normal mini wheel on the road? nah, the wheelbase and track is not its friend...

No, on normal roads 14's will not handle nor have better road-holding because the tyres are not the right width, surface area onto the road is too great and sidewall depth is too small.
Ultra wide tyres do slow the car down due to the extra frontal area they present to the airflow, in the same way as cars with wheel arch extensions have more aerodynamic drag then cars without.

[DylanAWRoberts]

Ive seen the 13" wheels alot and they look good but i want 14s as i can get bigger breaks and slightly better handling is this possible?

As others have said 14" wheels are likely to make handling worse as opposed to better, also what sort of highly tuned monster are you running in order to need bigger brakes? If you've got some sort of insane modern engine conversion throwing out 100+ bhp, then I can understand that you might need to upgrade, but otherwise the standard 8.4" disc set up, (or 7.5" cooper discs) tend to be perfectly adequate for most moderately tuned classic minis.

Yes my engine churns out just over 100 BHP so brakes are needed! :)

[Kam]

In terms of a mini the brakes slow down weight not horsepower, you can have 200hp but if the weight is the same as a 50hp car it will bring both minis going the same speed to a standstill at the same time

Get big brakes of course but you don't need to go OTT, 4 pots and vented/non vented discs with some good pads is all you need

[Mini_Magic]

I assume these are 14s?



Bet that handles well.

[jb93]

[Kam]

They look like 15's or 16's, probably 16's

Looks like not all bodykits can pull off the look...

[AVV IT]

In terms of a mini the brakes slow down weight not horsepower, you can have 200hp but if the weight is the same as a 50hp car it will bring both minis going the same speed to a standstill at the same time

Yes good point there & well made I might add!!

[Cooperman]

The 7.5" Cooper 'S' brakes are well able to slow a Mini car weighing around 725 kg in rally trim and with well over 100 bhp on long descents with many hairpin bends without any fade so long as the pads and brake fluid are the right specification for the job.
That's all you really need. Bigger brakes are necessary when running on racing slicks in long-distance races as the slicks are capable of greater braking 'G' thn normal road tyres on public roads.

[JustSteve]

standard mini brakes will lock the wheels. no need for anything better... but 4-pots will do it better!


if you fit tyres with a greater rolling radius, this will essentially put more leverage on the brakes. The ONLY need for bigger brakes is by fitting the bigger wheels. Kind of defeats the point IMO.

[Cooperman]

standard mini brakes will lock the wheels. no need for anything better... but 4-pots will do it better!


if you fit tyres with a greater rolling radius, this will essentially put more leverage on the brakes. The ONLY need for bigger brakes is by fitting the bigger wheels. Kind of defeats the point IMO.

That's good logic. If you fit 14" wheels with 195 section tyres you won't be going as quickly due to the degradation in road-holding & handling. But then again, you will need to slow down more when approaching corners as you'll be going around them slower than with 12" or 10" wheels so the brakes will be working harder

[jaydee]

Am i missing something or the OP asked about the 14" because hes doing a vauxhall conversion?

Just to let you know this guys running a vtec on golf kart wheels..
http://www.theminifo...an-end-to-this/

If its the look you're after then its another matter.

[AGoaty]

I'm using Rover Metro discs on the front of my Mini. They are 9.5" and just fit under 13" wheels. Even without a servo they are pretty good. Not easy to fit though.