5 replies to this topic

[Alexxx]

Hi Folks,

Got an 81 mini i am rebuilding, bodywork is nearly done so thinking of what size wheels to put on. Car is fitted with front drums so anything will be an improvement.

Just wanted some opinion on 10 or 12 inch wheels.

Car will just be a fine day/weekend user so ultimate performance is not important.

The 10 disc kit is cheaper than the 12, is there enough tyre choice/price in the 10s?

Thanks

 

[cal844]

There's plenty of choice on 10 inch wheels.

I use Falken Sincera in 145/80R10, I get them from Black Circles.

Id recommend that you use Yokohama A008 in 165 width for better grip and road holding in the wet.

You may find other brands but I only have experience with the above

Edited by cal844, 30 May 2022 - 04:39 PM.

[SolarB]

10" wheels all the way. I am convinced Minis handle better on 10's and to me they certainly look better.

[Alexxx]

Thanks folks :)

[Cooperman]

There is always a lot of discussion about wheels and tyres, so may I put in my observations gained over many years of Mini driving.

 

First of all, let's consider wheel widths. The original Minis, including even the 1275 Cooper 'S', came as standard with 3.5" wheels and 147/80 x 10 tyres (yes, i know the really early cars had cross-ply tyres at 5-20 x 10). That is what the steering geometry was designed for. The 4.5" wheels were an option on the Cooper 'S' and worked well with either the 145 tyre or the 165/70 x 10 which came a bit later on. The wider the wheels, the more the steering geometry moves from the 'as-designed' situation. 

 

The original 12" wheels were 4.5" width and 145/70 x 12 were the standard, although many fitted the 165/60 x 12 tyres. This works well, but not quite as well as a 10" wheel.

 

13" wheels were really a styling gimmick introduced by Rover, or whatever they were calling themselves that week, and did nothing to enhance the ride, handling or road-holding of our dear little cars. In fact, they were detrimental to the last two and in terms of appearance it is a matter of personal perception - a bit of a 'Marmite' situation really - either like them or you don't.

 

Let's not get confused between 'road-holding' and 'handling'. Road-holding is a straightforward measurement of grip and, thus, maximum cornering force. Handling is the way the car responds to the dynamic inputs of power, steering and braking. The Mini has always had good road-holding and amazing handling. I drove an MPI which had 12" wheels and 145/60 x 12 Falken tyres. In the wet the road-holding was acceptable, but not exceptional, but the handling was the closest to an early Mini I can recall. It did exactly what was expected - power-on understeer and power-off oversteer, all very controllable and very enjoyable.

 

One often overlooked aspect of the tyres is the fact that the depth of the sidewall is a significant part of the suspension. The Mini has limited available suspension travel to begin with and any reduction in tyrewall depth will reduce the ability of the suspension to soak up the many bumps in modern roads, especially the roads on which the Mini is most fun, i.e. twisty country roads.

 

I have driven a few Minis with 13" wheels and 175/50 tyres and on smooth roads the road-holding is superb, but with only average handling. Put the same car on a bumpy road and the bumps cause an element of 'patter' with tyre adhesion being reduced as the suspension finds it more difficult to cope. The solution, to some extent, is to raise the ride height a bit, say around 1/2", and fit adjustable dampers set slightly softer than you would with a 10" wheeled car. In the wet I found the 175 tyres to give less braking ability as the wheels would lock earlier dut to reduced tyre to road down-load. The driving style just needs to be adjusted to allow for this.

 

The most frightening Mini I ever drove, and I only drove it once, was when I was asked to test and evaluate a Mini with a Honda engine. Frankly it was horrible. It was blisteringly quick in a straight line, but felt nothing like any Mini I had ever driven. When cornering at anything near the limit it was unpredictable and 'twitchy'. The whole thing felt very unsafe and in the hands of a less experienced driver I would think it could be extremely dangerous. I told the new owner that if he wanted a blooming Honda, he should have bought one.

 

I think the only cars which I have driven in the 61 years I have been driving which had/have better handling than the Minis are the Ford Escort Twin-Cam/RS1600/RS2000 and the Cortina GT and Lotus.

 

Sorry if this is a bit of a long diatribe, but I hope it helps.

[mab01uk]

Mini wheels & tyres - Bigger wheel fitment consideration:-

https://www.calverst...-consideration/

Edited by mab01uk, 31 May 2022 - 07:04 PM.