5 replies to this topic

[CoopR_26]

Goodday everyone, I am new here so excuse any formatting mistakes I might make.

 

I have a 1988 Mini 1000 that I bought about 2 months ago. It's sitting on the original 12 inch steel wheels and I want to upgrade those to a nice set of Minilite style wheels. I've been searching and doing a lot of research on getting the right wheels in the right size and spec, but one hiccup I've had, is figuring out the offset value. Online I've seen 3 offset values being given to my era and type of Mini, 14, 16 and 35. When I use my license plate on a website that then spits out your wheel specs, it says the standard offset is 16, but in other sources I've read it's 14 and some even say 35. The wheels I am looking to order soon, are 5x12 with an offset of 31. So I'm worried that if my Mini does have a stock 14 or 16 offset, then these wheels won't fit properly. I have also asked a Mini specialist online and they've said it would just fit, but they kinda ignored my doubts about the offset values. The wheels that I am looking at, are these listed here:

https://www.scwheels...tml?language=en

Another set I've been looking at, are the Minispares ones, those specifically say that they're 14 offset. The ones at SCWheels are 31. 

 

I would love to get some confirmation and clarity on this, as wheels are expensive and I would hate to buy the wrong ones. I've already taken the wheels off of my Mini to look for any markings on it about offset, but they have nothing stamped or written on them.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Martin.

[stuart bowes]

one thing to note is at the rear wheels, see what drums it has on it, some have spacers built in, others dont

 

https://www.minispar...spacer-s-1275gt

vs

https://www.minispar...ered-brake-drum

 

this can have an effect at the rear (although of course they can be swapped very easily instead of sending wheels back and changing them)

 

and then presumably it will also depend on how much stick out you want, if it has arches (or if you want to fit arches, and what type they are), what width of rims you're going for.. some of this is just personal choice as well.   

 

pictures always help if you're struggling to decide, use https://imgbb.com/ to upload then share the links, people more knowledgable than I will quickly be along to advise more easily based on what you have

 

also, welcome!  consider signing up for the membership to get minispares discounts.  which reminds me I need to renew mine as well

Edited by stuart bowes, Yesterday, 03:40 PM.

[whistler]

The offset on alloys is normally caste into the back of the wheel.

[Ethel]

It just so happens I've got some 12 x 4 1/2 steelies with the rubber off....

 

I measured the overall width as 141mm and from the inner  rim to the hub face as 104mm. That gives 104 - 70.5 =  offset of 33.5 

 

Mine are the later pattern with the steel spacer (3mm?) welded to the inside

 

A 5 inch rim with the same offset will stick 1/4 an inch farther out of the wheel arch. If they were to rub it'd be on the outer edge at full lock - unlikely

[nicklouse]

Willtheyfit.com is a great site where you can put in the wheel specs and compare what happens with different ET and widths and tyres.

[mab01uk]

If it is a 1988 Mini 1000 with steel 12" wheels, standard factory fitted plastic arch extensions, it will have disc brakes on the front and spacer drums on the rear. The same set up was used for the higher spec 'Rover Mini Cooper' models from 1990 onwards, which were fitted with 4.5x10" Minilite style alloy wheels and 145 wide tyres. An original set of these or replicas will fit with no major problems. Some later 12" wheel Rover Mini Coopers were upgraded to wider 165 tyres.

 

4.5x12 COOPER ALLOY REPLICA WHEEL IN SILVER:-

https://www.minispar...wheel-in-silver

 

Most up to 5 x 10" alloy wheels from Minispares will also fit, however sometimes a thin spacer is needed at the rear to clear shock absorbers/dampers, especially with the wider 165 tyres, (Minispares sell a selection of different thickness spacers if required). Sometimes a little extra arch clearance is required on full steering lock at the front wing, if the suspension cones have dropped the ride height due to lowering mods or wear to rubber suspension cones/knuckles.

 

Minispares 12" Alloy Wheels:-

https://www.minispar...31/3103/310302/

 

Minispares Wheel spacers:-

https://www.minispar...?q=wheel spacer

Edited by mab01uk, Yesterday, 07:40 PM.