stupid question about wheel sizes :blush:

[MINIme:)]

Hello! :bigwave:

ok so I'm figuring out my new car. It will only be a One D. I was going to put on 16" alloys (6 star twin spoke) - initially because my current One has 16" runflats and I was going to get the same again. Then having compared the drive and found steering much freer and more responsive without runflats I was thinking I'd keep to 16" - because I think they look better - and drop the runflats.

Now I find that I can't afford the car I've been building :argh: so am looking to see where / if I am willing to cut some spec!

I don't think 15" (5star twin spoke) look as good - however it would save me £490.

What I would like you lovely people to help me with is a couple of questions as I'm sure you will know:

What is the difference between the two tyre sizes in terms of handling? steering? safety? grip in wet/snowy weather? (Bearing in mind I'll be driving a One D not a JCW)
Is the size just about the difference in profile or is it about tyre width as well?

thanks so much for any help, you guys rock.

J :saltireflag:

[MINIme:)]

ps I'm talking about a brand new build car, not second hand. :)

[Big Gordy]

What is the difference between the two tyre sizes in terms of handling? steering? safety? grip in wet/snowy weather? (Bearing in mind I'll be driving a One D not a JCW)
Is the size just about the difference in profile or is it about tyre width as well?


A normal rule of thumb is that as you go up in overal size ie 15" to 16" to 17" etc the overall outside circumference of the tyre stays roughly the same it's just the 'thickness' of the sidewall reduces to compensate. Also as you go up in tyre size the width of the tyre increases ie the contact patch that sits on the road gets wider. The down side to increasing wheel size is ride confort as skinny sidewalls have less give in them (runflats are the worst as they are super stiff...!!!)

Normal thinking is a narrower tyre ie the 15", is better in deep snow as it tends to dig into rather than sit on top of the snow. A wider tyre ie 17" generally gives a wider contact patch on the road offering you better grip.

Hope that helps explain it a bit :smilewinkgrin:

[Big Gordy]

Why don't you spec your new car with the 15's and when money becomes available buy a second hand set of 16's or 17's:confused: They will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the stealers are quoting you that's for sure :yes nod:

[Craig]

Why don't you spec your new car with the 15's and when money becomes available buy a second hand set of 16's or 17's:confused: They will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the stealers are quoting you that's for sure :yes nod:

Yep and the 15's will work better in the snowy weather and you could keep your nice bigger alloys for the summer months/better weather. ;). But as Crombers says, nobody needs winter tyres.... :yes nod:

[KenL]

There is certainly more grip on 16" tyres, only because the 15" are so skinny.

When I had my ONE it had 15" tyres, it had fun handling as does one on 16" wheels. If anything there will be a slight advantage in snow.

I would highly recommend ordering the spare wheel, only £50 or so.

What you could do is go for the 15" initially and get some MINI wheels later on. People are often selling them on here, TotalMINI etc. Even dealers get the odd set that they sell on cheap (I bought a brand new set of Bridge Spokes with RF tyres off Eastern for less than £300 in 2009).

Please tell us what spec & colour you are going for. Remember solid paint saves you £300 as well.

[Burple]

Pretty much what KEn says! :) My old One had 15s on it from the factory (then aftermarket 17s in the winter). The 15s were great in all weather, and were a bit lighter than the 17s too, and gave a better (more comfy) ride. They were still pretty good on the twisties too up to the point that you just needed more tyre on the road. It certainly didn't slow me down! :D

If it were me, Id do exactly what Ken and Craig and Gordy says (what I did with the old One) Spec the cheap wheels, then get a second hand set of bigger ones for the nice weather - you'll get a much better bargain that way too, and a much bigger choice of nice wheels! :)




There is certainly more grip on 16" tyres, only because the 15" are so skinny.

When I had my ONE it had 15" tyres, it had fun handling as does one on 16" wheels. If anything there will be a slight advantage in snow.

I would highly recommend ordering the spare wheel, only £50 or so.

What you could do is go for the 15" initially and get some MINI wheels later on. People are often selling them on here, TotalMINI etc. Even dealers get the odd set that they sell on cheap (I bought a brand new set of Bridge Spokes with RF tyres off Eastern for less than £300 in 2009).

Please tell us what spec & colour you are going for. Remember solid paint saves you £300 as well.

[MINIme:)]

Thanks very much guys that's really helpful and informative. I guess grip is a big deal for me as, living in the west, I have perma-rain inflicted on me :( It certainly rains more than it snows.

What you're saying sounds very logical although I confess I would have concerns about buying second hand. I guess I'm just a bit wary at heart - and very safety conscious. Also I imagine that changing them later would be viewed by insurance as a modification - whereas if 'born' like that it wouldn't?

(Burple why did you use the wider ones in winter? oh I take it that was a rain grip not a snow grip decision?)

Also ref Ken, I was going to go for the emergency wheel fix kit instead of the spare. Squeeze in the gel and off you go... so I'm told. I wouldn't attempt to try and change a wheel at the side of the road (I wouldn't trust myself to do it properly without a lot of practice) so a spare would (and has in the past) just incur a long wait for the AA. I've never had a puncture that was proclaimed fixable in my life sadly, so I figure I might as well waste the tyre with the 'gel and carry on' option that I was told about. It sounds better for me.

Really appreciate all your help.
J

:rain:

[Colin]

I run 15"s on my Cooper S in the winter, so if they can handle all that power you should be fine.

Nice comfy ride on the ruff winter roads, and light weight too.

Tyres are also cheaper to buy.

[ELFMAN]

Although I'm on 17's with this car (it came that way and the big brakes wouldn't fit 16's now!) I always liked my 2003 S on 16's. I found it gave an excellent balance between ride, handling and looks. With the 16's, you get enough sidewall to ride the lumpy bits but enough tyre to grip the smooth stuff. I changed my 'Star Spoke' (quite a nice wheel actually) alloys for 7x16 MINILITES, as I loved the 'Old Skool' ML style, but didn't want to go larger as I didn't see the point. I stuck with Runflats too, as I reckoned the 16's had enough 'give', whereas I've ditched the 17" Runflats as they couldn't handle the rest of my R56...

15's are sensible :yawn: but you get most of the benefits and better visuals with 16's :cool: Best of luck whatever you choose! :thumbs up:

[Burple]

(Burple why did you use the wider ones in winter? oh I take it that was a rain grip not a snow grip decision?)



Oops... sorry! Miscommunication between brain and fingers! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: at was meant to be *summer*.. at least those months when it's MEANT to be warmer! :D
shiny 17's were on in the summer, wee skinny 15s in winter! :thumbs up:

They are classed as a mod, but I've never been charged any more than an 'admin fee' to have my insurance changed. Depends on who you're with right enough..

[Mini Digger]

The emergency foam can be useful but this is puncture dependant. i.e. if the hole is too big then it won't do much at all as it won't hold the pressure. We have 17" run flats on ours and wouldn't swap them. Only once (we're near to Montrose) have we got stuck in the snow but that was easily sorted. I don't find the ride that hard - certainly no worse than an s line Audi. Most cars with larger wheels have firm suspension. Also from a safety perspective I feel that the run flats are brilliant and feel better knowing that if my wife has a puncture she is OK to get where she needs too.

The new Mini will also have the run flats and I guess that somes up my opinion :yes nod:

[KenL]

Runflats are now a cost option on the MINI.

I like the idea of runflats and have them currently but I had a loan car with 16" which rode and felt so much better.

[Mini Digger]

Depending on the spec run flats can be a no cost mandatory item. My impending SD Countryman has 18"s which are included in the price of the car.