R56 Wheel and Tyre Upgrade - your opinions?

[ELFMAN]

Been thinking about this for some time now...
My Conti 3's have been on for quite a while, but due to my sensationally low annual mileage, they're still totally legal. Two will definitely need changing sooner rather than later though, and having put new tyres on my wee Skoda Fabia recently, it reminded me of the benefits of fresh rubber.

Rather than just swapping tyres, I'm considering a complete change of tyres and wheels and storing my current ones. Have been looking at alloys for ages just out of interest/habit and I always come back to Rota Blitz for fitment/looks/weight. I know quite a few folks have had Blitz (the Harpers, Craig), and they seem to perform well. Was looking at Conti Sport Contact 5's, but having read the current tyre thread, I'd probably go for Michelin Pilot Supersports.

I'd like folks' opinions on this combo from the point of view of the lighter wheels with less unsprung weight which should help handling/ride etc - I think the Rotas are roughly 2kg per corner lighter than my Crown Spokes and whether this combined with the better tyres would work well with my Works suspension.

Not 100% sure I'm going to do this, but any thoughts would certainly be appreciated!

[Track Ali]

Reducing unsprung weight is always good. But whether you'll notice a big difference is hard to say.

According to http://www.fullonminis.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1170 the Challenge Spokes which came on my R56 JCW weighed 10.5kg a corner. The Black Bullet's I've fitted weigh 9.4kg a corner. Did losing a kg (a 10% reduction in weight) per corner transform the handling? Being honest no.

But I love the way the wheels look and so the weight saving is the icing on the cake.

I'd say if you like the look of the Rota's then go for it - you'll get wheels you love and you'll be happy in the knowledge that you've saved a little weight. But I know you also like the stock "sleeper" look in which case it might be worth looking at a set of lighter OEM alloys. According the site above the Crown Spokes weight 11.4kg a corner so there's room to save 2kg a corner and still keep the stock look.

Hope that helps Elfmeister :thumbs up:

[EcosseGP]

Like Ali says in all the years I've changed alloys I've only done it for looks. Tbh the weight would be a bonus but I'm not so sure that for a road car it would be noticeable although it wouldn't do it any harm. The setting up of the suspension, weighting, etc would be and that might be an option should you change the wheels and want the car to be perfect with them fitted. I always say to anyone get what you like and who cares what anyone else thinks it's your money and spend it as you want.
If anything I would say that tyre choice would be more beneficial over wheel weight loss and again it's down to preference. You could ultimately get a softer tyre given the amount of time you use the car over a slightly harder one which others might prefer. I've always said tyre choice is another personal choice and there's so many pros and cons with them too. What I will say is sometimes "better the devil you know" ...
I know this won't help but thought I'd just throw it all into the mix ...


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[ELFMAN]

Thanks guys, valid points and which I'll take on board :thumbs up:

I do like the 'stock' look Ali, which is why I've kept it standard looking for years and spent the money on bits you don't necessarily see straight away. Always liked the Rota Blitz though, and sometimes a change is as good as a rest as they say! I think the Michelins are almost a certainty though, as, prompted by the NMS thread, I've checked out various reviews and they're all very positive. As Davy said, the tyres would probably be the most effective change.

Another point is that I actually think the Crown Spokes really suit the car, which is probably why I've kept them for so long. Of course, keeping the standard alloys means I could afford to splash out on a wee remap... but that's another topic for another thread! :hand: :smilewinkgrin:

[MINI William]

All comes down to personal preference. I think with the Blitz you will loose the stealth look that you have. Tyre choice again totally down to what you prefer. I loved the Parada Spec2s that I had on the GP

[ELFMAN]

Cheers William!

[ELFMAN]

Well that's me ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports for the Elfmobile. After the handy feedback on NMS (thanks again everybody) I checked out other info on them and they get very positive reviews, all saying they were better than my Contis, and they appear on all sorts of exotica as well as being available (as mentioned in the feedback I received here) in MINI size, so I bit the bullet and will hopefully get them fitted on Wednesday.

By the way, I did a bit of shopping around (as you do) and the cheapest (all inclusive - fitting, VAT etc) was Blackcircles at £123.01 per corner. Dealer was £144.00, National Tyres were £146.00, so Blackcircles looks like a good deal. Pretty expensive all the same, but as we know, good tyres are worth the extra outlay and as 'mods' go are probably one of the most cost-effective. Hope they live up to their reputation. I'm hanging on to my old Conti 3's though as they've still got a good few miles in them and will be handy for emergencies!

So that means the Crown Spokes are staying - had a proper think about them and I'm prepared to put up with the extra weight over the Rotas and keep that 'standard' look. I think they suit the car too, so if it ain't broke...

[Big Gordy]

Thats not expensive ELF.......try 750 quid for 4 (for the Audi)....now thats expensive.....!!! (they are 19" mind you)
Ohh.....those were Pilot Sports too from Camskill :thumbs up:
The pilot sport are awesome on the A4 by the way.....great in the wet or dry and seem to still have plenty of life left in them even after 15000 miles. Seem to be lasting better than the contact 5 I had on it before.

[ELFMAN]

Cheers Gordy, they do seem to get high praise from drivers of quite a diverse range of performance cars, so there must be something fundamentally right with them somewhere. And you're right, they're not that expensive for one of the most important components in your car, and they do seem to last well too - not that I'm too worried about that with my ridiculously low mileage. Still, I'm hoping they'll add something to the driving experience and that's what it's all about!

[ELFMAN]

Michelins on, but far too early (and far too wet!) to report anything. Have to run them in and then we'll see... Feels like a good decision though.