My esteemed colleague Mr Jordan extolled the virtues of our long-term Honda Fit's small wheels, and it reminded me of something that's bugged me about our 2007 Mini's wheels (and tires) for quite some time.
It goes beyond our Mini's flinty ride quality and the tires' susceptibility to damage.
It's the look. To me, the styling of the 2007 Mini just doesn't look right with all that wheel...
This is not to suggest that we need to go back to wheels that small. All I'm saying is the New Mini needs more sidewall. Like this:
Those are 15-inch wheels on the above 1st gen New Mini. As a result, the wheel/tire is lighter and doubtless more compliant, they still clear the stock brakes, and are probably less expensive. Best of all, now the Mini looks more like a Mini.
Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh @ 14,415 miles
estreka says:
05:18 PM, 04/ 7/08
That's a great-looking Mini.
blueguydotcom says:
05:38 PM, 04/ 7/08
I was thinking the exact opposite - the bottom Mini looks like something a kid from Orange County would put together.
As for the tires. I think 16s would be better on my Mini. I hated the 17inch RFTs so I replaced them after the inevitable damage/tire bulge last month. So far the car handles better, rides smoother and is an all around more hospitable place. I can only imagine how much better light 16s with a large sidewall would be...
ahightower says:
07:12 PM, 04/ 7/08
I was thinking the same thing. 16" would look just about right to me. 15" definitely looks alright though, and I'd rather err on the side of comfort in a go-kart like that.
daytona_500 says:
08:33 PM, 04/ 7/08
IMO black is not the color a small car should be painted in. Just doesnt look right.
louiswei says:
08:33 PM, 04/ 7/08
estreka, I hope you were referring to that white one on the top because IMO, a mean Cooper is a bad Cooper...
tryan says:
04:06 AM, 04/ 8/08
I love the original Minis...they are just insanely small and you have to see it in person (and get in) to appreciate the packaging efficiency. The ability to grab 3 of your best friends and pick the thing up is entertainment in and of itself.
The bottom Mini with 15's looks like a great candidate for auto-crossing, but it's just not my cup of earl grey style-wise. However, I think it has something to with the style of those specific aftermarket wheels (exposed lip), since I think the base Cooper looks very well proportioned and executed with its stock 15" wheels.
I can appreciate the owner's "black out" theme, though, and along that line, he/she did a good job coordinating the look.
intercede007 says:
05:48 AM, 04/ 8/08
Just a suggestion..
You might want to give image credits to the owners, Sport Compact Car Magazine.
If you type in "Sport Compact Car Mini Cooper" into Google, you will find the first link takes you to the SCC site and the Mini Cooper S project car page. The first image is the one you used.
texases says:
06:37 AM, 04/ 8/08
While I do like the wheel size on the new Cooper, I don't like black wheels - spend a lot of money on alloys, then they almost diappear, or just look permanenetly dirty. As for the black paint on the car, I like it - my '83 GTI was black, the best looking color, IMO. It unifies the design, blends together all the black bits.
bal169 says:
07:12 AM, 04/ 8/08
For comparison:
08 mini w/08 wheels and tires vs Photochopped 08 mini w/01 wheels and tires
johnmarco says:
08:10 AM, 04/ 8/08
Amen to that. I'm all for more sidewall. I really can't stand the current trend of rubber-band tires stretched around bulging wheels. Looks terrible to me and obviously rides terrible too.
jkavanagh says:
08:48 AM, 04/ 8/08
FWIW the photo was taken (and the car built) by Josh Jacquot, who sits right here in our office.
jkavanagh says:
08:51 AM, 04/ 8/08
Come to think of it, perhaps the reason why the New Mini has black plastic fender arches is to replicate the visual effect of the original car's tall sidewalls.
Hmmmm.
estreka says:
11:37 AM, 04/ 8/08
You guys can hamper it all you want, I think it looks good. That's not much of a surprise when you consider my S2000 is blacked out.
opfreak says:
01:34 PM, 04/ 8/08
I like the 5 spoke sheels better.
the side wall, probably a much nice ride with the 01 wheels, so i'd like smaller wheels in the new style :-p
bal169 says:
02:21 PM, 04/ 8/08
"the side wall, probably a much nice ride with the 01 wheels, so i'd like smaller wheels in the new style"
Here's another quick Photochop comparison...
08 mini
08 mini with smaller 5 spoke/more sidewall
08 mini with 01 wheel/tire
Personally, I like the smaller 5 spoke with more sidewall.. not sure if you can get that though.
louiswei says:
02:34 PM, 04/ 8/08
^^ I'll take the '08 Mini.
joberg says:
02:39 PM, 04/ 8/08
If all you are interested in is a "nice" ride, sure go with a larger sidewall, something akin to a Buick. Shorter sidewalls, to a point, provide for better performance, especially cornering. And isn't that what a Mini is for?
sellis16 says:
03:58 PM, 04/ 8/08
Please explain what sidewalls are, as to driving experience. I just thought they were an affectation, something white to get super clean for my dad. (I'm 40 now.)
blueguydotcom says:
04:41 PM, 04/ 8/08
joberg,
While a stiff sidewall can help handling in some instances, they can also hurt handling. The cooper s currently comes from the factory with RFTs. RFTs have zero flex in corners - which is not good. You want the tire to compress some and create more rubber on the road. A tire that's pushed hard will have rounded edges - more of the surface on the pavement during a hard corner. This helps to a point. Yes, you don't want 1970s-like wheels flopping over but you don't want flex. RFTs have zero flex. In hard corners the RFT has a tendency to bounce or skip when pushed hard...it's not biting down or rolling over on the pavement. The RFTs lack of flex impacts at-the-limit handling negatively unless one is on a glass smooth surface (even then less tire to create a contact patch).
Drive an RFT-equipped Cooper S and a Cooper S with real 17s. The difference in handling and ride comfort is astonishing. I've not driven a Cooper S with normal 16s. I've heard from other drivers that this will increase the car's performance even more as you'll get a lighter wheel/tire combo - less unsprung weight - which will improve handling and acceleration, while also gaining a more compliant ride.
RFTs are just plain evil. And massive 18s may look cool but quite often they add so much mass that it's slowing the car's performance.
tryan says:
04:42 PM, 04/ 8/08
sellis - A general explanation below:
Sidewall height affects a number of dynamic attributes, not the least of which is overall responsiveness of the vehicle on turn-in. Excessive sidewall height leads to excessive sidewall flex, which is detrimental to the handling of a vehicle and also makes it unpredictable to a certain degree.
However, as your sidewall height lessens, the required internal pressure of the tire increases and the quality of the ride decreases (less cushion for potholes, bumps, etc.). This also increases the potential for damage to the rim.
Most manufacturers trade off between responsive handling and comfortable ride when choosing an OEM tire/wheel combination and suspension setup. It's easy to make a harsh riding car that handles well, but incredibly difficult to make a comfortable car handle as if it were on rails.
joberg says:
12:10 PM, 04/ 9/08
Blueguydotcom,
I am not advocating RFT. I have RFTs on my JCW 18s, and they are horrible. I have non-RFTs on my 15s and the difference is astonishing. In two weeks the RFT come off and General Exclaim UHPs are going on.
My point was the Mini was not designed for long interstate trecks where big sidewall tires excell. A shorter (to a point) sidewall for performance-oriented driving works better. If that were not the case, Ferrari would be fitting their cars with 65-series rubber.