Wheel size advice

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VividRyan

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Hi, new SE owner here. I do not like the stock wheels so looking for something a little bigger without adding too much weight.

Curious if 17x8 with a +35 offset will work? thank you
 
Stock wheels:
17" 17x7 54 offset
16" 16x6.5 54 offset

I really like this site to figure out offset by comparing stock to different sizes.
https://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator

For reference, you can put 15mm spacers on all 4 corners with the stock 16" or 17" wheels and still easily fit without any poke.

So, with this information, 17x8 with 35mm offset will EXTEND an extra 32mm. These will stick out beyond the fenders and look pretty bad.

Another source is ECS, Tire Rack, and Discount Tire. They filter all of their wheels by Make and Model to only show you wheels that fit.
 
Going along with what others said, an 8" wide wheel with 35mm offset will bout outside of the fenders.

To put it in perspective, an 8" wide wheel would need about a 67mm offset to sit around the factory position. It would need around 45mm to sit flush. So somewhere in between those would be what you'd want in terms of how far you'd bring the week out towards flush.
 
I was looking at this. This is a 18x8 on a 35 offset and I think it looks great. I decided to go with a 17x8.
 

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VividRyan said:
I was looking at this. This is a 18x8 on a 35 offset and I think it looks great. I decided to go with a 17x8.
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FYI, the SE has slightly different fenders than the regular Cooper S (just the plastic bit) which may affect fit vs your attached picture.

This is 17x7.5 with a 47mm offset and barely clears the shock. To fit an 8" wide wheel, that extra 0.5" would have nowhere to go but out.
20211101_160556.webp
 
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Looks real good like that! And confirms how good the 17x7.5 w/ 45mm offset will look!

Are you using 205/45/17 tire size btw?
 
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CoachCookie said:
Ah, I've seen that thread before. Just didn't put two and two together. Thanks for passing along the info!
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After re-visiting @Carsten Haase's post where he says he hates wheel bolts, I thought I'd point out these wheel-hangers that make mounting my wheels much easier. You just screw them into a couple of bolt holes, slide the wheel on, install 3 bolts, remove the wheel hangers, and install the other 2 bolts. There are fancier ones than these, but I don't need fancier ones.

upload_2022-4-6_11-39-4.webp
 
insightman said:
After re-visiting @Carsten Haase's post where he says he hates wheel bolts, I thought I'd point out these wheel-hangers that make mounting my wheels much easier. You just screw them into a couple of bolt holes, slide the wheel on, install 3 bolts, remove the wheel hangers, and install the other 2 bolts. There are fancier ones than these, but I don't need fancier ones.

View attachment 15947
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Lol I was going to mention this! I got my M12x1.5 hangers from Ultimate Garage when I was ordering some Prevost and Facom tools, but alas he doesn’t carry M14x1.25. Decent SS hangers are available on the South American river site for a few bucks.
 
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insightman said:
After re-visiting @Carsten Haase's post where he says he hates wheel bolts, I thought I'd point out these wheel-hangers that make mounting my wheels much easier. You just screw them into a couple of bolt holes, slide the wheel on, install 3 bolts, remove the wheel hangers, and install the other 2 bolts. There are fancier ones than these, but I don't need fancier ones.

View attachment 15947
Click to expand...

Easier yes (I definitely use one), but what if you could have a wheel hanger that was already built in to the hub? That would make wheel changes so much easier! If only such a product existed... Lol
 
Maybe I’m a sloppy worker, but as parts age, I find it much less likely that I have trouble starting the threads with lug bolts than nuts. I have my IR set to minimum torque (~70 Nm), do a couple of turns by hand, then zip until just snug (the torque wrench does most of the work when I lower the car). There are other benefits to bolts over nuts, but this one is the most relevant to a driveway dilettante like me.
 
SameGuy said:
Maybe I’m a sloppy worker, but as parts age, I find it much less likely that I have trouble starting the threads with lug bolts than nuts. I have my IR set to minimum torque (~70 Nm), do a couple of turns by hand, then zip until just snug (the torque wrench does most of the work when I lower the car). There are other benefits to bolts over nuts, but this one is the most relevant to a driveway dilettante like me.
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I had no issues with the 24 year old studs and lug nuts on my Miata (or other cars I've owned), but even if I did I could just tap the studs out and put brand new ones in for ~$50. How much does a new hub cost?

Not totally related to lug nut vs bolt but the fine pitch threads on the MINI also make me nervous.

The only benefits I'm aware of for lug bolts are manufacturing cost and (to some) appearance but maybe I'm missing something?
 
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