21 replies to this topic

[ImagoX]

I'm considering replacing my curbed, slightly manky rims (the standard Rover rims) with these 5.5X12 units:

http://www.gbcarpart.....erlight5.5x12



I like the polished rim - noticeable but not excessive, like the 6" versions. I know from reading forum searches that I might need to trim a bit of metal from the front wheel arches to stop rubbing. What I don't know is:

1. Will these rims work on the standard disk/drum brake configuration on the '92 Sprite? I've got 12" (X5" perhaps?) rims in there now (standard Rover flat, not dished).

2. Will the black plastic "City" arches stretch to cover the slight body modification I'll need to do to allow the new tires to clear the body?

3. In that same vein, I know the 5.5 deep-dish rims will protrude a bit beyond the City arches (forum posts say about 1 CM) but I'm having difficulty imagining what this will look like - does anyone have a picture of the 5.5X12 wheels inside black City arches that they can share?

4. Last - I plan to fit painted Sportpack arches to the car in a year or two... Will the 5.5" wheels be too narrow to properly fill that space when I do? I can go straight to 6X12s if so. I want to avoid the fully-sized 13" wheels because I've been reading about the steering degradation and the excessive wear on the steering components (as mentioned in the Performance Manual).

This is what I have installed right now:

Edited by ImagoX, 24 July 2007 - 03:12 PM.

[minili]

If I remember correctly 5" wide wheels fill the standard arches quite nicely so 5.5s might be a bit of a squeeze on the legal side, not sure without seeing them though so hopefully someone might have a photo.

And yes, sportspack arches will be too wide for 5.5s. If you're gonna have wide arches you gotta have wide wheels to fill them

Mini looks lovely already by the way

Edited by minili, 25 July 2007 - 05:28 PM.

[ImagoX]

If I remember correctly 5" wide wheels fill the standard arches quite nicely so 5.5s might be a bit of a squeeze on the legal side, not sure without seeing them though so hopefully someone might have a photo.

And yes, sportspack arches will be too wide for 5.5s. If you're gonna have wide arches you gotta have wide wheels to fill them

Mini looks lovely already by the way

Thanks for saying so! The curbing on the rims is not really visible in photos and even in person its not so bad, so I'm not in a HUGE rush to replace them. I'm on the fence about Sportpack arches - part of me loves them but another part of me likes the black ones I already have. And I know that the 6" or deeper wheels have negative performance impact, both to handling as well as to component longevity...

I hear that 5.5" rims DO protrude just a hair beyond the City arches, but I'd like to see what that looks like - like you said, hopefully someone has a photo. I've read that someone makes a 5" deep dish rim (must make up the difference in the offset) but I've not seen them.

Edited by ImagoX, 25 July 2007 - 06:02 PM.

[redhotmini]

Huddersfield mini spares do a 5" deep dish wheel, with polished rim. they look quite nice.

last time i saw some 5.5's fitted, they did protrude, but by the tiniest amount. from above, you could see about 2mm of tread. i asked my mot tester, he said that is ok. obviously if you stuck a set on without arches, it would be an mot fail.

personally, i'd fit the 5.5's, leave the black arches on and be different (well, until i can afford some!!). you see tons of posepack replicas at shows over here, its nice to see something a bit different.

[ImagoX]

Huddersfield mini spares do a 5" deep dish wheel, with polished rim. they look quite nice.

last time i saw some 5.5's fitted, they did protrude, but by the tiniest amount. from above, you could see about 2mm of tread. i asked my mot tester, he said that is ok. obviously if you stuck a set on without arches, it would be an mot fail.

personally, i'd fit the 5.5's, leave the black arches on and be different (well, until i can afford some!!). you see tons of posepack replicas at shows over here, its nice to see something a bit different.

There's no MOT here in the Colonies, so that's not a concern for me.

I'm more worried about the wheel striking the underside of the wheel arch when I travel across a pothole or dip...

If you can link me to the 5" dished rims I'd really appreciate it -thanks very much!

[redhotmini]

here you go:
http://www.minispare...amp;prod_id=549

[ImagoX]

here you go:
http://www.minispare...amp;prod_id=549

Oooooooohhh... I bet those would look FANTASTIC in anthracite, if they have the polished dish lip. And they have full packages as well - sweet!

[redhotmini]

the anthracites do have a polished lip, and they look really smart.

[mike.]

I know that the 6" or deeper wheels have negative performance impact, both to handling as well as to component longevity...

With wider wheels the car won't feel as nimble and the steering will be abit heavier but the road holding will be greatly improved!

[THE ANORAK]

hang on, i may have just what you need..... back in a min

[THE ANORAK]

here we go, my old mini city with 5.5 x 12 ultralight rims and yoke 539 tyres. the only thing i had to do to make them fit was trim the front edge of the wing, all the offset is on the outside. and no, the arches don't cover the tyres, they are about 1.5 inches wider on the front and 1 inch wider on the back . 1 cm is a load of bull

Edited by THE ANORAK, 28 July 2007 - 11:16 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

and just so you can visualize anthracite wheels on your red car....

the same wheels on my cooper (i always liked them better on the white car)



just putting some wider tyres (539s) on your rover wheels will make them look better and protect them from kerbing...

Edited by THE ANORAK, 28 July 2007 - 11:29 PM.

[mike49]

and just so you can visualize anthracite wheels on your red car....

the same wheels on my cooper (i always liked them better on the white car)



just putting some wider tyres (539s) on your rover wheels will make them look better and protect them from kerbing...

the mrs isnt allowed gp2's with trim but you are! seems a bit unfair to me! im pretty certain they werent standard! haha

[THE ANORAK]

but that was a long time ago, and who said life is fair

[ImagoX]

here we go, my old mini city with 5.5 x 12 ultralight rims and yoke 539 tyres. the only thing i had to do to make them fit was trim the front edge of the wing, all the offset is on the outside. and no, the arches don't cover the tyres, they are about 1.5 inches wider on the front and 1 inch wider on the back . 1 cm is a load of bull

Looks GREAT though... I think that's the way to go - thanks SO much.

So... Were you able to re-fit the City arches over the modified body panel with no issues? Looks "ab-fab"!

Edited by ImagoX, 29 July 2007 - 09:43 PM.