I keep thinking I'll give autocross a shot after 30 years of being away. Most likely car would be my R53 MINI. I have 17x7 and 17x8 wheels, and I know where I can get some lightly used 225/40/17 tires. Would that tire width be too much for the 7" rims and does either wheel and tire combo fit without rubbing. Stock suspension, no lowering. What are any of you guys running on your MINIs?
Edit: I have to check, but I may have a set of 17x7.5 wheels, too.
Nobody autocrossing a MINI?
I ran a R56 base for a few years. 16x6.5. 225/45/16 size. This was back 10 years ago so ran the Dunlop z2 star specs, IIRC.
225 on a 7 is pretty common, but a 205 that's the right height might be better. I ran factory offset and stock springs. No issues rubbing with a 225 on the R56.
In reply to JMcD :
Thanks. That tire is only a tenth of an inch different from what I'm looking at, so I should be OK.
225 was the max I could fit on the rear of my r53 between the control arm and the fender liner. I had to play games with spacers and camber to get 245s to fit up front. If you don't mind pinched tires any of the sizes you mentioned will fit on any of the wheels. Wider is always faster in autocross.
The guys I know who ran MINIs on the track (not autoX) said the 15's work best, 16's on R56 because of the bigger brake calipers.
I've always run 17's on mine because I like the look better and it's a good compromise on ride/handling. I run 215-45's on my R55
I ran 15" wheels on my mini. Swapping is a pretty big setup change because you also go from 25" to 22.5" tires. It is doable but probably out of budget for the op.
ojannen said:I ran 15" wheels on my mini. Swapping is a pretty big setup change because you also go from 25" to 22.5" tires. It is doable but probably out of budget for the op.
I'm just thinking about giving autocross a try again after a 30 year absence, and I'm not going to spend real money just to give it a try. I picked up a set of 17x7 Miata ND wheels for $100 and I'm watching Marketplace for a suitable, but cheap set of autocross take-offs. I've seen 215/45/17 Falken RT615K and 225/40/17 Continental ECFs so far. I also have a set of 16x8 wheels should something in an appropriate size appear, but that would bump me out of a stock class if I'm reading the rules correctly, not that it matters much. It's more about getting anything that won't rub. I can throw some easy to find Hoosier SM7s on a set of 15" rims and go play if I want, but a 200TW tire would allow me to commute to the event without a tire swap on-site..
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