BMW Mini Wheels fit the Elan (with a bit of machining)

[Nige]

I told a few people at Donington that I was reasonably sure that BMW Mini wheels would fit our car. This was on the basis that the stud pattern was the same (PCD of 4 x 100) and the offset was close(ish) at 50mm, the only things I couldn't be certain of were the centre bore and for me specifically the clearance of the spokes of the wheel in relation to my billet 4's and 300mm discs (the joys of hindsight, go for willwoods).

Wood BMW in Salisbury gave me a wheel to try and I worked out that the 'minlite' style doesn't clear my calipers, but should clear anything that fits within standard wheels and also that the centre bore needs enlarging from 56.1mm to 56.6mm. Having looked at alternative wheel styles I bought a set of 17" x7" 5 spoke 'bullet' wheels (e bay) and have had the centre bore machined to fit the Elan. First test fit today confirms all is good and I will now fit tyres etc and post photos when done. Only point I have is that I will need wheel bolts 5mm longer than standard as the thickness of the Hi-Spec alloy hats I have is greater than the standard disc and I need to factor this in.

Photos to follow.

And in case your asking why, the wheels were cheap and I wanted a spare set to fit track day tyres. Toyo R888's aren't available in 205/45/16 but are available in 205/40/17. On this basis it made sense to me, oh and i think the 5 spokes look good, but you can make your own minds up when I post the photos.

[Doug]

Nige,

sounds like a good compromise!

may be worth considering putting wheel studs on your hubs and then fitting the wheels over the studs with nuts to go over each stud to affix the wheel (as you may know this is how most all other cars work).

I converted mine to studs with my aftermarket wheels and it definitely makes working on the car at the wheels easier when you can hang the wheel on the studs. Any competant wheel shop should be able to help you make the conversion--you could use longer studs as much as needed and get nuts that would fit either wheel . . .

[Houdini]

I'm sure they will look good, but what about the wheel weight compared to stock. As I recall the stock Mini wheels were not very light as I had looked into this last year. I think they were in the 23-25 lb range. The offset is close, but will it be a problem with handleing on track days? Please let us know.

[Nige]

I'll weigh them, and post. They do not feel particularly heavy (certaily do't feel heavier than an S2 wheel) and the R888 in 205/40/17 is also quite a light tyre (8.8 Kg according to Toyo). You also assume that I'm good enough to worry about the difference in weight on a track day, I have no such worries .

[Nige]

The wheels I've bought weigh 11Kg each and the tyres are 8.5Kg so a combined wheel and tyre weight of 19.5Kg. I haven't been able to fit the tyres today as the priority has been to sort Norma out (successfully I think). But I'll weigh an S2 wheel and tyre and a standard 15" (SE/NA) wheel and tyre for comparison and post.

[M100 TWO]

Nige South Coast Wheels keep a good selection of bolts it would be best to measure for the bolt to just protrude through the back of hub
S.C.W.
60,Commercial Road Rd.
Southampton
023 80637972
www.southcoastwheels.co.uk

ps. have you found where you lost so much oil?
john

[stevo]

watching this thread closely

[John_W]

Nige,
Good detective work. You mentioned at the Donington curry evening that you were on the trail.

Keep us informed of how it goes when you try them out on track.

John

[Nige]

Well my wheels and tyres were tested on the track last weekend and I'm very pleased . For dry weather tyres they also gripped remarkably well in the wet, which was a good job. Wear is noticeable, especially on the front, but I expected that. Just need some good, dry, track time to give them some stick.

I'm also pleased with the wheels and think they suit the car, certainly those that saw them at Castle Combe seemed to think so as well.

At long last a photo, I've yet to weigh the S2 wheels and tyres for a comparison, but will and post in due course.

[/img]

[F1 LOTUS]

Suits the car nicely

[Nige]

Thanks .

Would look better lower, but I'm still very disinclined to make any more changes to a suspension developed by the best in the business purely for cosmetic reasons. The only reason I went to 17" rims was because tyre choice dictated it.

[Fubar1764]

I had noticed that too. I'm still worried about the offset since bearings are difficult to find(?).
How long do you think the bearings would last at a +50 instead of +60 offset? Any other parts wear prematurely because of the difference?

[kmckmc]

would MINI's 16x6.5J offset:48mm wheels work for our Elan?

the oem spec is 16x7J, what kind of difference is there?

If I could choose between MINI's 16x6.5J and 17x7J, which one would be better for Elan?



such as these ones? http://www.carpartswholesale.com/cpw/mini~wheels.html


Cheers,

[Nige]

I had noticed that too. I'm still worried about the offset since bearings are difficult to find(?).
How long do you think the bearings would last at a +50 instead of +60 offset? Any other parts wear prematurely because of the difference?

I don't think bearings are difficult to find, certainly not here in the UK. But I take your point about the reduced offset and the increase in loading on the bearings, as the forces will act through a differerent and presumably non-optimal point. However, as stated previously in the absence of 60mm offset wheels for the car 48-50mm is the closest I could find and is significantly closer than the 40-42mm offset of the aftermarket wheels many are using, seemingly without a problem. Any increase in wear caused by the decreased offset is likely to be outweighed by what I'm using these wheels for, track days rather than routine road driving. When combined with softer compound tyres and increased grip a more regular check of suspension componenets would seem prudent.

[Nige]

would MINI's 16x6.5J offset:48mm wheels work for our Elan?

the oem spec is 16x7J, what kind of difference is there?

If I could choose between MINI's 16x6.5J and 17x7J, which one would be better for Elan?

In simple terms yes the wheels will fit (subject to machining the centre bore to 56.6mm as described above) but if you already have 16" wheels of the correct 60mm offset I would have to ask why you would want to. Whilst 6.5" is an acceptable width rim for 205 section tyres (6.6-7.5 is permitted) it is at the lower end of this so 7" would be better. Ideal would be a 16 x 7 but if you are willing to live with the harsher ride that a 40 series tyre on a 17" rim gives I would go for 17 x 7.

[Kjeld]

Nige, Was very interested in your post. By minilite wheels, are you referring to these?

http://a.im.craigslist.org/OX/88/DrQrIs ... 7MrPU0.jpg

They appear to have the same dimensions your rims, but you say the "minilite" type does not clear your calipers. What type of calipers do you have? Is it close enough to machine the rim to make it?

While they are heavier than your wheels, I like the retro look of these rims.

Thoughts?

[Doug]

Thoughts?

--not my type -- reminds me of Kia Elan wheels!!

--will they clear your Wilwoods?? might well be a problem and you won't know until you test fit one -- may not be able to machine away that problem without ruining the wheel

[Nige]

Nige, Was very interested in your post. By minilite wheels, are you referring to these?

Yes, they're the ones I referred to as 'minilites'. The spokes curve inwards too much at the outer (rim) end to clear my calipers. I have 300mm discs and Hi-Spec Billet 4 calipers and have to use 5mm spacers to allow the standard S2 wheels to clear the calipers (Hi-Spec assured me they would fit without needing spacers, but that's another story and is why I have one of Brian's conversions on order). As Doug has said the only advice I can offeris to see if you can trial fit a wheel . It won't sit on the hub properly unless the centre bore is machined but you will get a good idea. I think the willwood calipers are more compact than the Hi-Spec and Brians conversion fits into the 16" wheels withoutthe need for spacers so you may well find the minilite style fits. I would absolutley not recomend machining the wheel to gain a clearance as you will not know how much you have weakened the wheel or where you may have introduced stress points.

[Kjeld]

Thanks Nige. So, without machining the bore to fit, can I really tell if they will clear my Wilwoods?

As for Kia wheels, don't know a thing about them. And the Kia design is not without its merits, for that matter. Who wouldn't prefer the Kia tail light assembly over the mess Lotus tacked into the back of our cars? Our M100s were brought to market prior to the retro fad (the Elise demonstrates that Lotus is more than willing to cash in on the retro market.) That said, an M100 is a more natural candidate for that sort of styling than most.

Naw, you can make the case the wheels are too heavy, but from an aesthetic point of view, these faux minilites work.

[Nige]

So, without machining the bore to fit, can I really tell if they will clear my Wilwoods?

If you can 'borrow' a 'minilte' and offer it up to the car you should get a very good idea whether it will clear your calipers or not without machining the centre bore. I did this the 'minilite' I was given and with the wheel bolted up (as true as I could get it) it sat say 3-4mm off the flat face of the hub but the spokes only cleared my calipers by 2-3mm in this state so it was clear that when the wheel was properly located on the hub after macining the centre bore the spokes would not clear the calipers. You could do the same to get a very good idea if you will get the clearance, if you have 3-4mm at the gap between the back mounting face of the wheel, as I did, and 5-6mm (or more) clearance between calipers and wheel spokes then you will have a fit after the wheel is machined.