Mini handling on different wheel sizes

[pitcrew]

Hay all,

I am in much need of some advice from anyone who has build and run mini's, i need to know what would be the best size wheels to run a mini on for fastest lap times bearing in mind the car will have around 130-160 Bhp,

10's

12's

13's

10's as the mini was designed to run on them, also lowers centre of gravity but less contact patch, smaller rr for increaced acceleration.

13's higher contact patch 13x7's less wall deflection as a lower profile of tyre and more comfatable top end due to increaced rr.


any input would be much appreciated

[big andy]

pit crew what tyres will you be running on 10" slicks 160x490x10 have the same RR as most 13" slicks that will fit a mini ie 180x490x13 you will also be able to fit bigger brakes under the 13" personaly i have always run 13" but have been beaten by miglias on 10"

[pitcrew]

hi andy, not sure on tyres yet but will be looking at slicks but possibly road legal slicks to start with as ill be building for the circuit but will get running on road first(just to keep costs down) but need to decide now as in design stages, can get bigger brakes on the 13", in your experiance do you find much of a handling diffrence between the two?

[pitcrew]

and also if im running a "stiff" setup when on 13" due to the massive reduction of sidewall over the 10" when over bumpy sections will i loose traction due to the lack of "spring" in my tyre?

[275 GTB-4]

Have a look what other racers are running...10s and 12s should be fairly popular.

13s require body mods to fit and limit travel as has been mentioned above.

You can't go wrong using 10s (assuming tyres are plentiful locally).

EDIT: assuming rim size is free in the class you race in

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by pitcrew

hi andy, not sure on tyres yet but will be looking at slicks but possibly road legal slicks to start with

If they're slicks, they're not road legal. All slick tyres are marked on the side wall, "not legal for road use".

The first thing you need to do is get a copy of the rules for the class you are going to race in. It may well answer this question for you.

[BertMk2]

If it's Minis your into then you could give Bill Richards a call, his Mini is currently running on 13's and was on 10's before that so he knows all about the changes needed to accomodate the bigger wheels. He's a Mini man through and through so he should be able to give you plenty of advice.

I'll admit to being biased on this one as I go to race meets with him and do stuff for his website

[Al Weyman]

I used to HotRod race a mini and stuck it on 13inch rims it was awful, all over the place. Then I raced one on 10inch rubber and it was way better, far more predictable and easy to drive and ended up quicker. It was a long time ago mind you and things do change.

[BertMk2]

There seems to be a limit on power above which 10's aren't up to the job - understeer develops and the tyres are destroyed very quickly. A switch to 13's also allows bigger brakes to be run but suspension setup is radically different as the profile of the tyre is that much lower - just putting 13's onto a car set up for 10's will be awful and vice versa.

[GORDON STREETER]

Depending what you are allowed to run in a particular series, there is always a bigger selection of sizes and availability, at cheaper prices running 13s.

[eamonn ledwidge]

As your query is in the Historic racing section, the regs associated with the series in which you plan to race will dictate the wheel & tyre size.

By way of guidance, I have been racing a Miglia spec Mini in Historics in Ireland for the past 3 years, running on 6 x 10 Revolutions with Avon ZZ tyres - excellent setup. Most other Mini competitors are on similar setup or 12s. I would recommend that you check what is permitted before you buy.

[andy97]

Pitcrew

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