Irish Mini Owners Club

Hi there,

I've been thinking about putting alloys on my mini - she is a fully original 1990 mini city. With originality in mind, I'd prefer something different but that would still look right. Problem is my budget is only about €250 and I cant find a whole lot other than the minilites or revolutions.

I don't mind if they're second hand

My mini is pictured below, only thing i will be changing on it will be the wheels so they can be changed back easily. Any ideas / suggestions?

http://www.irishminis.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7675

was thinking along the lines of the 1100 special in 12s...

Those are Exaction rims, standard fitment on the 1100 Special and the 1983 Sprite.

Not available in 12".

figured the actual ones wouldnt be available in 12s, but does anyone do replicas in 12s? or something along those lines anyway

There aren't too many variations on 12" rims available easily, check out http://www.wheeldictionary.net/ for all the known wheels that will fit your mini, but many discontinued and are very hard to find commercially.

I am not saying buy them from MWS, but this might give you a few more ideas:

5 x 12 http://www.midlandwheels.com/BySize/5x12.html

6 x 12 http://www.midlandwheels.com/BySize/6x12.html

with that lovely silver mini, darker wheels would look cool.. gunmetal or anthracite would be my preferred colour. plus it doesn't show that brake dust as quick

There are a few nice one's on eBay i seen these a couple of days ago on it do €200

Ok so last Friday after a few beers i did some tipsy ebaying and bought myself these 12x5" Gemini alloys without really doing much homework. Paid €160 for them (delivered to my door)

They arrived yesterday and i have to say they look great. Sat them on to the car and they fit, but the stud holes seem to be for a slightly wider thread. Since the wheel nuts are domed the wheel centres itself, but i still have a couple of questions...

1. Does it matter that the the wheel is not sittting on the stud?
(I am aware that some wheels may require a sleeved nut)

2. Can anyone recommend a set of spacers?

3. I will be looking for mid-range tyres. Where is the best place to go?

4. They came without centre caps. Diameter of centre is 65mm, anyone got any for sale? Will consider anything

Thanks

12 x 5 Geminis

read this: http://www.wheeldictionary.net/

here is the relevant part:

5) PCD or Pitch Circle Diameter:
PCD or Pitch Circle Diameter is the diameter of a circle which runs trough the middle of all bores for the wheel studs. A Mini has a PCD of 4x4". The first number indicates the amount of holes; in this case 4. The second number indicates the diameter of the circle; here 4" (=101,6mm).

Most common (on other cars) is a circle of 4,5" and 100mm. Eventhough 100mm seems a minor difference to the Mini's 101,6mm it is strickly recommendet to NOT USE wheels with a 4x100 PCD on a Mini!! It will stress the wheel studs and the may suddenly fail! You may risk your life and the lifes of others!!!


I cant stress enough how important it is to get this right.

MWD don't have the KN Gemini's listed as a 12" optional wheel which may suggest that they are for something other than a Mini, an Imp perhaps ???

As for spacers, don't use them, get the proper drums with the built in spacers instead. If the wheel is rubbing on the dampers without spacers then the off set is very wrong.

Get decent tyres, Yokohama A539's or Falkens.

For centre caps you can use the lids from aerosol cans or similar.

You may need sleeve nuts and conical washers if the PCD is correct.I had to use sleeve nuts for my Gemini IIs.

iv a nice set of 12x5 rvos there for sale, need tires and nuts, nuts are 35euro and tires can come from original wheels if they are 12s, pm me if your interested

was thinking along the lines of the 1100 special in 12s...

I have a set of similar alloys in 12's.

They are 2nd hand, sound condition and can be re-painted to your own taste. Not saying they are rare but you won't see them on every mini .

Thanks all for the offers on the wheels, but i'm going to stick with the Geminis. Got them measured this morning, and they are definitely 4 x 4" PCD. Tried to contact the Mini Wheel Dictionary - but the email address 'response@jan-wulf.de' doesn't seem to work

@ kerryminigringo - where did you get your sleeve nuts and conical washers?

Ok so this is what my alloys look like. The Mini sticker will remain grey, but I can't decide between a black or grey centre cap. Picture of each below - let me know what you think

Grey sticker is only sitting on - so ignore that it's not perfectly centre and has an uneven edge!

Thanks

First one.

My gut was telling me black too, so I will be going with the first one. I put one wheel on the car to see how it looked, and it looked spectacular! Pic isnt great, but you get the idea. Cant wait to get the car finished so I can show them off!!

Front wheel sticks out about an inch further than the arches, which could be a problem (dont have a pic). Not too keen on changing to wider arches because it will be a different look to what I want, and I will need spacers on the back. If I do change I've reluctantly been looking at the Group 2 Rally Style arches on minisport.com

Thoughts??

http://www.minisport.com/mini-spare-par ... SP-5J.html

A '90 mini should already have spacer drums on the back to match the discs on the front.

What is the offset of the wheel ?