Oct 9th 2024
What wheels fit the F56 MINI?
Turns out MINIs aren’t so mini these days, so we’ll have to save our Mario Kart jokes for the retro MINIs. The minute you see an F-Model next to an R, it’s obvious that the 3rd gen has completely different wheel fitment needs.
This fitment guide is all about Third Generation MINI Cooper hatchbacks, model years from 2014 to 2024; this includes all three body styles: the F55 (5-door), F57 (vert), and the one that seems to be colloquially used when talking about all three, the F56 (hatch). This info will help you out if you’re familiar with older MINIs, as the fitment is completely different, or just getting your feet wet.
Quick links
Basic fitment info
- Lug pattern: 5x112
- Lug thread: m14x1.5
- Center bore: 66.6mm
- Lug torque: 89 ft/lbs
As we were pouring over the info, here’s what we found: 17 or 18” diameter is the preferred size for aftermarket wheels. We thought 16’s might be popular as they look sick on older MINIs, but we found almost no one running them… and we looked at a bunch. These cars can comfortably fit wheels up to 8.5” with an offset in the low 40’s.
For tires, 215/45R17 or 215/40R18 are by far the most common sizes, but you can go up to a 225 width, or if you don’t plan on making a ton of power, go for a thinner 205.
Balancing suspension and fender clearance
Like other small cars with a MacPherson-type front suspension, fitting wheels on the MINI is a balancing act. The tire is ultimately what will cause you issues, but where that tire sits depends on wheel specs. If the offset is too high you’ll hit the suspension. If it’s too low you’ll destroy your fenders. Note that any tire larger than a 225 will be extremely difficult to fit on a stock body F56 MINI, at least in the front.
Aftermarket suspension can hinder or help clearance. Before ordering suspension you’ll want to check the spring dimensions, the diameter in particular, and see how they compare to your stock parts (which will vary depending on which trim you have).
John Cooper Works brake clearance
Whether you have a factory JCW or you’re fitting big brakes to your Cooper S, you’ll need to be mindful of brake clearance. The normal issue comes between the caliper and wheel face. Most modern wheels with BBK clearance, a lot from Enkei, for example, will fit without spacers.
There isn’t a specific width and offset that will pass or not. Rather, it depends on the spoke design of the wheels you have in mind. Some wheels will need a small slip-on spacer - no issues as long as you account for this in the offset.
F56 MINI wheel fitment
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NM engineering spring |
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We’ll start with less aggressive fitment and work our way up. This is what you could consider OEM+. The wheels are all around bigger, wider, and allow for a more grippy tire. Still, they’re relatively conservative compared to the rest that we’ll see. The advantage with smaller wheels is these only weigh about 17lbs a piece.
This car is on lowering springs and has zero issues with rubbing, not much of a surprise given the specs.
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Stock suspension, no rubbing or scrubbing. Wheels clear JCW brakes See all the details here |
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Here’s a look at 17’s on a 2022 MINI JCW. First off, these TS9s clear the brakes without the need for spacers. The fitment is slightly more aggressive than the last example, with 8” wide wheels and a lower offset.
Another difference is 215 wide tires instead of 205. This is the most popular width of tire, probably because it’s easy to fit and gives more contact patch. This MINI is on stock suspension and has zero rubbing issues.
This particular car comes from our gallery. Head over there to see even more details and photos on this build.
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Sparco Pro Corsa 17x7.5 +35 |
Sparco Pro Corsa 17x7.5 +35 |
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JCW Pro coilovers Wheels clear JCW brakes |
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Once again, 17’s, but this time with a lower offset. These wheels poke ¼” more than the last but we’d still call this OE+ fitment as it didn’t require any special work to run. Again, this is a John Cooper Works model and these wheels fit without spacers. This car is lowered on optional ‘JCW Pro’ coilovers.
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NM Engineering lowering springs. |
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BBS wheels look right at home on this MINI Cooper S. The specs here are pretty standard but we wanted to show that a 215/40R18 will fit comfortably even with your car being lowered on springs.
If you like the look of 18’s, these are probably the most common specs. With an 8” wide wheel you could size the tire up to 225/40R18, but keep in mind these normally require some fender trimming to make possible.
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Rotiform LAS-R 18x8.5 +45 (effective +40) |
Rotiform LAS-R 18x8.5 +45 (effective +40) |
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KW V3 Coilovers. 5mm spacers needed to clear brakes |
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These wheels give a completely different look from the others - especially with the addition of AeroDiscs. This is a Cooper S, but it’s fitted with a JCW package. As such, it needed a 5mm spacer to clear.
But how’s the fit? With the addition of the spacers, this car’s fitment is considerably more aggressive than all the previous. To make this work the rear plastic fenders needed to be trimmed slightly to prevent contact with the tire.
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5MM spacer needed to clear KW V3 Coilovers (215 tires would also work w/o spacers). |
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For those of you wanting to run a 225 tire, you’ll have to be mindful of strut clearance. These Enkei PF01’s were able to clear JCW brakes, but 5mm spacers were needed for tire-to-strut clearance. With a more narrow tire, these would fit without spacers. If you want to run 225/45R17 or 225/40R18 tires, you’ll need to aim for a positive 40-45 offset to make it work without spacers.
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BC Racing Coilovers. 5mm spacers. Trimmed fenders all around |
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This is about as aggressive as you’ll find on an F56 that doesn't have some type of widebody. Sure, a lower offset with more camber would fit, but we’re mostly focusing on functional setups. This car is also running 225 wide tires, but with 35 aspect ratio, making them thin enough to work at this ride height.
BC Racing Coilovers were used to achieve the drop. Note that the fenders needed to be trimmed all around. Even with this work, there’s still a bit of rubbing - likely unavoidable at this ride height.
Wrap up
Given the physical limitations for wheels on this platform, you won’t see a ton of deviation in diameter, width, offset, and tire specs. If you want to get more extreme you can look into widebody flares such as those from VAD Design. Differentiating your F56 MINI from the rest is mostly down to the design you chose - for our money, the Rotiform AeroDiscs might be one of the coolest, unique designs for a MINI.
We have the best place to buy wheels and tires, and with thousands of designs to shop from you’ll certainly find something perfect for your build.