What you’re looking at is the NM Engineering RSe12. An 18lbs 18″ wheel that has not only transformed the look of our long term Cooper S but improved steering response, feel and (along with the Continental Extreme Contact DW) performance. In short they have made us fall in love again with our F56.
But let’s back up for a minute. Over the years we’ve eschewed the virtues of both OEM and aftermarket wheels. We’ve done everything from OZs to pricey (and heavy) MINI after sales 18″ JCW wheels. Why go aftermarket? A few different reasons.
– Often lighter in weight which offers excellent performance and even efficiency benefits
– More variety of design
– Often less expensive
After staying true to OEM mods for years we decided we’d venture back out into the MINI aftermarket world. And after a long search there was one wheel that we kept coming back to. NM Engineering RSe12 is based a classic design that’s reminiscent of my BMW 1M 19″ wheels which themselves are based on a number of classic motorsport designs.
But looks aren’t everything. The RSe12 uses flow forming process manufacturing process which allows for strength and light weight construction. Here’s what Tirerack has to say about the process:
>The flow forming process begins with a low pressure type of casting and uses a special machine that spins the initial casting, heats the outer portion of the casting and then uses steel rollers pressed against the rim area to pull the rim to its final width and shape. The combination of the heat, pressure and spinning create a rim area with the strength similar to a forged wheel without the high cost of the forging. Some of the special wheels produced for the O.E.M. high performance or limited production vehicles utilize this type of technology resulting in a light and strong wheel at a reasonable cost.
The result is a 18″ wheel that only weighs a hair over 18 lbs. That in turn reduces unsprung weight (the best possible weight on your car to reduce). It’s had immediate affect on our F56 allowing for more lively turn-in, steering that is more communicative and grip limits that are increased. Ride has been affected (as you’d expect) but not as much as you’d expect thanks to going from run flats to standard tires.
We’ll have much more on how our long term F56 Cooper S and the RSe12 fare day to day soon. Until then we’re off to find some twisties.
<p>Definitely a beautiful wheel design, reminiscent of M wheel designs as you said. Great color as well. And the width is key here as the wheel and tire comes out to the plane of the well opening. That said 18″ still looks too big and the side wall improbably small and out of proportion. The perfect wheel would be 16s this wide in a design this nice, but tires can’t be had in that proportion.</p>
<p>as in:</p>
<p>Apples and oranges. The reason it looks bad on the Shelbyville is that the belt line and other features are much more delicate and smaller. Modern cars have very high belt lines for a number of reasons. Larger wheels and tires visually reduce that bulk.</p>
<p>But they don’t reduce that bulk when there is no sidewall on the tires. You are trading off wheel area for sidewall area. The sidewalls look disturbingly small, comically small.</p>
<p>You look like you’ve shod the 18s with a larger size than Mini gave you on 18s, at least with the R56 – I’ve not looked at an F56 on factory 18s in person. Have you used a larger tire size than Mini specs?</p>
<p>Yes they are wider and thus the 40 side wall is taller. I mentioned it on the previous article. I’ve gone this route with previous 18″ wheels on my MINIS. Vastly prefer the look and the ride.</p>
<p>Its definitely noticeable – the stock size on the R56 the tread rolls over directly to the rim bead = no sidewall at all. I think 17s look better stepped up a size too.</p>
<p>these look good primarily because they are 7.5″ wide. 18″ wheels from Mini are 7″ wide, as are their 17″ wheels. The 16s are a full inch narrower at 6.5″, and you will never find 16″ wheels to fit in 7.5″ wide, nor the proper tire if you could have those wheels, so my point is a bit moot. But the rare 7.5″ wide 17″ wheel with an oversized tire and taller sidewall would be my preference.</p>
<p>Goin for this?</p>
<p>A lot of this is nurture over nature. When I was growing up that Shelby was what a racing car looked like in terms of rubber. To me that’s what looks right, what looks balanced, what looks fast and aggressive. The more recent trend towards big wheels and no sidewalls on the other hand looks like a bad joke.</p>
<p>Growing up with Road & Track magazine this is what you saw in a concept car sketch by the likes of Stehrenberger. Those sketches with tires that looked like rubber bands around a wheel were pure fiction and exuberant styling. Somewhere along the line a segment of enthusiast has attempted to make this real. But what looks good in a stylized sketch almost never looks right in real life.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to see the SAME Shelby — same color, same lighting, same angle, same POV — with the two different wheel/tire sets.</p>
<p>I think the real car would look even worse with the low profile wheel set up. The continuation is lower, and the body work tweaked to a slightly more horizontal proportion.</p>
<p>Of course the orig coupes were not entirely consistent – the italian coach made body differed slightly from the american bodywork.</p>
<p>I can’t be the only one who thinks the “real thing:” version looks a lot worse than the “you’re doing it wrong” one. Neither is ideal, but at least the bottom one doesn’t look like its wheels/tires are stuck in 1974.</p>
<p>Does Formula1 also look like its stuck in 1974?</p>
<p>Their wheels do.</p>
<p>No, in fact the Real Daytona is bulkier than the recreation, the Kammback is higher, likely because there was no imperative to see out the rear window, the hood slopes up, and not back down as the recreation. And in fact the Real car looks better with bigger sidewalls, that match its bulkier and more muscular appearance. The recreation looks lower and in fact is profiled lower, but IMHO it still looks like its riding around on four flats.</p>
<p>increasing the size of the Formula1 rims, will come soon</p>
<p>The problem with your argument is circumference and tire aspect ratio, You can go as wide as you like with your tire. but in order to keep the tire circumference the same as stock, you will need a lower aspect ratio which will get you a slimmer sidewall. To get the look you’re after in the pic below you may have to go down to 15″ wheel/tire combo, maybe 14″.</p>
<p>I’m not suggesting that we attempt to match the photo of the classic racing car, I am just criticizing the move to progressively larger wheels and resultant smaller side walls. Its not performance driven – its driven by preferences and aesthetics. I’m just making clear that the preference for lager wheels is far from universal.</p>
<p>smaller side walls is positive for the roll</p>
<p>Looks fantastic!! Really seems to shrink the bulk of the F56!</p>
<p>Is it just me or is the iphone 6 plus taking really grainy photos here? Especially the second one.</p>
<p>Anyway, back on topic. As the MINI grows even larger in subsequent generations are people going to have to get larger and larger rims to compensate?</p>
<p>Also, with the first picture I think Gabe found the best angle to take pictures of the F56. You can’t really see the front or the back and while I’ve never really liked the raised belt line, I do like the way it makes the roof look lower and more chopped. Even the overhangs look acceptable in this view.</p>
<p>Low light is the culprit. That was taken at dusk. Typically the photos are excellent.</p>
<p>I’ve been running 18″ wheels since the R53. I’ve always thought they created a perfect wheel/tire/fender ratio – especially on the R56 and F56.</p>
<p>I agree that the R56 and F56 look better with 18s. I’m just wondering if by 2030 MINIs will be rolling dubs.</p>
<p>Let’s hope not.</p>
<p>Impact with Boston streets did a job on my R56’s alignment with 17″ wheels. What would it do to these wheels? Are they Chicago-proven? There’s not much rubber, nor air, between those wheels and the potholes.</p>
<p><blockquote>Are they Chicago-proven?</blockquote></p>
<p>That remains to be seen. Gabe has bent O.Z. 18″ rims before on a previous MINI.</p>
<p>Bent may be an understatement. They almost had a 45 degree angle in them.</p>
<p>Looks fantastic and much more in proportion with the larger F56. Now maybe just a slight drop to close the wheel gap.</p>
<p>Agreed. JCW suspension would be perfect for that.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, wheels can make a difference. However, in the case of the R56 wheels become merely icing on an ugly cake and cannot compensate for the poor design of the vehicle.</p>
<p>If you’re over 50 years old, you probably don’t like black wheels.</p>
<p>I beg to differ. I’m over 50. :)</p>
<p>Likewise, I’m well over 50..will be 75 in July. Have had black wheels on my 1st 1 MINIS (’08 S hatch…wheels from TireRack & ’12 JCW Coupe). My current new F55S have the new partial black wheels. All 3 have been 17″ with runflats used mainly for daily mixed driving.</p>
<p>Same here: I’m 68, and both of our MINIs have black wheels.</p>
<p>They’re gun metal, not black.</p>
<p>I like black wheels.</p>
<p>I”m a bit over 50, a lot, and I enjoy black wheels. It’s just that they never photograph well, especially with a dark car. Also, I had my r59 about one week before off came the Challenge light gray wheels and on went my Motegi Black Wheels. Nothing wrong with good aftermarket lighter wheels. I don’t like the new 18″ wheels at all.</p>
<p>I’m under 50 and don’t like them.</p>
<p>I’m 57 and love my 17in black Cosmo spokes</p>
<p>I am 63 and loved my black Fuchs wheels on my ’84 Carrera and love the black cosmos on my “15F56S</p>
<p>I think you could say the same think about the discussion in Formula One. I am just used to those cars with the 13 inch rims and the fat tires around them. I looked at the proposed 17 rims with the low profile tires and something just does not resonate. I agree that with the higher belt line looks better with a larger rim. On my ’05 r50 I immediately swapped out the 16’s for the 17 inch R90 rims.</p>
<p>Those look great! I’ve liked the NM wheels since first seeing them a few years ago.</p>
<p>We need some better pics please.</p>
<p>Updated the article with a few more. Here’s another.</p>
<p>I’m with Jamie Kitman on this one.
<a href="http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/1505-rough-rides-in-new-cars-bring-out-my-bad-side/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/1505-rough-rides-in-new-cars-bring-out-my-bad-side/</a></p>
<p>Maybe one can get a good street setup with 18s with the F56, but I’m guessing it will be hard to get good compliance, and cornering on less than ideal surfaces will probably suffer. Much of this may be masked by stepping up from the runflats.</p>
<p>For those that want handling, start with “How to make your car handle” by Fred Puhn.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Your-Car-Handle/dp/0912656468" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Your-Car-Handle/dp/0912656468</a></p>
<p>The combo is less compliant than 16s but dramatically better than a MINI with stock 17 or 18 inch run flats. The extra side wall due to the extra width is key.</p>
<p>In the article, one has to follow the link to see the width of the rim (7.5″) and nowhere is the tire aspect ratio listed.</p>
<p>Seems like the combo you have is more biased to smooth surfaces. For a lot of rough streets, I’m betting you will feel the compromise, and may pinch a sidewall or bend a rim for it.</p>
<p>But in general, its no secret that I have a very different philosophy. Design for performance, and aggressive looks almost always follows. Design for looks, and performance rarely follows. But sometimes one does get lucky!</p>
<p>Not trying to be an expert but don’t forget the suspension is part of the equation when it comes to compliance. My 03 MCS drove me nuts on the stock 17″ runflats and sport suspension. I changed to non RFT, H-sport springs and Koni FSD shocks and had a much more compliant suspension than the stock setup.</p>
<p>Your increased compliance was from the softer sidewall, and the initial damping of the FSD strut (soft for initial motion). So yes, it will be much better for street surfaces.</p>
<p>Me, I ended up with a 215/40R17 non-run flat, 17×7 inch wheels (pretty light, but the 17×17.5s were A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE). I’m only lowered about 5/8ths of an inch (for reasons to complex to go into here). My springs are ungodly stiff (only thing I’d change as I’m doing less track and more street) with damping to match, but stock front bar and Street Alta rear bar on slightly stiffer than stock. -2 deg camber front, -1 rear, 0 toe all around. (This set up has roll stiffness set mostly by the springs and not the anti-sway bars.) Twitcy, yes from the zero toe, but this gives me a set up that doesn’t ding the rims on the street (to be fair, there are no frost heaves anywhere close to where I live, but we have crappy roads too!), yet gives me a level of grip in turns that is more than sphincter-clenching in it’s capabilities than pretty much any driver (and definitely any passenger) can really enjoy.</p>
<p>My wheel arch gap would be considered “distastefull” and “excessive” by many, with huge areas that “need to be filled for a proper look”. And frankly, I don’t car at all. Nor do I mind that my wheels aren’t “properly” tucked into the fender flairs.</p>
<p>I’ve never had to replace a tire because it’s been pinched against a rim, and I’ve never dinged a rim. The only time I hit the bump stops is on large whacks, not daily driving. Yes, this is definitely a personal preference driven set up, and may not be for everyone. But it’s a perfect example of how one can set up a very very capable suspension, without having to slam a car, or go to huge wheels with rubber band tires that only work on brand new asphalt or a smooth track.</p>
<p>Take it for what it is, an example of how do to a very effective suspension based on use case, and not aesthetics. FWIW, when I changed to this set-up, I wend from about 13k miles on stock rubber to over 14k miles a set on ultra-performance all season tires. Since softer tires are lasting about twice as long, I think there is some method to this particular brand of madness.</p>
<p>My partner won a ‘best employee of the year’ award, with the prize of an all expenses paid five nights in New Orleans – to include partner – during Mardi Gras 2004. So lucky me! Needless to say it was a phantasmagorical experience, which I’m not going to enlarge upon now, except to say that on the evening of the Krewe Ball, which was a ‘black-tie’ event, the ‘bouncers’ on the door wore the most extraordinary, and inappropriate looking, gym shoes with their black tuxedos.</p>
<p>So why do I reminisce about this? Well simply because looking at the new wheels on Gabe’s F56 S, reminds me of those bouncers :-)</p>
<p>I think that the majority of readers of Motoringfile are enthusiasts and would have optioned 17 or 18 inch from the factory and maybe have changed rims later as well. Gabe’s ride was optioned incorrectly, so he’s just remedying the error. So while it may be a “self indulgent exercise”, I think it is one that many/most of us would also indulge in.</p>
<p>Thanks for that. I am well aware of the issues that Gabe had with the long delivery delay on the F56S – which is on loan to MF – and I understand how disappointed he was, when it eventually arrived, to find that it had not been optioned as requested. I have no problem with an upgrade to 17″/18″ factory option wheels either.</p>
<p>I would, however, be interested to see the evidence in support of your claim that the fitting of non-factory option wheels to a brand new MINI is something that “many/most of us would indulge in”. I put to you that in practice only a very tiny number of the 300,000 customers who buy brand new MINIs each year, would actually do so.</p>
<p>I meant indulge in 17s or 18s, not necessarily aftermarket.</p>
<p>Well they should, and maybe this will help push them into actually “youifying” their cars instead of just checking off boxes on the configurator.</p>
<p>Jason – There are more than ten million ways to you-ify a MINI using the existing MINI options. What you are talking about is customizing.</p>
<p>Call it whatever you want. You can either grossly overpay for wheels through MINI directly or go find something unique on your own. It’s just frustrating that most of the enthusiast community views customizing a MINI as putting sport stripes on, or maybe checkers.</p>
<p>MINI is a premium brand but, more importantly, it’s a lifestyle, and those of us who buy new MINIs are buying into that lifestyle. The overwhelming majority don’t want, or need, cheap aftermarket wheels. Sorry Jason!</p>
<p>There’s nothing cheap about some aftermarket wheels. Many are made by the actual manufacturers of OE wheels. Further many would be classified as more cutting edge often debuting production and design techniques well before manufacturers get to them.</p>
<p>Thanks for that Gabe. I understand how disappointed you must have been when your long term F56 eventually arrived, but without the wheels you had requested. Could you not have obtained a set of factory spec 18inch wheels through MINI US, for retro fitting? I’m surprised they allowed you to fit aftermarket wheels.</p>
<p>Autocar and CAR have at least sixteen long term test cars on loan at any one time, and it’s not uncommon for them to send cars back for a change of wheels, more often than not for smaller wheels. MINI in particular, always seems to supply test cars with the largest wheels available, much to the irritation of road testers. I have never know any British motoring mag ever change wheels on long term cars for an aftermarket version.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine US roads (especially in the upper Midwest) are any better than British B roads. I’ve always found it interesting that enthusiasts in Britain have such fascination with ride compliance and comfort where Americans typically place other aspects of the experience higher on the list.
We’ve been working with MINIUSA for awhile on after sales accessories but the JCW pieces we’ve been trying to get have been impossible to attain in the U.S. Therefore we took matters into our own hands as we would if it were our own car. Fitting well designed and engineered aftermarket parts are yet another angle on he MINI owner experience we love to report on so it worked out well. We’ve done it in the past with O.Z. btw.
MF has never been about being a mouth piece for the brand. And likewise MINIUSA has always had a hands off approach to such things. I believe that attitude on both sides serves readers well.</p>
<p>As I suspected, it’s a cultural thing. That’s fair enough.</p>
<p>FWIW, next week Autocar will be pitching the MINI JCW against its closest rival in Europe, the Audi S1, in a head to head comparison test. Both cars are similar in size, both develop 228-hp and both are similarly priced. It should be a good match!</p>
<p>“they” being enthusiasts or just in general MINI owners/buyers? I don’t see anything wrong with “just checking off boxes on the configurator” especially for the general MINI buyer.</p>
<p>Typically general MINI buyers uses the car as a daily driver and may do an occasional MINI event. They won’t do performance or other similar mods and certainly don’t do autocross or track days. They may do some vinyl stripping or mirror caps.</p>
<p>I’ve “checked off boxes”, and have no intent on buying aftermarket rims, exhaust upgrades, etc, but I’ll do (and have done) some “customizing (interior and exterior).</p>
<p>To each his/her own. The thought that “well they should to help push them into….” isn’t up to anyone except the owner/buyer. They shouldn’t have to do anything they aren’t interested in or want.</p>
<p>Nice choice. They look great!</p>
<p>Rim design looks nice, I like it. Just not a fan of 18’s on a car the size of a MINI. IMO, wheels are too big/out of proportion. The Higher belt line on the F56 I don’t feel makes 18’s needed.</p>
<p>While some may say and feel that 16’s are to small (i.e. puny) (too little rim and not much tire), I feel the 18’s are the exact opposite (too much rim & not enough rubber).</p>
<p>Also I cringe whenever I read on any blog the statement/phrase “almost a mandatory”. Doesn’t matter if its on a tech item, appliance or a car. It might be mandatory for the blogger, but not to everyone else. IMO the writer/blogger shouldn’t make such a statement to his/her readers that its mandatory (or almost).</p>
<p>To each his own and it’s Gabe’s money, so have fun.</p>
<p>Over the weekend I was watching Motorweek Retro flashback episodes on You Tube. The majority of vehicles (car) in the 80’s either had 15 or 16″ size tires. Rarely did a car have 17’s.</p>
<p>My 84 VW GTI came with 14″ wheels and I mounted 15s. At the time I thought I was pretty badass :)</p>
<p>in 1965, 14″ steel wheels were optional on the v8 Mustang, 13″ was standard.</p>
<p>Could you please, advise what are the tire size?</p>
<p>215/40/18</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>No problem! Are you getting the wheels?</p>
<p>Just trying to choose the wheels/tires for the track days )</p>
<p>I like the OEM 16″ look better..</p>
<p>What size tires are on these 18 rims?</p>
<p>215/40/18</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply! I was thinking of putting 215/45/18 on my f56. What are your thoughts? Or should I just stick to 215/40/18? My rims are 18×8</p>