old school mini wheels on a festy

[mattman]

ok im trying to find the thing so i can link it ......but i read on the net the other nite about a guy who put old mini cooper wheels on a festy not the new built by bmw mini but the real deal 10" mini wheels an tires an he lowerd it to match the original performance specs of the mini which is like driving a go kart for sure i was wondering if anyone else had heard or read about do this or if anyone on here had tried or done it ( i have a weakness for original mini's ) so is it possibly an what are your opinions of it the wheels an tires are available because ive seen alot of them in the southeast an there is a guy in charlston sc that inports the old mini's ....but would that kinda set up work on a festy

[anomoly40]

I think they are 4x100 so he might have put on an Aspire swap depending on backspacing of the cooper wheels.

[perucho]

10" wheels and tires for the classic Mini are available but why would you want to do that? They are expensive and you can get much better tires in 13, 14, 15-in diameters. Also, lowering your Festiva won't make it a Mini. If you really want a something that drives like a Mini, get one.
Don't know what the classic Mini bolt patter is but I know the newer Minis are 4x100. I think the phone-dial 15" wheels would look awesome on a Festiva with Aspire brakes. You can also buy minilite replicas in 4x100 pretty easily in 13" to 17" diameters.
If you still want to look into buying wheels/tires a good place to start would be minimania. http://www.minimania.com/home.cfm
Good luck!

[bhazard]

10's? Doubt they'd fit over the brakes ...

[Safety Guy]

I was thinking brake clearance issues, too. I doubt 10" wheels would fit. However, there were 12" wheels made for the Mini as well. They might fit, if the bolt pattern is the same. However, upgrading to Aspire brakes to get the 4 X 100 mm pattern would again, prohibit 12" wheels mounted.

First, find out for sure what the original Mini bolt pattern and offset requirements are. Then figure it out from there taking the brake size into consideration.

Also remember original Minis had "Hydrolastic" suspension: a combination of thick rubber holding fluid inside to act as both spring and damper.

According to this Wiki article, Minis from 1964 to 1971 had it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolastic

Another article, with some pictures:

http://members.tripod.com/austin_america/id63.html

An Austin America site:

http://www.austinamericausa.com/

I need to read up on the difference between Minis and Americas, etc.

On Mini bolt pattern:

http://www.minimania.com/web/startreturn/1/MaxReturn/20/StartPage/1/threadid/105002/msgthread.cfm

I haven't read all this, so I'm still not sure. Looks like classic Minis were 4 X 4". They are supposed to be able to use Vega wheels!

Karl

[Bert]

Original Austin Minis had a dead simple 'rubber donut' suspension, which was replaced in about 1965 by an oil-filled bag and tubing-connected rear and front wheel setup. This system added at least 150 lb to the car and purists swapped it out pronto. British Leyland reverted back to the rubber donuts at the same time they adapted roll-up windows and negative ground electrical systems (1970). They were lo-tech superfun cars (only 1300 lb!) and I suspect a simple B3 engine could make one of these things fly. The rare "S" engines (970/1071/1275cc) were cast iron, not crossflow nor OHC nor overdrive-geared and only produced about 10 more horsepower than a stock B3. And they weren't even remotely reliable. The Lucas Electrics that governed these things were infamous enough to earn the reputation "Prince of Darkness".

[Safety Guy]

I read through the thread I linked to above (it's in reverse chronological order, so start at page 2).

Classic Minis are 4 X 4" bolt pattern. The ones that came with 12" wheels had 8.9" front brakes.

Here is a site selling Mini wheels in 10, 12 and 13" sizes:

http://www.minimania.com/web/STSearch/WH_WHEELS/SUBTYPE/SearchText/ShowIcons/Yes/ItemPropParents/WHEELS,WH_WHEELS/Search_Inventory.cfm

They are expensive! Some of the Minilites and copies can be ordered in 4 X 100mm bolt pattern (or probably any pattern) from the company themselves. Still expensive, but you could specify exactly what size, offset, bolt pattern and color you want.

Bert, maybe you could give some ideas on possible parts interchange between Minis and Festivas?

Karl

[Bert]

Having fielded a half dozen minis during the 1970s I would venture to say nothing (minis were very primitive structurally) is compatible with a Festiva. They had subframes front and rear, driveshafts with an archaic rubber u-joint/engine connection, transmissions were integral with the engine (ie common lubrication) and brakes were tiny drums front and rear unless you had one of those rare Cooper models, with front discs, which they stopped importing into N.A. in 1970. The body shell might lend itself to adaptation were someone particularly talented with torches and a MIG welder. I'd love to see a B6T/Aspire-grafted Mini but it would probably be as much work as a rear-engine Shogun.

[Safety Guy]

Bert, do you know about the Honda VTEC Mini conversions?

http://vtec.minimania.com/

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/05q1/mini_tec_vtec_mini-specialty_file

I remember seeing them maybe five or six years ago. Yum.

Karl

[mattman]

thanks for the feedback everyone ..i was just trying to figure out the hows and if it was possible i have had the pleasure of driving a mini and it was the neatest kart car from way back then an if i remember right it is smaller than the festy ...ive found thanks to safteyguy the honda swap for a mini and the b6t idea is awsome ....i wasnt wanting to make a festy like a mini just wondering about somthing i read somwhere an my lil woman pointed out to me that i may have taken the text out of content she says it said or was talking about the simularity of the sub compact cars an festy being a modern day mini almost ...bert how many mini's did you run an do you have any pics of them the one i drove had been restored for running rally races and it was for its size pretty powerfull an really got down the road and handled amazing i could throw it into a curve an it never felt or gave the impression it would roll jus felt glued to the road ...an thats the way i would like to get a festy to handle

[Bert]

Gee Safety Guy, I did go peruse the mini-modification site as you suggested. Nothing left but the shell and a whole new tube frame but I'll tell you there is no substitute for having the motor up front. 1960s LIMERICK "There was a young lad from Boston, invested his coins in an Austin, there was room for him, and a gallon of gas."

[Bert]

Mattman: I spent time and a small fortune on building a 3/4 race (still streetable) 1071 Cooper S in 1974. I won every slalom with it until the judges discovered the twin 1 1/2" SU (from an MGB) carbs on it and moved me into 'modified' class. Couldn't keep up with the Lotus Super 7s that were trailered in for those runs. Keeping those motors together was nearly impossible and I had to re-do the valves every 500 miles. And when I think back a stock Festiva would have given that car a run for the money (except on corners and top end) as is. I have photos somewhere and have given all the "S" pamphernalia away to a neighbour that is nuttier than I am through having a real (1973) Mini in his driveway still.

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Bert!

I'd love to have a real Mini--if I could afford to keep it in parts and tyres!

Karl

[mattman]

wow thanks bert

[blkfordsedan]

Here's a picture of the only true Mini I've ever been around. My Uncle built it into a race car back in the 60's....and it's still going. He raced SCCA for many years and won numerous championships in D-Mod. He is now in his 80's and as of last fall still raced it in the Nationals, although he recently sold it to a much younger friend (with better reflexes) who drives it as well. It is now powered by a healthy V-tec that burns E85. The Lotus Sevens still dominate the class, and most are Honda powered as well.