1st Gen R53 Cooper S E36 5 lug conversion

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by ChItalian1027, Jun 1, 2013.

  1. ChItalian1027

    ChItalian1027 Member

    Sep 17, 2012
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    Hey guys, I'm thinking of swapping to the e36 5 lugs. Would it be worth the work and money or am I just thinking its a stupid idea? If I were to swap, I would be able to run all kinds of different wheel set ups and I would be able to put the different wheels onto my e36. Since I daily the Mini I would like to swap wheels for when I occasionally do HDPEs with the Mini. I also have a set of snow tires for the e36 that I would like to use on the Mini since I'm running run flat Continental Extreme Contact DWS, and they are so loud, that it gets annoying at highway speeds.

    TIA
     
  2. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    There are a lot of wheels available for the 4x100 MINI setup. Being Honda used that for years the selection is large.

    Not saying a 5 lug conversion is not possible, seen a few of them. Usually accomplished with an adapter.

    Don't remember the E36 pattern, but something like this would work...

    Amazon.com: Wheel Adapter 4 Lug 100mm to 5 Lug 114.3mm - Pair: Automotive
     
  3. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    I personally think it's a silly idea but since you have a e36 with wheels and tires you can use I say go for it.

    I am wondering if you already have 5 bolt wheel bearings and rotors for this conversion or you are just going to use 4 to 5 bolt on conversion plates?
     
  4. ChItalian1027

    ChItalian1027 Member

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    Nate- it would be nice to be able to swap wheels with the e36 since I hardly drive it because it has a cage and doesn't have an interior just the dash and race seats with no HVAC, I do however drive it to the track. The bolt pattern on the e36 is 5x120, I drove it daily when I first got it when I was still in high school then got the track bug and started getting that ready for the track, then had nothing to drive as a daily so I bought the Mini, and I have snows for the e36 and would like to have the ability to swap the snows on the Mini without having to buy new wheels and tires for the Mini when winter rolls around.

    Dave- I don't have anything yet, but its a swap that I have been considering for awhile now. If I were to do this I would have buy the hub assembly, along with suitable brakes and possibly other parts for this to work. I think I would need adapters for the rear, not quite sure as to what the rear end would entail parts wise.
     
  5. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    The adapters Nathan posted a link to would be much easier.
     
  6. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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  7. DixonL2

    DixonL2 New Member

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    umm, would this work with the e36 offset? You may end up with more "poke" than you bargained for... cool idea though. We've all see the Porsche conversions, Konky had a memorable build-up years ago.
     
  8. ChItalian1027

    ChItalian1027 Member

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    Thank you Nathan!

    Dixon, not sure how much poke I'm going to have, I'm pretty sure this might work with the e36 offset.

    Will be doing more research for some problems that may arise with the conversion. Thanks for the input guys.
     
  9. DixonL2

    DixonL2 New Member

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    IMHO, there are more than enough wheel choices in the 4x100 to make life interesting, but given how cool the Mini looks with many, many wheel designs, I can see how it'd be tempting. Let us know how it goes!
     

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