I maintain that all the common 12" wheel & tire combos are TALLER than the A539 50-series on 13 inch wheels. The black wheel in the photo is a 12 x 5 with Falken 165/60-12. It is AT LEAST an inch taller than than the 13 inch combo mounted on the car! 

To me this says that the 12 inch combos will require MORE body cutting if you want to run low. It also explains why the 12s have the best ride, with their combination of large contact patch and taller sidewall.  They will also work with the big brakes. Sounds like a win-win!  But ooops, the deal killer is my liking of more wheel and less tire! We do make sacrifices for the look we want!

Maybe it's a personal thing. I'm not ever satisfied with the wheel /tire combo I have on my car. It seems I have tried at least 10 different 10 inch wheel and tire combos. I have 4 - 12 inch wheel and tire combos I have been trying. In the past I have had 13x6 and 13x7 with 175 and 205s as well as 10x13 slicks. Adjustable suspension and a willingness to trim sheet metal and add flares is required to run 13s (I feel). My plan now is to buy 4.5 S offset Minilites with 165/70 Falkins. No flares not body trimming and enough tire to get the job done. I'd like to be able to run 145s for comfort but with the power my 1360 Cooper S engine is making I feel a need for more grip.

I spent $18,500. building this car in 2001 drove it 87,000 miles and spent another $8500. last year replacing engine /tranny/brakes/suspension/intake exhaust. I picked up 16 12 inch wheels with mounted tires. Either I'm hard to please or just plain crazy. Steve (CTR)

X2

My references to handling, aren't about grip and lap times. To me, the term "handling" involves subjective factors like steering weight, feel, ease of controllability, precision of placement, and predictability.

On the scores of weight, feel, and ease of control, I think 13"ers are significantly inferior. A lot of what is "Mininess" to me is how tossable and light they feel throwing them around (and the ability to drive them with such abandon, even if it doesn't lead to the best lap times.) A great deal of this is usually lost moving from 10" to 13".

Ride is usually inferior too, due to the unsprung weight differences (5 lbs. is a lot for a Mini) and the design parameters of the Mini suspension. Relatively unsophisticated, and with very limited travel, the Mini depends quite a bit on tire sidewall compliance for springing and ride levelling effects. Reducing the amount of sidewall has a bigger impact on the Mini than "normal" cars IMHO. 

And I am no purist, since both of the Minis I own have 13" wheels. I don't mind them, and I like the looks, but I'm under no illusions that they're better. I don't have that agile feel that is a Mini trademark.

Now that I have 2 Minis, I wish one of them were a 10" or maybe 12" wheeled Mini, but it's too difficult to revert with the wheelwells cut out to accomodate 13"'s. I kind of feel it's an irreversible decision, given the difficulty of restoring the lost sheetmetal. So it pays to think about this very carefully.

 

Yeah, I know. Those are the extreme example of the stated mantra. I just threw in some hyperbole for effect. I promised myself I'd stop going for the easy ones. I'm so ashamed. 

 As shown, I liked the look, too. Knowing what I know now, I just wouldn't do it again.

 

Lol. I would hardly call 13x7's anything comparable to a Donk...

That's what I thought, too. It's why I went to 13's, thinking that they were necessary for my (then) planned B Series VTEC conversion (later completed).

 I was wrong, as proven by several conversions done without 13's. 

Whilst 9.5" vented rotors and four pot calipers are impressive, much smaller setups stop Se7en and Miglia racers successfully from racing speeds repeatedly.

IMO, only if you plan frequent track days running high speeds consistently or if you're going to hammer down back roads at triple digit speeds (like some conversion shop proprietors I know), might large brakes be 'mandatory'. It's the 'mandatory' part I'm questioning, not the looks or mental comfort of "big brakes" as Jemal put it. Shoot, that's most of why I went that route myself!

As far as contact patch is concerned, wide 10's can handle D-Series conversions and B-Series conversions can overpower 13's anyway.

If you like "...the look of more wheel and less tire", and feeling every expansion joint you run over, reference Air2air's post and go for it. It's your car, and your butt, your back, and the condition of the roads in your area that matter, so go with whatever blows your dress up. But I stand by my experience with 12's and 13s.

Full disclosure: I recently bought a new set of silver 17" rims and tires to replace the 19" chromed ones that came on my newest car. They ride much better and are truer to the original spec than the 19s.

I'm with Jemal on this one. I love the look of more wheel and less tire. Are there drawbacks? Sure. Weight is the biggest drawback, but it's not like a 20lb per wheel difference. I'm currently looking at light weight 3 piece wheels in 13x7 that will be lighter than a lot of 10 inch wheels...

 

For everyone saying that it has a negative effect on handling, I can almost guarantee that you would have just as much fun on a track in my car as you would in a stock mini with 10's... And with the exception of the few on here that actually race their minis quite a bit, I'm sure that 90% of the cars on here have never seen a track. My car with 13x7's, cut fenders, and fully adjustable suspension has seen the track, and I still have a serious blast in it.

It comes down to aesthetics, personal taste, style, and maybe 10% of people on here have actually driven all platforms enough to really know the difference. I had 12's for 2 years, have had 13's for 3 years, and drove a car with 10's for a few months. All have different characteristics, but I love my 13's.

 

 

Well if a VTEC is in your future then the 13's are manditory!

It turns out the A539s on 13 x 5s are within two tenths of an inch of the overall height of the most popular 165/70-10 A008s or Falkens. They probably do weigh marginally more, but I'll bet those tall sidewalls on the 10 inch tires aren't light either.  So IMO it does come down to looks and one other very important thing... the 13s ride harsh!  Not much can be done, the only readily available tire that fits has barely two inches of sidewall.  With a light car it's gonna be harsh!

Here are 13 x 5s on my car with no flares! Yes I modified the front arches and reformed and strengthened the seam at the top (a PO had installed the hideous 6 inch flares and cut out the seam with a skill-saw).  Yes I like the look of big wheels and low profile tires. I'm not alone. You don't see new Vettes with 70 series tires "to improve the ride"! I also like big brakes.  Careful, I'm NOT saying that you just bolt these in place of your 10s and be on your merry way! But my Mark I is lower than many with 10 inch wheels and makes no contact with the body during steering or "normal" driving. Would I hammer it on a bumpy road with dips? Nope!

I try not to be militant about my opinion. I think your Mini looks great in whatever combination you prefer. 

I think Mr. Issigonis and his employers wanted CHEAP! and SMALL! They had no inkling that we would be arguing the merits of their choices nearly 60 years later!

If you drive your Mini a couple of hundred miles a year and are in it for the "look" go with the 13".

Having had all 3 sizes myself, I think 12's are best of both worlds for looks and handling. I personally like wood and picket arches on 12's as it gives a sportpack'ish look without being over the top.

10" wheels were mainly chosen to reduce wheel/tire impingment with the interior space. I wouldn't go too far invoking the opinions of Issigonis, brillant man though he was. He didn't think Minis should have seat belts or be particularly comfortable, either. Nor did he think styling and looks had much value.

And John Cooper did put his name on 13" wheeled Minis, a whole lot of them at the end of the Mini production run.

 

I have a car with 13s, one with 12s, and one with 10s. In almost every situation, I invariably choose to drive the ones with either 10s or 12s. There is absolutely NO COMPARISON!!

Compared to the other two cars, the steering on the one with the 13s is heavier, not as nimble, and on top of that, the 13 inch tires seem to be the hardest to find and the most expensive. Originally, like you, I liked the look of the 13s. But if you plan on DRIVING the car, I think you will regret going with 13s EVERY TIME YOU HOP IN THE CAR!!!

There is a reason Alec Issigonis and John Cooper chose 10s and 12s for minis!! THAT should be enough of an answer for you.

AHHHH!!!!! My eyes! My eyes, yo.

The Mini we have on 12's has a new set of 10's waiting along with the brake conversion kit... I just bought a 2000 Mini (staying in UK) with 12's as we are going to use it for cruising/trips. I refused to even consider buying a Mini with 13's for there are no positives (unless you like the look), just negatives. A good set up Mini on 12's can out perform one on 13's, just as a good set up on 10's can out perform one on 12's. At least that's the way I see it.... Save your money on big wheels/tires and get your suspension correct and buy some A539's.

Having had both, I recommend that you stick with the 12s for the best combination of ride, handling and price.

IMO 13s are out of proportion and look ugly.