Loss of power at Cooper

Hai together, my girlfriend drives a Cooper from 2002 with 8Jx18 ET40 with 215/40/18 and directly after the assembly of the summer bikes (crown-spoke or so) the Mini drives like by rubber bands. Fast overtaking on the highway is no longer possible, depending on the day shape hardly anything goes from 140 km/h. The workshop said: Cooper with automatic and the thick wheels and then still summer temperatures, then the performance is like it is ok. Can this be true that the Mini is only in winter with winter wheels a brisk sweeper and in summer only to show or want to tell us about the horse???? Thank you ovidoc