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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / March 2008Alloy Wheel Options?
Hi, I apologize for the length of this message but I wanted to get all my thoughts in one post. I have a '90 Yellow Miata with 95,000 miles and going strong here in the Northeast US. The Mazda Alloy Wheels that came with the car have gotten cruddy over the years. Here is the sad part. I never realized they are painted and I used some very abrasive scrubbing pads to get the gunk off. Now I have penetrated the paint because it a dark black crud and normal automotive products have little effect cleaning them up. I also need new tires. OPTION 1 - Keep the wheels and recondition them. I have been quoted $150 to recondition each wheel back to near new condition. If I do that, I would just get 185/60R-14 tires and I'd be happy, but out $600 for the wheels. My good note is that the car would look like the day I picked it up. OPTION 2 - Keep the wheels and clean them. Maybe there is some interim cleaning method that will mask the underlying problem but make them look good through the summer. Perhaps a power tool and some coating over the surface. I would still get 185/60R-14 tires and I'd be happy, but save on getting new or reconditioned wheels. OPTION 3 - Get new Wheels and Tires from Tire Rack. They recommended KOSEI because its Japanese and light and looks good on the Miata. I have been looking at the KOSEI K1 RACING, KOSEI K3 and KOSEI K1 TS. Unfortunately, the K1 RACING does not come in 14x6, like the other two wheels. This might be too dramatic a change to the original handling parameters that I have come to love. If I go with a new wheel and tire combo, all mounted and balanced from Tire Rack, should I stick closest to the original size wheel and tire? CURRENT MAZDA ALLOY WHEEL: MAZDA ALLOY 14"x5.5" - Offset 45 - 12.3 lbs. ___________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDED NEW WHEELS: KOSEI K1 RACING ALLOY - 15"x7" - Offset 38 - 13.5 lbs. Requires a bigger tire than I use. KOSEI K3 ALLOY - 14"x6" - Offset 38 - 9.3 lbs. KOSEI K3 ALLOY - 14"x6" - Offset 38 - 10.6 lbs. NOTE: I have no idea what OFFSET means or the different wheel weights compared to my 12.3 lb Mazda Alloys. > Hi, I apologize for the length of this message but I wanted to get all > my thoughts in one post. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > happy, but out $600 for the wheels. My good note is that the car would > look like the day I picked it up. I would not do that. You can find used sets of OEM wheels cheap, often with very few miles on them, and this gives you a chance to go up to 15 inch wheel, which is the minimum I would choose simply because of tire choices. Even if you want to keep the original look, I saw a set of 7-spoke Miata 14" alloys in beautiful condition for sale for $100.00 total on Craigslist last month. > OPTION 2 - Keep the wheels and clean them. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 185/60R-14 tires and I'd be happy, but save on getting new or > reconditioned wheels. You could bead-blast and then paint them. Gotta be careful with the center caps, they can get brittle after 18 years. > OPTION 3 - Get new Wheels and Tires from Tire Rack. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > If I go with a new wheel and tire combo, all mounted and balanced from > Tire Rack, should I stick closest to the original size wheel and tire? That is up to you. My Miata came with the same size wheels that you have and is now running 16X7's. Larger wheels equal more tire choices, more expensive tires, bigger brake clearance for upgraded brakes, and for any given wheel, any additional size also equals more weight. > CURRENT MAZDA ALLOY WHEEL: > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > NOTE: I have no idea what OFFSET means or the different wheel weights > compared to my 12.3 lb Mazda Alloys. This explains offset very well. http://www.miata.net/garage/offset.htm 45mm is optimum for your car, and as long as you stay within 14 to 17 pounds, that is great, but lighter is always better as long as the wheel stays strong. I would either find some OEM wheels for sale, or go with one of the Tire Rack wheel/tire packages. There was a discussion on this topic here recently. Pat Unfortunately, the K1 RACING does not come in 14x6, like > the other two wheels. This might be too dramatic a change to the > original handling parameters that I have come to love. Oh yeah, no question that the Miata is very sensitive to over-sized wheels. The 16X7's that I have are very lightweight, but the car does lose some of the "tossability" that the original width wheels and tire provide. Going from 14 to 15 inches won't hurt anything as long as you don't take the weight up too much and stay with the stock 45mm offset. Same with 16's. The main change comes from using wider wheels and tires like I have. I notice a small change when I put my 15X6" alloys on. The 15X6's are a little heavier than the 16X7's, but the car still becomes a bit more nimble with the narrower wheel and tire. Pat In article <b78fc24b-6de5-4bce-9069-dbf841efe2f3@n77g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, > OPTION 3 - Get new Wheels and Tires from Tire Rack. The optimum size for an otherwise-stock NA Miata is probably a 195/50-15 tire on a 15x6.5 wheel. Wider wheels are heavier (as you'd expect). Rota and Konig make good, strong 15x6.5 wheels in the 12-pound range, and the Konig Rewind (15x7, 14.5 lb) is a replica of the Minilite wheel of the '60s that inspired your OEM Miata wheels. Tire Rack is a fine vendor, but their selection of light wheels is limited; try machiii.net or good-win-racing.com for more choices and better prices. Both also offer wheel/tire packages.  SignatureLanny Chambers St. Louis, MO '94C I like getting use out of things that still have life in them, but having your wheels reconditioned at the price you were quoted really doesn't seem cost-effective. I would have considered it at maybe $60 a wheel, but good-win-racing.com (for example) has a wide selection of wheels priced at or less than that $150 per wheel, and I'd bet what they offer is pretty good. Not that I'd just throw them out. You can get set up with a spiffy new wheel & tire combo, and then either experiment with fixing them up yourself at your leisure, sell them cheap to someone else who is interested in doing that, maybe use them as your snow wheels in the winter, etc. Eric Eric = smart guy ;-) Chris 99BBB > I like getting use out of things that still have life in them, but > having your wheels reconditioned at the price you were quoted really [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Eric Based on the replies, I think I will first discover if the exisitng wheels are compromised or if I can have them successfully cleaned and not reconditioned. Right now they look blacks from all the road wear. Regards getting a replacement, I now understand that I must maintain the OFFSET of 45 and be close to 12 Lbs in wheel weight. Does Mazda offer a recommendation on these wheel/tire parameters, which I might check with a dealer or download from someone's web site? Thanks Pat In article <4d407d17-7446-42d3-928d-5b40fb4d7a40@m34g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>, > Regards getting a replacement, I now understand that I must maintain > the OFFSET of 45 and be close to 12 Lbs in wheel weight. "Must" is a little strong. Offsets around 40mm are fine, and as low as 30mm is OK. Lighter wheels work better than heavier ones, but 12 pounds seems to be a sweet spot in the balance between light weight and cost. FWIW, the steel wheels of a base model Miata weigh 18 pounds. Many people use these in winter with snow tires. SignatureLanny Chambers St. Louis, MO '94C |
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