Okay, I'm buying a set of these. Should I go for the 17's, or are they too much?

Thanx,
-Spencer

 

Forgot to attach the pic...

 

16s, 17s would look out of place.

 

Definitely 16's. 17's are overkill on an FB IMHO.

 

ok look at it from a can get kinda view. i have 15's and a ok selection of tires, 16's will be hard to find a 40 and a 17 in a 30 DAM. I think the 15" looks right in the wheel well. 16 is a big rim and a 17 is HUGE on a 1st gen... plus it is a -se right? i havent seen a 16 or 17 in a 4x110mm

 

15", I think they'll look better in the wheel well. Plus you can go with 205/55ZR-15 tires. That's what I'm going to this spring. Well, that or 225's :p

--matt

 

Well u dont need 40's for a 16 inch tyre, i got 50's on mine and a 17 inch wheel can have 45's not need 30's
16inch 205/45's would fit a bit easier at the front tho, but 50's r only a bit bigger than 14inch 205/60's that stock Mazdas were sold with. Id put 225/50's on the rear, larger diamter, faster speed, wider tyre, more grip and a popular sized tyre

 

Do you have aftermarkets on now? If so what are you doin with them and are they 110's

 

In my opinion I beleive 15's aren't worth the upgrade, and this is why. If this is and -se you have 14's stock. Why spend all that money for one inch difference. A larger rim changes the look of the car and there are many 1st gens with 17's. Personally I have 16's and they look fine but I regret not getting 17's. But the rims I choose didn't come in 17 inch. See what kind of deal you can get and that will also be a factor later on. Personally I like the VOLK Racing wheels in the gunmetal of gold finish maybe later on I'll think about changing to a new look. Good Luck!!

www.portugesethug.homestead.com/jim.html

You've probably seen this link b4 but maybe it will help on a tire decision.

 

I'm thinking 15's, but not sure....

Jimmy: Do your 16's rub? Don't you have your fenders rolled?
Let me know. I'm thinking of going this route as well.

smnc: Where are you getting those rims and how much?

 

More Questions for Jimmy...

What width are you running, and what springs do you currently have? I'm looking into going with 16x7 Konig Rated R hopefully with 205-45/16F and 225-45/16R on a 40mm offset.. Does this sound right? the big question is clearance...

Damn those look cool....

 

D. 13".


- PJ ( )

 

my rims are 16x7 inch
tires are dunlop sp sport W10 205/45/16
no rubbing at all, my winter tires are 225/60/14 in the rear and 195/60/14 in the front they don't rub either. In my opinion get wider tires for the rear. and I had 235/65/14 before on the rear and they still didn't rub, as long as you don't pass 205 in the front you'll be okay. One day I'll try 215 in the front and I'll check for any rubbing. I want to go wider eventually.

 

17s!!!



205/40/17s front and 225/45/17s rear

 

The rims are 15x7", 16x7.5", or 17x7.5"

I'm kinda partial to the 16s, and I'm thinking 205/50's on the front and 225/45's on the back, and I can get those sizes.

I'm getting them from Discount Tire Direct , which has a HUGE selection of rims for GSL-SE's, but sadly no non-SE rims (at least not last time I checked).

I think the 15's are out of stock right now, but the 16's are $65US and the 17's are $75US

-Spencer

 

I have 16's on mine 205/45/16's and love them
When I got my rims (like 2 years ago?) they didn't have any DOT Legal R Compound tires in the 17" size I needed. Now they do
so when I get my next set of rims, they will be 17's

Just don't put big rims on a car with drum rears!! eeewww!!!

 

Is that for the 110 pattern? If so when are you getting rid of them?

 

Sorry, for the GSL-SE only they also have the Hunda pattern too. extra holes, less weight!

 

I could fit these on my new rims

Lol!!!

 

Ugh, the headaches. Okay, to sift through all this.

First gen GS and GSL models are a bolt pattern of 4x100mm and GSL-SE are the 4x110 pattern?

Second, the rims you all are quoting are for the more readily available 4x110?

Thirdly, if this is the case (or if the case is opposite the numbers I posted) could it be arranged to swap front suspension with a GSL-SE? I know that one could do a rearend swap and gain LSD and the preferable bolt pattern.

Thanks for clearing this stuff up.
Chris

 

Close.. all but the GSL-SE have an obscure 4x110 bolt pattern. The GSL-SE has a much more readily available 4x114.3mm (4x4.5") that the 80's style Mustangs had. You can swap suspension bits from the 12a cars to the -SE equivalent and gain the LSD and rear disks, as well as the nicer bolt pattern, and it's been done alot from my understanding.

 

GSL-SE= 4x114.4 (maybe .5, I forget)

all others= 4x110 (hard to get wheels for)

 

If all you care about is looks, get 16's, 17's, 20's--whatever.

If you want to have better handling, stick with 15's.

Sport Compact Car did an article on plus sizing rims a few months ago and found a decrease in handling performance with the lower sidewalls the larger rims require. For best handling you want a bit of sidewall there to flex.

my $ .2

 

Wow! Thanks guys. You guys rock! Okay, so the bolt pattern I want is 4x114.X and the GSL-SE has this. It is also possible to swap out GSL-SE parts with my GS parts to gain this favorable pattern. All around, the concensous is to stick with 15" rims. That having been understood, what are the other dimensions I will need to know for when I go about looking for rims? Also, what is a ballpark figure for finding good quality GSL-SE parts for the suspension/rearend swap, and how difficult is it for one of little (pronounced no) knowledge to install themselves?

Thanks as always for the info,
Chris

 

So Any Final decision on what size you're gonna get?
Did you finalize what rims you've choosen?