Hi guys, I searched the forum and there's plenty of threads regarding the tire and wheel size our car can fit. The great majority of the threads are regarding looks and stance of the vehicle but very few are about which package grips and handles the best. I am currently running the stock 13's on 185/70/13 setup with my BC racing coilovers all around. The last time I owned a 1st gen was 20+ years ago and I was running 17's (17x7). I believe the tires were 205/40/17 in front and the rear were 225/40/17. I was happy with the way the car gripped and handled compared to the stock rims. I was running Tokiko blue's all around with racing beat lowering springs. I want to run either a 15 or 16 this time around as I think 17 is a little bit too much on the big balla / bling bling status these days. Would I be better off running 16's with a 45 series tire since the lower profile tires tend to have a much stronger sidewall? My goal is to not have to roll the fenders or have rubbing issues so my guess is I would want to stick with a 7 inch wide rim and run anything from a 205-225 wide tire.

 

i feel like the easy setup is a 15x7 with a 205-50-15 tire. 205-50-15 is a common race car size, so there are tons of choices

 

Se (4x114) or gsl/gs/s (4x110)? Depends on your budget too. Could go with watanabes and pay the tax to get the original hand cast lightweight ones in either pattern and yes, 15x7 on 205-50r15 +20 offset is a nice easy setup. I have konig rewinds in that, they run nice. But boy are they heavy.

 

I’m so glad I asked because that is the exact wheel (konig rewind) I was eyeing in either the 16x7 or 15x7 setup. This is for my 1983 GSL with 4x110 pattern. Weight is definitely a big factor for me. The last time around (circa 2002) I was running 17x7 *bling bling* on my 1985 GSL right out of high school. That was the thing back then and unfortunately these big balla wheel companies had no care for how much the wheels weighed. These things weighed a massive amount compared to the stocks (at least double).



QUOTE=swbtm;12646986]Se (4x114) or gsl/gs/s (4x110)? Depends on your budget too. Could go with watanabes and pay the tax to get the original hand cast lightweight ones in either pattern and yes, 15x7 on 205-50r15 +20 offset is a nice easy setup. I have konig rewinds in that, they run nice. But boy are they heavy.[/QUOTE]

 

I appreciate the input. Is that all around for the tires with that setup (no rubbing or clearance issue with the front fenders)? That would be great so I can rotate the tires.

QUOTE=j9fd3s;12646973]i feel like the easy setup is a 15x7 with a 205-50-15 tire. 205-50-15 is a common race car size, so there are tons of choices[/QUOTE]

 

Correct, square setup. Don’t recall any rubbing on the stock inner liners or an un rolled fender. Stock end stops and normal steering box. Using racing beat 1” lowering springs. The plastic hub centric rings i got with the konigs are also helpful for getting things lined up.

 

I have that setup but my car has RB springs that are cut a bit to actually lower the car about an inch or so. In my case the fronts had some mild rubbing when running hard on mountains roads. I had to do a roadside roll of the front fenders to fix it. If you just use RB springs, its not a problem because they really don't lower the car much if at all compared to tired OEM springs that are 40+ years old.

 

On my 84SE, 15×7" running 205/50 Yokohama tires and 30yo RB springs have no rubbing, but the front fenders were rolled a long time ago for another fitment scenario. That said, the SE has a 40mm offset, but sits the same as your 4×110 with standard offset would sit. I think this size is the right fit for 4-wheel rotation, if that's important to you; these cars don't handle well with staggered tire widths for front and rear. I've tried that, and it sucks (*185/60 front and 215/50 rear... what a mistake in my youth!).

 

I went to Kong’s website and it Looks like they only offer a 15x7 with 20mm offset now.

 

Thats what mine are, 20 mm offset.

 

I just bought a set of Konig Rewinds 15x7 in graphite from suspensionhouse.com and got a really great price, something like 107 each, fast shipping too. I have no affiliation just had a good experience.

I got 195/50's.

 

Yeah, my tires cost more than the wheels.

 

If you want to expand your choices on wheels you can use bolt-on adapters/spacers to convert to 4x100. Then you can use just about anything that works on a Miata. That is what I did with my FB racecar so I could share wheels with my Spec Miata.

Konig Rewinds look great tho too.

Carl

 

I also did the 4x100mm conversion. The wheels are lighter and options for flow formed wheel are more plentiful. You will need for more offset than the 4x110 wheels to compensate for the 25mm thick adapters. If you shop on Tire Rack, look for wheels for an early Miata or a 90's VW Golf.

The main thing is that the 205/50x15 is an extremely popular size in motorsports. This keeps costs reasonable while ensuring that tire technology is always cutting edge. There are great options across all tread wear ratings in this size.

As a bonus, the 205/50x15 has the same outer diameter as the 13" tires (23 inches) that were OE on GS and GSL RX7s. This means that they do not introduce any speedometer error.

 

I also have this exact setup of wheel and tire size on rewinds in graphite.

 

That’s awesome that the rims and tires worked out for you guys. My uncle is running 205/50/15 in the rear and 195/50/15 in front on his 15x8 setup. While the rear does look wide and aggressive, I am not a fan of how the fronts look with the tire stretched. If the 205 wide tire doesn’t offer a better grip than the 195 - I too believe it would be the best way to go so you can rotate the tires. I also went on tire rack and the tire choices are great! 😁👍

 

I have Konig Rewing 15x7 fitted with Toyo R1R in 195/55/15.
These things are insane AND for me in France they are road legal (same diameter as the 185 tires on the 13" original wheels).

 

I checked the website and it appears they don't have the option for the 1st gen rx7. Did you have to special order them or are they simply out of stock now?

 

I see them on the konig site:

https://konigwheels.com/products/kon...45397729444068

I got mine off amazon in 2016. Tirerack and discountire are shown as venders caring them.

https://www.discounttire.com/buy-wheels/konig-rewind

 

Thanks for the info, it's greatly appreciated. I will be going the Discount Tire route since there is one in town. I feel better having them order the wheels and also going over the tire options available for me. Looks like 195/50/15's are the way to go to avoid any rubbing issues. In my experience; I have always had good luck with running 45's in terms of best steering and handling performance due to the stiffer sidewall. Would 195/45/15 be too thin of a tire creating unwanted fender gap and ride harshness?

 

https://suspensionhouse.com/search?q...s&_ss=e&_v=1.0

I searched for them by name rather than application. Looks like they are 137 each right now. They had some discounts when I bought my set... I think if you sign up for their mailing list or something like that you can get some coupons.

Good luck!

 

Awesome, thank you.

 

If you care about your speedo being in the ballpark, that sidewall height would be closest to stock wheel diameter while using a 15" wheel. I put a 13" stock rim with a 175-70-13 tire next to a 15" wheel with a 225-45-15 tire. The 15" combo was about 3/8" taller.

 

My speedo is already off by like 6mph higher. It's weird because the tires are pretty close to factory 185/70/13 on stock "X" wheels. It might be the fact that the car is lowered?

 

The speedo is analog mechanical and can be off by a bit from the factory. Pretty common for back in the 70s/80s. Kind of like how sloppy the steering is compared to modern rack and pinion. Its the charm of an old car. LOL