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Not that there’s anything wrong with the OEM 16’s (it’s been years since I’ve seen mine though. ).
You want to stay OEM, get the 17’s. You’ll be able to run a staggered setup as well.
I've thought about doing the same thing. Nothing wrong with running the stock 16s + spacers.
One thing a lot of people don't seem to realize is how much weight you're adding with aftermarket wheels, which affects how nimble the car feels. Even good quality lightweight aftermarket mainstays like Enkei RPF-1s are heavier in the same size than the early stock FD wheels.
One easy thing you can do to improve the look of the stock wheels is to buy a wheel brush and clean the inside of the barrels. Most owners don't bother to do this and you only see the face of the wheel, since the inside is covered in black dust. Visually, this makes them look skinnier and less beefy.
Not that there’s anything wrong with the OEM 16’s (it’s been years since I’ve seen mine though. ).
You want to stay OEM, get the 17’s. You’ll be able to run a staggered setup as well.
Last time I looked, these were $$$ and not easy to find anymore.
Just a thought OP…before spending anything on your OEM wheels you might want to make sure you have a reinforced set. They’re rare but early production 93 wheels had a tendency to develop stress cracks, usually around the base of the spokes. Mazda changed the castings sometime in 93.
Pull yours off and look for a distinctive ‘Bell’ shape in the casting between the lug nut holes to indicate you have the improved/reinforced version.
Just a thought OP…before spending anything on your OEM wheels you might want to make sure you have a reinforced set. They’re rare but early production 93 wheels had a tendency to develop stress cracks, usually around the base of the spokes. Mazda changed the castings sometime in 93.
Pull yours off and look for a distinctive ‘Bell’ shape in the casting between the lug nut holes to indicate you have the improved/reinforced version.
the wheels have a date stamp on them (along with the Manufacturers casting mark).
i'm being lazy, but i think the light wheels have a different part number, so there is a date split or something like that in the parts catalog
in other words, in theory you can look at the build date of the car, or vin and figure out what wheel you have. although they also would need to be the original ones
1999 Type RB 16" x 8" 50 offset. This would be showroom spec for the 1999 Type RB. BBS Bughatti EB 110 Tribute Wheels (Audi spec) 16x8 offset 15mm. Wheels are also tribute to 1935 Bughatti magnesium wheels. Which in turn mimic Roman chariot wooden wheels. 1995 Option catalogue MAG-R forged magnesium wheels. 16x8 50 offset. Wheels also mimic 1930s Bughatti wheels. Gaps resemble rotors. Wheels also resemble the Japanese imperial crest. Type RS wheels, available on RS and later models from 1996, I believe. 17x8 front, 17x8.5 rear. Toyo Proxis tires 235/45 front/255/40 rear. Tien Tech s springs on Type R Bathurst R dampers, lowered about 10mm. 1996 with BBS wheels. Wheels came in silver or with black paint. This is the silver set painted black. Likely 17" wheels matching type RS fitment. Spacers taking fitment to offset to 15mm likely.
Any other mods needed for these spacers? Extended studs? Fender rolling? Also, what size tires? Appreciate any info, love the look!
Rears you don't have to touch; the fronts you'll need a slight roll. This is how she sits now...255-50-16 radial out back with a 5mm spacer, 225-50-16 tire up front. The 20/25mm spacers came with extended studs.
Last edited by MWillzz; Feb 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM.
Reason: correcting info
Rears you don't have to touch; the fronts you'll need a slight roll. This is how she sits now...255-50-16 radial out back with a 5mm spacer, 225-50-16 tire up front. The 20/25mm spacers came with extended studs.
Not that there’s anything wrong with the OEM 16’s (it’s been years since I’ve seen mine though. ).
You want to stay OEM, get the 17’s. You’ll be able to run a staggered setup as well.
^^This.
My take: I've always felt that as far as looks go, the 93-85 USDM wheels fell short in that department. Especially given how beautiful the FD is. IMO of course
However with all that said, wow spacers massively improve aesthetics:
20mm spacer up front and 25mm spacer in the rear.
^^Nice
Not only did you get pics but also got spacer and fitment info. The forum comes through again! Gotta love this place
Couple of informational points:
- the studs on the hubs aren't long enough to accommodate a "spacer" thicker than maybe 5mm max. The lug nuts need enough threads to securely fasten the wheel to the hub. Depending on the thickness of the center section of your wheels, even that might not be enough.
- A thing call "wheel adapters" exist where it acts as a spacer where but it is thicker and has it's own lug studs. Bolt the adapter to the hub and the wheel to the adapter. Looks like this:
My take: I've always felt that as far as looks go, the 93-85 USDM wheels fell short in that department. Especially given how beautiful the FD is……
Agreed.
FWIW, I think most back in the day ran 245/45-16’s on the OEM 16x8 wheels rather than the stock 225/50’s. A bit more patch and IMO improved looks…at least from the rear. But kept the speedometer relatively accurate. I did this until decent quality high performance summer tires in 245/45-16 apparently became an obsolete size. Maybe that’s changed since, but that’s when I finally pulled the trigger on a set of 17’x 9’s with appropriate backspace. Huge improvement on looks, even better patch. Wished I’d done it years earlier.
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