We know that the early FD wheels were prone to cracking where the spoke meets the hub and so Mazda changed the castings. I have several sets of stock wheels and just noticed recently that one set is slightly larger in diameter where the wheel meets the rotor hub. Two sets are exactly the same size as the hub, and the third is maybe 1/16" of an inch larger. You can plainly see it when they are on the car. From the back the wheels look like the "improved" versions, but yet their hub faces are slightly larger.

Does this mean there were in fact THREE different castings or do I have some real oddball wheels?

Original "weak" casting


Updated "strong" casting


My oddball wheels look exactly like the strong ones with the exception that the hub area is slightly larger in diameter where they meet the brake rotors.

 

What are the date stamps on the "oddball" wheels?

 

Didn't think to check. I will look Sunday when I am deciding which set of tires to run on

 

Funny thing is that Mazda used the "weak" casting in 1995 too. I had some wheels off a 95 R2 with a corresponding date stamp in the weak design.

Otherwise Mazda gave the automatic wheels a different part number, maybe that is what you have?

 

I know something Damon doesn't....

From what I understand. There is an automatic wheel, a manual wheel, and the revisions of the two in 94/95. The manual wheel weighs 1.5lbs less than the automatic and the revisions were to prevent the cracking (which most people know)

 

So which is which? I'm going to check casting dates and see what that gets us. But why after the revision would there still be different wheels for auto or manual?

 

What amazes me is that Mazda can make 3 or 4 different castings of the same 16" wheel....and never offer an optional 17 or 18 incher.

-Zach

 

good point Damon. I read it in the scuderani or rob robinnete's site I think a while back.

 

Could the back side have been resurfaced to accommodate for an offset or possibly repaired at a wheel repair center and resurfaced? I send a Conquest rim out to repair one time and it came back where they trued up the wheel and resurfaced the rear of the wheel at the faceplate.


Tim

 

Turns out I'm an idiot guys. The "oddball" wheels are merely the original weak type from Feb 1992. I swore I had checked and the spokes were the new tye, but I was wrong. The hub area is larger as I described, but they are merely the original castings.

 

they offered 17 inch wheels before 1996, just we didnt get them.