I have debated many times over with myself on removing the 13 inch wheels from my Rx2 and putting on a nice set of mesh 15's as usual. And upgrading to 5 lug and T2 brakes. But I love the idea of having the car low and having enough room still for a meaty tire. Plus the weight of these wheels are next to nothing. Smaller tires equals even more rotating weight loss as well with enough side wall for traction.

The only thing I don't like is the 4x110 pattern limits me. I would love to put a much nicer set of brakes on. I have a few ideas on doing a custom set up, I'm just not sure if its worth the effort.

Anyone here go from 13's to 15's and regret it? Notice a loss in acceleration?

 

I went from 13s to 14s for tires avalibility.

 

13 is perfect for rx2.

anything bigger is too big. just look at australia and all of their roller skate cars.

 

14" is doable as well...

 

Proper offset is key, but your biggest issue with 13's is tire selection. Even 14's are becoming scarce. I'm putting 15's on my stuff, and going to drop the 4x110. Sad, too, because I have a few sets of wheels I'd really like to use- 13in Hayashi's, 14 inch Meshies, 14 Panasports... It all comes down to offset, and tire size.

 

All very good points. I think ill just stick with my 13's until I "out grow" them. I have a set if Panasport 13's and enkei 92 style 13's right now.When i get tired of hunting for tires, ill throw some old school mesh15's on there and go with the T2 set up then.

 

15" starts to get on the heavier end too (for those who care)

 

And that's why I'm hesitant about them. I'm such a weight **** too. I do love the look of 15" enkei 92's on just about anything old school. But this car will remain all motor for quite a while. And I dont want the heavier wheel and tire robbing me of power.

Anyone know what 15" enkei 92's weigh with your average 225/50/15 tire? Or similar...?

 

An excellent choice, in my opinion, is the 1983 RX-7 Limited Edition wheels, 14 by 5 1/2. I have been running a set of those on my 1984 RX-7 GSL since 1997, and I get a lot of compliments on them.
A friend of mine has a turbo Geo, and he is making some adapters so he can put the Limited Edition wheels on the Geo. He photoshopped them to see how they will look. These wheels should be fairly easy to find, worth about $50 a wheel.

I recently swapped my 84 RX-7 to a Skyline straight six, and I am moving up to the 2nd gen 5 lug hubs and brakes with a set of the 15 inch BBS convertible wheels, primarily because I need more rubber on the rear to get the power down. The bigger brakes will also make a BIG difference in stopping power. If you plan to drive the car really aggressively, or have a lot more power than stock, I recommend the big brake swap. I actually designed and engineered the big brake swap back in 2003, with the help of my machinist friend, and described it in detail with photos on the forum, then a couple of years later kits magically appeared on the market. I am buying the parts from Respeed this time because my machinist is too busy to make them. You can see the photos on my Cardomain page.

 

For your additional info:

The 14 inch Limited Edition wheel weighs 13 1/2 pounds

The 15 inch BBS convertible wheel weighs 12 1/4 pounds. I don't know of any wheel of any size that is suitable for street use and is lighter than these. I ran these on my V8 powered 84 RX-7, with BFG G-Force tires, 205-50 in the front and 225-50 in the rear, and was very happy with the performance on dry pavement. With that V8, the car was not much good in the rain.

Because of the much larger discs, the big brake swap will add some weight, but I don't know how much.

 

Hmmm... I have always liked the vert wheels too. But I wonder what the tire weight difference equates to?

I already have the RE speed big brake kit and all the necessary turbo 2 parts. I would just have to get the rear stuff which I wanted to do anyway to use the Moser axles.

I am a machinist as well, so I was planning on drilling and slotting the rotors myself to remove as much excess weight as possible.

The car will be a "streetable" 12a PP real soon until I finish my other project motor.

 

i think any size up to 16" looks ok on old school mazdas (well, well, i just so happen to have 16's on mine). though the larger wheels need to be carefully chosen and the ride height slammed or else you do get that 'roller skate' look.

and 13's with low profile tyres (say, under 60) look weird. good thing about the lil' wheels is you can get a style to match the car's year.

unsprung weight is probably the least of your worries considering you won't be making any power until 5-6,000rpm. i'd say brake performance should be a priority unless you're sticking to first gear around the streets.

machine up your big brakes, go a 5x114.3 pattern and your world of wheel choice opens up.

 

+1 I Think 16's can look ok if the stance is correct and the wheel choice is good!!! I still think 15's are the perfect choice for old school... my $0.02