Alright.

It is time for me to upgrade the brake system on my FC and go 5-lug. But, I will also be buying my new rims and tires when I do it.

I am thinking of buying either 215/50/16 or 215/45/17 for tires.

But, what size rims should I go with? I believe I will need a 16x7 or 17x7 in order for it to fit without problems.

Show me some pics of your rims and how much they cost. I don't care about weight too much, I don't want to massively outweigh my stock 14" rims now...but a little weight is fine. I don't race my car at all, just drive it daily and would like something that looks nice and isn't going to make me cry to look at the bill on.

 

I'd go with 16.....Mantis(sp?) had some on his car and they looked boss!!!!

 

16, they look just as good but they you can get tham a lot lighter.

 

nnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooo... you can go 235 front and 255 rear with out problems on 17x8's
215's just look small.
did u see my car?

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...postid=2054247

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...postid=2039495

not bad for $350

 

I have some custom built 16,7 and 8 Gram Light 57C's. Only one set in the US in silver. They are +33 up front and +38 rear. You can run 225/50 and 245/45.

If you're looking for optimal performance out of a 16" this would be the way to go. Very light too.

ardwholesale@hotmail.com

 

I was looking at the prices and I can get 16" and 17" tires for nearly the same prices, literally $12 difference per tire.

Wouldn't the 17" tires offer better handling and cornering overall when compared to the 16" rim/tires?

I am looking for the best overall handling and cornering increase without shelling out $1000 on rims. Weight isn't a big deal to me, like I said, unless we are talking double the weight to go to 17" rims.

What size 235 and 255 did you use on that car?

I also want to keep as close to stock o.d. on the tires as possible. I like having my speedometer acurate. The cops like my car enough as it is, I don't need to forget about the difference in it and get pulled over.

 

235/40 r17
255/45 r17

 

Why would 17s provide better handling? Lower profile handles better and you'd have to run a lower profile on 17s. Then again, less unsprung weight handles better and accelerates better. Wider rims handle better. If you change your diameter you can change the speedo gear in the transmission.

 

Does Mazda or a local parts store offer optional speedo gears for our tranny?

I haven't looked or begun to research it yet, being that it is nearly midnight where I am at.

I may go with 16" rims, if I find a good deal on a set. But, I have some time before I make my purchase, so I will keep looking.

Thanks for the help so far. How about some more pics of sweet looking, cheap rims.

Also, anyone know of some good stock rims (other brand) that may fit our cars? I know alot of cars use the 5x4.5 (5x114.3) bolt pattern. Maybe I could find some OEM rims from something else that will fit....

 

275's on a 17 x 9.5
235's on s 17 x 9

 

use some fd rims, got em on my car and everyone says it looks pretty sick. had to change the studs and use some spacers up front but it worked.

 

I thought about FD rims, but the rims cost almost as much as aftermarket 17" rims I am looking at (depending on where I buy the FD rims at) and then I have to buy the spacers, which don't appear to be cheap. Why invest more money for OEM rims when aftermarket ones will fit the stock studs w/o spacers?

Plus, I have also seen a couple posts about the spacers breaking and causing problems along those lines.

 

If you are getting 17 inch aftermaket rims for the price of a set of used FD rims, those are pretty shitty aftermarket rims.

i don't know what you can get for 400 bucks for 17 inch. Maybe some taiwanese knockoff at pep boy's ricer section

 

BBS wheels can be had (used of course, not totally new) or some cheaper new rims can be had.

I guess you guys have a different look on this than I do. I could care less about the weight difference....this is a daily driver car that still has AC, power steering, and working air pump.

Instead of pulling everything out of the car that was original to create more power by reducing the draw on the engine, I have spent time and money restoring mine to perfect factory working order.

I just want some newer looking rims for my car b/c the 14" wheels on there are in rough to moderate shape, could use some work and it is getting harder to find decent 14" tires anymore.

Just hit Ebay for generic 5x4.5 or 5x114.3 rims and you will find lots of auctions for rims from $400-1900 + shipping. I don't plan I buying the cheapest rims possible....but I don't want to spend $1000 on rims alone. I can't afford it on a college budget.

I can get used FD rims for a couple hundred bucks, but then I have the same oxidized look that my current rims do (unless nearly new) and I also have to invest in spacers to make them work. Why do all that effort when for the same total price, I get new rims w/o the risk of the spacers breaking?

 

http://www.mazdaformance.com/rx7.htm

If you go to the clearance section on the above link, you will find new 5 lug wheels from the '91 RX-7 coupe for $80 each (plus shipping). They are 15 inch in diameter though.

I purchased some original 15 inch GXL wheels from here:
http://www.mazdasurplus.com/
(The site appears to be down right now...)

There are some good selections here:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com

In the 16 inch diameter, the Rage Breaker and Enkei RSF2 are pretty nice. There are several choices in the $100 range per wheel. (Free shipping too)

Don't forget about this place either:
http://www.tirerack.com

 

see the picture...

 

see the picture...

 

see the picture...

 

Got these for $40 each...

 

what would i have to do suspension wise to fit 8.5 or 9 inch rims in the back?