MINUS-sizing ---getting smaller wheels than OEM

[mareakin]

Although this forum is about tires *AND* wheels--It's obvious that the preponderance of tire threads and a dearth of wheels threads.

This thread will be 50% wheels and 50% tires.

LOL...


Anyways, the prospect of getting a 2010 MazdaSpeed3 has me tickled pink. I will be saving up my money for it and I think I may have it in two years time. I love the big grin. So, right now I'm researching the car to see if its really appropriate for the roads of New York City (they're atrocious! many imperfections and the occasional pot-hole too!)

One area of concern is that the ride quality will be stiff and on bad roads, this can be unbearable.

The car comes standard with 18" OEM Alloy Wheels--even though, lowly 16" wheels like clear the rotor/calipers.

So, I was thinking replacing the 18" OEM's with LIGHTWEIGHT 17" wheels with a lightweight tire as well. OFFSET will be kept the same (or close to the same.)

This new wheel/tire combo will weigh a good 10 to 15 lbs. less than stock. This has to help the ride quality! And more sidewall = better ride too!



Do you think is is a bad idea? Do you think handling would be adversely affected too much?

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

I can;t see any problem with this, esp if it clears the front calipers and rotors.

I jsut completed this on my 03 ZX5 and WOW! what a difference!
Originally the car came with 205/50/16's which are the same as what my bmw has. These tires are great in summer for performance, but in winter the suspension (and passengers) take a really good beating over icy and snowy roads.

I found out that the smallest Ford wheels that would fit my application are the 14 inch STEEL wheels from the Tempos and Topazes of the late 80's and early 90's. These are easily attainable in many junk yards for CHEAP or free as many ppl. dont' know their suitability for the Focuses.

I sourced out a set of 185/70/14 inch Kumho winter tires and installed them on my car.

WOW! I cannot believe how smooth the car is to drive, and how effortlessly it plows thru snow and icy roads.

So to answer you q'n, no, I dont' think it would affect handling, unless you were planning on racing your car in winter. One thing you might want to check out, is to see if the car has a tier pressure monitoring system, as you may need wheels that has them.

 

[Steve S]

I am not really into the super low profile tires

 

[CapriRacer]

Directionally, this is towards a better ride, better fuel economy, better hydroplaning resistance, better snow traction, worse dry traction, worse wet traction, and worse steering crispness.

However, a change of this type can be completely overwhelmed by the change in tires. Your OE 18" tires are likely to be pretty good for fuel economy - and not so good for wear and grip. So if you choose to go with a better wearing tire, you should expect the fuel economy to suffer.

 

[eljefino]

I would see what the car comes with in Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the world. Bet there are some smaller rims that clear the brakes.

I assume you're getting quality aftermarket rims; I had some cheezy ones that came on a used car that lacked lips for crimpy weights... and wobbled.

 

[wantin150]

Before you make the switch, research the tire options in both sizes. I know that 18's are usually more expensive than 17's BUT, if you have to downsize to an odd tire size, you may end up paying more for the replacements.

 

[mrsilv04]

Couldn't one simply use a set of wheels off of a standard Mazda 3 model?

They're available in 16 inch (using 205-55-16 tires) and 17 inch (using 205-50-17 tires) versions.

Might be able to find a set somewhere like Craigslist, where someone upgraded to custom wheels and tires, and will take next to nothing for their stock tires and wheels.

 

[Lorenzo]

Sounds like you're dealing with all the right parameters like offset, diameter and weight. Subie owners often want smaller wheels and higher profile tires for similar reasons as you, and caliper clearance is usually the gotcha.

If you take wheels from a standard Mazda 3, are you sure the calipers are the same?

 

[IndyIan]

Make sure the 17" tires you're getting have a more flexible sidewall than your old 18's. I'd think that if you got the same tire in 17" size and 18" you might not be able to tell the difference driven back to back.
All my wheel swapping experience comes in the 13" to 15" range and the only tires that really stand out in terms of ride are my 45 profile 14" tires which are rough and the 80 profile 13" snowtires which are smooth. 55 series 15's were fine and the normal 65 series 14's are fine too, and I don't think I could tell the difference between them.

 

[38sho]

if you go with a lighter weight 17 watch out. Some of them can be weak, so unless you spend big bucks, like 400+ a wheel, I'd stay clear of cheap china wheels, especially when your in a place where you care about bad road conditions...... those are the types of things that ruin a wheel.....

I like the idea of going to an OEM wheel, as they are usually stronger. although IMHO, the sidewall on stock mazda 17's are pretty small themselves....... maybe some nice 16's would be the way to go if you are so worried about ride quality and damaging parts due to bad roads..........

 

[JustinH]

I'm just glad to say that I was able to buy a set of 14 inch steel wheels for my saturn on closeout from tirerack for 20 dollars each.

I even had them mount snow tires on them. Out the door for around $300.