funkdaddysmack

I've been hanging out a lot lately on the new 323 forum, and when I posted what I plan on doing with my car, the one guy jumped all over me because I'm planning to add 16" rims. The speedo is going to be off a whole .2 percent more than it is now with my 14" rims, so that's not a problem.

I understand that probably 15" is the highest sweet spot for the car, with the stock engine. I'm definately going to do an engine swap (BPT) in a year or two, and I think that anything under 16" would be way too small. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but braden can break traction in third gear with his sweet BPT setup. Minus a couple hundred pounds from his pro to my 323, and traction is even more of a problem. I don't think the 16s would cause any suspension problems because I'm going to do ground controls and tokicos. I don't understand with this setup, why 16s would be less than optimal.

This got me pretty upset, I don't like it when people tell me what I plan on doing is wrong. What do you guys think? Here's the link to the thread.

http://www.mazda323performance.com/read.php?TID=35

Thanks!

mazdaspeedwest

Personally i have 16s with 205/45s, so i'd say it's a fine balance between looks and performance.

Sounds like you want to really race it (BPT and all) so who cares if your going 65 but really going 66.3. Police use a 5mph offset for their radar guns, so you'll be fine there too

funkdaddysmack

Thanks! Now I don't feel crazy! I agree that they are a great balance between performance and looks.

Elchulo

I say go for it!

WeaDD

Who cares what everybody thinks. I think that you own your car and should be able to do whatever you want to it. Plus you're buyin the stuff for car, not anyone else. Get what you like and not what everybody else likes cuz they're not driving it!!!!



Now go back and tell dood man to STFU!!!!!

purplecar

I agree.. I have 16" with 205-40's and i think it looks great.

Michael

Net Seven

If your came with 14"s and you put 16"s on the speedo would be off a lot more than just 2%. Thats 2 whole sizes up. Plus he is trying to save you some trouble. Ask JC he also has a 323 just like you and he had to grind hes struts just so they dont rub. Even though he has strut bars and stuff, he said when he takes corners hard hes car rubes hes tires. That guy wasent jumping all over you, he even said that he wasent. He was just telling you what problems you will have, and suggesting different sizes. If he didnt care if you had any probelms he would just say go for it, even though he did know you would have some problems. Go ahead and ask JC if you dont believe me. He is the one with a 323 and not a protege like the guys here.

Net Seven

Your full of BS, and dont know your stuff. THERE ARE NO 323 WHEEL SIZES THAT ARE BIGGER THAN 15S. J.C. got the thinest 16" tire there was, and it still rubed up. Guess what the tire place says "it is not recommended that you get anything bigger than 15" tires. They also, told J.C. those would fit his nicely. They are also low profile, but there is no such tire that is 16" and thin.

reythm

Well, I just want to chime in and stick up for Dan here and say that the two generations of 323 Hatchbacks are different. 1990 thru 1994, the redesign of the Protege also was passed down to 323 Hatchs. I am not exactly sure of the dimensions of the previous generation's (1986-1989) suspension geometry and such but what I am sure of is the 1990-1994 323 Hatchbacks (1.6L 8-Valve-B6E engine) share the suspension of the 1990-1994 Protege sedans. With that in mind, Dan can run 17's all day long or 155/80/13's all winter long without a hitch. 16's are not a problem. A matter of fact, the suspension of the 323 is akin to the MX3 suspension as well (hence the name: MX3=323 with different skin and longer legs) by the frt lower A-arms increased track of 1.2" and the rear suspension track increased by the same amount. Then Mazda play around with softer springs/stiffer shocks for the front and harder springs and softer shocks for the rear. Stuck on some 205/55/15's and pulled .85g's on the track. Granted there were some adjustments and sway bar differences but you get the point that the early 90's Mazda compacts are no slouch in the handling department. Perhaps this is too much information but let the truth be known or correct me with some respect, not some of the ish I see spit out w/o some knowledge.

reythm

I haven't had a chance to look at my spec sheets but BF does not equal BG. If you can understand that, you're in good shape.

Net Seven

Sorry guys. I over reacted...

J.C. has 17s not 16s so that maybe a little different. Im also not good with tires sizes, I just dont understand the number that good.

To tell you the truth I'd go with 16s for my 323 too if i was getting rims. They do look nice any almost any car.

I just wanted to make the point that that guy at my forum wasent trying to tick you off or anything, he just said what he thinks is the best for a 323, performance wise. Just wanted to clear that up.

Once again, sorry about those posts before.

Sir Nuke

NO your not wrong. Lets look at the basics here....IF you have the proper offset for the wheel that you want to use...you can put ANY size wheel on the car that you want, as long as it fits under the fender, lolm By having the proper offset it will make the clearence you need on the backside...what you have to pay attention to is for that clearance to exist...how WIDE is the wheel you are getting? is it still going to stay tucked under the wheelwell? do you care? those are YOUR choices....as far as the speedo is concerned....you get BIGGER wheels....get lower profile tires....the only thing that is going to effect the speedometer in the end is the diameter of the wheel/tire combination....what was the stock wheel/tire diameter? you can do the math and figure out any combination you want to determine how much off your speedo will be...any reputable tire shop can tell you the diameter of ANY tire they sell. and although there may or may not be many wheels out there in the specific size you want or need that are rediably available in the proper offset for you to bolt them on with NO clearance problems....if you have enough green.....anything can be had. ALSO, consider the weight.....does the bigger wheel/tire combination weigh more than the 15's? or 14's? or whatever came stock? if the rotating mass is more...it will take more power to get them rolling.....keep them as light as possible.

funkdaddysmack

Thanks everybody for your input. I hadn't checked this thread for the past couple of days, so that's why I haven't been posting. Thank you for those of you sticking up for me. For those who are concerned with my speedo being further off, I went to a tire size calculator on a miata site, and 16s with 205/45/16 tires are a mear .2 (or something) percent off from my 195/60/14.

And for the rubbing issues, thank you who chimed in about the 90-94 323s being different from the 86-89 323s. Thank you for correcting yourself about JC, because I know he has 17s on... And I did notice his 'grind job'. But like it was said, the suspension is different. And if people with G1 pros can run on 17s, so can I... but I choose not to. Also, the GTX and GTR 323s (90+) that are running around like in england and stuff most all have 17"s on them. At least owners who buy aftermarket rims. check out http://www.323gtr.nu or whatever it is.

Now, here's my next question... Maybe you can help me on this one Jesse... I'm not very familiar with coilovers. But if I get coilovers, I no longer have that suspension perch where the coil sits on, right? And that's pretty much the only thing I'm close to rubbing under there. Can someone please answer this for me? Everytime I ask it, I never get an answer. Just to claify... If I get coilovers, will the suspension perch be eliminated!

Thank you all again for posting in favor or little ol' me

AiR_SiK

Spring for the 16's man, you won't regret it. I have 16x7's with 40-series tires and I can still deliver pizzas on the rougher roads in the county. So far I've had them for 4 months with no real practicality problems and nothing but props as far as the looks go. If I could do it over, though, I'd go with the 45-series tires. The wheelwells look a little empty with those skinny *** 40's and the extra thickness would provide some better protection for my wheels. That and 45's will probably be cheaper.

purplecar

I just put coil overs on my 90 SE.. I used stock replacement struts i got from NAPA. The spring perches are welded to the struts so i left mine on, but i suppose if you were to grind the welds off it wouldn't be a big deal. EXCEPT... On mine, the sleeve that the coilovers srew up and down on rest on the stock spring perch... Something to think about.. the hex screws that come with the coilovers are not enough to keep the sleeve from sliding down your strut shaft when the weight of the car is on it..

As far as the gap with 40 series tires... look at the pics of my car.. I have MAYBE 1/2 inch gap between my tire and my fender and my car still rides ok with the stock struts. (I understand the struts will wear out fast, but i have a lifetime warranty.. I'll just take them back next summer and replace them if neccessary)

Just remember to break the weld and take the strut bearing off the TOP spring holder.. i forgot for 2 days until i was looking at the leftover parts on the bench.. oops..

Michael
pics of my car