Tomshark

I own a 2003 protege LS and I am looking to buy rims and tires. I was wondering what are some of the things I should be looking for. I am not planning on lowering my car, I am debating as to if I should go with 17" or 18"...I am afraid that if i lower the car, the wheels can ride on the car. also, there is the cost factor. I need at least a 17" rim with tires that will be good for winter and long mileage. also are there things on structrual factor I should be looking for? I see a lot of wheels on Ebay for very cheap (700 including tires) anything I should watch out for? lastly, could someone explain me those wheel specfication thing? it is pretty confusing. Thanx ahead of time. I am a complete newbie as u can see.

zadowman

go with 18" inchers the way the wheel well on the protege the 18" look like 16" so with out lowering your car 18 inchers are the way to go. prices vary depending where you go. and i would go to in actual wheel shop and not deal with buying them via internet.

Tomshark

does the wheel fit with the car? i know this sounds like a stupid question but i am concerned about the tiring riding on the car if I get 18"

Redfyre

If you are concerned with snow and using the same rims/tires year round. Then I'd go with a 17 inch. This way you can comprimise between good looks and functionality. You won't want an 18 inch rim as this will force you to get a lower profile tire to keep the same ratio. With a 17 inch you can still have a lower profile looking wheel but still have some more rubber for winter driving.

What size is your current tire?

When buying a rim if you are concerned with strength to weight ratio, look for a forged rim. Cast rims will tend to be heavier to keep the same strength ratio although you can find some that are low pressure cast and heated for extra strength. Cast rims are also cheaper.

If you are concerned with 1/10 of a second times for accelleration then remember that bigger/heavier wheels will slow you down some.

Tomshark

Thanx for your advice. I currently have stock 15" alloy wheels that come on 2003 LX...How

Redfyre

What's the stock tire size? 185/60/15?

Tomshark

i think it is 195/55/15...you can go to mazdausa.com and look under specification. it lists them there

Redfyre

Your best bet is to go with a 205/40/17 tire. Or a 195/50/16 tire. That's your best 2 bets if you want to keep you speedo closest to accurate.

Tomshark

I was wondering what the 1st number meant...does the number represent how wide the tire is?

goldstar

For example:

205/45-16 tire

205 is the tread width in millimeters

45 is the height of the sidewall between rim and tread expressed as a percentage of the tread width (the profile). For example-45% of 205 mm.

16 is the diameter of the wheel in inches on which the tire fits

To choose a tire size yielding the smallest speedometer error go to: www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

02 DX Millenium Red

Redfyre

I currently have 195/50/16's on my P5. Next year I'm looking at putting set of 215/40/17's on my baby.

Tomshark

are you planning on lowering it? I think I am gonna get the body kit 1st before i get the rims...a very difficult choice...Let me know when u get those rims, i would like to see!

Redfyre

I'm looking at putting a set of MP3 or MSP springs in. I only want a small (1" or so) drop so that it's more practical if I want to drive it year round. I don't want to get coilovers 'cause I don't want to adjust it twice a year.

Right now, I know what tires I want (Falken ZIEX-512) but I'm still contemplating rims.