I bought my MK2 with 17" alloy wheels on it. I think it looks good but I don’t want it to look good, I want it to take around a track in the summer!
So, from what I have been reading smaller is better? Should I go for 14" or 15" in that case for my desired activity?
OR, should I get my 17" refurbished as the seals have gone on them making them unreliable.
Online it looks like I can pick up some 14" wheels for nearly the same price as getting my current set refurbished, but I will then need to get the speedo recalibrated, is this easy to do?
Sorry if this has been asked a lot before. I was looking online and couldn’t find a definitive answer as there don’t seem to be too many MK2’s with 17" wheels!
Pic of car attached so you can see the wheels on it currently (I don’t know if that helps). Also excuse the tree, it’s the only photo I have that isn’t the size of a peanut on a computer screen.
15". 17" wheels are too heavy; Mazda had to commission Racing Hart to make a special lightweight set for the Mazdaspeed turbo version. 15" might not clear the brake calipers if you have Sport “big brakes”. Tyre choice is limited at 14".
Use the tyre calculator on miata.net; you won’t need to recalibrate the speedo if on 185/60 14 or 195/50 15 tyres.
Stop talking about the calibration of the speedometer.
The gearbox has a unit in it that sends info to the speedometer.
The unit in the gearbox is not resetable.
Therefore the speedometer is set for the original 185 x 60 x 14 and 195 x 50 x 15 which are very close on rolling radius. The calibration is approximate
The speedometer as standard will overread the speed a touch to give some cushion to keep your license clean.
In my experiance on a MK2, putting on 14" wheels gives a very nice ride but if you throw the car round corners they let go a touch at speed. Not loosing all grip just a touch of movement.
The 15" wheels and tyres virtualy stop the rear wheels moving out of line.
As advised there is abetter choice of tyres on 15" wheels.
Few 15" wheels are heavyweights; a light 15" wheel would be around 12lbs. An average wheel would be around 15lbs. In comparison, 17" can be 20-22lbs each. Generally avoid wheels with the “polished” rims. Except for BBS, which use a clear anodised finish, most of the other wheels will have a polish lip, sealed by lacquer, which chips easily, leaving the wheels looking spidery a year or two later. Some Minilite-style 15" wheels will kiss the front calipers, due to the shape of the spokes, necessitating either a bit of grinding of the calipers, or, preferentially, fitting thin shims (spacers).
What are you talking about? MX5 as you know very susceptible to unsprung weight. It is a fine balance that will be upset by the use of standard weight wheels.
The affordable(cheap) wheels will be a used set removed from an MX5
Proven MX5 lightweight 15" is the way to go but don’t crash the car - they all break when rammed into a kerb, etc.
Mazda’s own production track car, the M2-1001, came with 15lb 15" Panasports; a very strong wheel. It handled fine.
I’d take an average weighted wheel which had correct fitment, over some 10lb stanced wheel missing its spigot rings. But others are free to make their own buying decisions.
I find it is well worth looking on Rimstyle.com where you can put your make and model in and it will show a list of brand new wheels and if you click “add tyres” it will allow you to buy as a package fully fitted. Their prices are much lower than you would think , making second hand wheels a bad buying choice. For instance if you look for 15" wheels , a set of Calibre motion 2 wheels with premium tyres come out under £500 and I can attest to the quality of this wheel as I have had a set for use fitted with winter tyres and they showed no corrosion over last winter.
Great to hear you like the Calibre Motion 2’s! MX5 Parts have them with tyres for as little as £430 at the moment, but not in the dark grey that I would like. Going to send them an email and ask when and if they have them in stock in grey.
Otherwise I have found some MGF wheels on Ebay that look really good, and if I am correct will fit the MX5 for only £120 for a used set, but then I will probably do my own refurbishment job on them with sandpaper and bondo afterwards. Hopefully selling my set would cover that set at that point.
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the motion 2’s though. I was trying to find a review site for wheels but that doesn’t seem to a common thing!
MX5 wheels have a PCD of 4x100mm. MGF (aka Metro hubs); 4x95.25mm (bit of a giveaway that they are not metric), so you won’t even get them on the studs.
So we’ve gone from “I don’t want it to look good, I want it to take around a track in the summer” to “I have found some MGF wheels on Ebay that look really good, and if I am correct will fit the MX5 for only £120 for a used set, but then I will probably do my own refurbishment job on them with sandpaper and bondo afterwards”.
If you want a cheap set of wheels good for the track, then this would be a good choice
With regards to the Calibre motion 2 wheels that I had with winter tyres , I was using them over winter 2018/2019 on my Focus RS which was my daily driver and despite the salt on the roads when I took them off and returned to my summer wheels I was amazed to find absolutely no corrosion on the wheels considering the price of them. I was so impressed that this year I have already purchased a set of 17" in Gunmetal with Hankook winter tyres for my Fiesta ST which is my daily driver now.
As I have just purchased a NB 1.8 vt Sport which I intend to do occasional trackdays as well as lots of summer road use so I will be buying another set for that fitted with Michelin pilot sport 3 tyres which will cost £570 from Rimstyle.
These are available in gunmetal aswell and I still have not made my mind up whether to have silver or gunmetal.
Well, the MGF wheels were in good condition with tyres. Wouldn’t need a refurb but I would want to make them gunmetal eventually. I want this car for tracking once a year and pleasure so I don’t want it to look awful, and if I can put a little effort into making it look better without being judged by you I will. Thank you.
I’d go with 14’s as they give a great ride and good grip while allowing a very adjustable, predictable tail. An MX5 isn’t about so much mechanical grip you can’t break away.
List of standard wheels, with their sizes and weights: https://www.miata.net/faq/wheel_weights.html - note that weight is shown in pounds, because 'Murica, but otherwise an excellent page for standard kit.
