ND Winter Wheels

Technical Area Wheels, Tyres & Brakes
2

Hi all

I usually stick Winter tyres on my car and have recently changed to a ND on 17" rims. 

This time I’m thinking I’ll buy some rims specifically for the winter tyres so as to save my shiny Recaro edition specific rims from getting damaged during the winter months. 

So, I think I need 17"x7 ET45 4x100PCD wheels for my ND 2.0 Sport Recaro. Can anyone confirm that?

Next question is where can I get rims of that spec that

A) Look good…

and

B) Don’t break the bank

Any thoughts?

 

3

https://www.mazda.co.uk/buying-owning/accessories/mazda-mx-5/2015-08/wheels-suspension/9965857070/

 

4

Hi P,

I think you have covered A) but as far as B) goes I think the bank is well and truly bust. 

1 Like
5

Why not some plain steel wheels with winter rubber from the likes of mytyres.co.uk?

saves any worry of lacquer in a exempt set of alloys…

 

and the overall cost works out less, certainly less than swopping rubber on your OEM alloys.

6

Right, after digging around I can’t seem to find the exact spec of wheels I need without breaking the Bank.

Mazda advised me that I need to stick on ET45 wheels, and I suppose for insurance purposes I’d better stick to their recommendation (I certainly don’t want to have an argument with my insurance if it is written off just for them to say that the wrong size of wheels was a potential cause of a crash and thus not pay out).

So I need the following:

17x7J
PCD 4X100
Offset ET45
CB 54.1

Has anyone come across a set of that spec less than ÂŁ500?

7

If you are fitting winter rubber, I’d go for 16" wheel with a corresponding increase in the tyre sidewall.

Have a look at the link above - mytyres.co.uk



8

I’ve already got my tyres, and going with the recommended Mazda specs of 205/45 R17 M+S

 

So a 17" alloy is what I need. 

 

 

 

9

Are any of these any good?  There are 4 sets of 17 inch wheels that range from £370 - £500.  I assume they must have the correct specs to fit your car, given the seller.

You can just buy the wheels without the tyres if you already have the latter.

http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/wheel-tyre-packages-c-397_412_414.html

 

 

1 Like
10

Good spot Tiki. 

They must have added these recently as I didn’t spot them before.

I’ll give them a call to make sure they are the right spec.

Cheers!

 

 

11

Each to their own, but never did understand this winter wheels thing - if it was because you used the car all year round and fitted some winter tyres to give better grip in the snow/ice I could understand.

But the amount you’re looking to spend, in the event your recaro wheels were damaged by salt - you could have had them refurbed twice over.

If you treat the wheels with some sealer/polish/wax and keep them rinsed off regularly I’m sure they’d be fine. 

12

I suppose I want a second set of rims for a couple (or more) reasons:

  1. Winter tires are a necessity where I stay. The MX5 (used most days), as well as my Quattro Audi (used most days) will not get up the hill at the end of my small private road onto a main road without winter tyres when it snows. It makes a MASSIVE difference. So I need a set of winter tyres otherwise the car gets to live in the driveway for some of the winter season. And of course it’s not just snow that winter tyres are good for. They are much better in heavy waterlogged roads; and I’m afraid winters in western Scotland are not very dry; also stopping distance is better in cold conditions irrespective of snow on the ground.

  2. So because of the above, I have Summer and Winter tyre sets. Tyres are much better (and easier) to store on a rim than off a rim. If off a rim, you have to be very careful as to how they are physically placed as well as having to turn them around regularly to stop deformations in the rubber and damaging them. So it’s best to have them on a rim (IMHO).

  3. it costs me around £50 a time to get tyres changed over and balanced on a single set of rims (i.e. when if I’m changing from Summer to Winter tyres) - so that’s £100 a year - for Summers off/ Winters on and Winters Off/Summers On. So, if I plan on keeping the car for say 5 years, then I might as well buy a second set of rims to put Winters on, and then I just change the wheels myself at no cost; making it all cost neutral (assuming £500 for a set of second rims).

  4. It means I can keep my nice Recaro model rims good for the summer.

  5. It’s a bit of fun, having another set of rims giving it a slightly different look in winter. Also I could get a set that doesn’t look so bad when dirty and thus I don’t need to clean so much. 

  6. I’ve been quoted ÂŁ100 a corner to get diamond cut alloys refurbished. So if they were salt damaged then that would be ÂŁ800 to fix (assuming twice over repair) - so an additional set of rims for winter use at ÂŁ500 works out cheaper (And of course the benefits of 2,3,4 & 5 above). 

I dont know if you’ve have the need for Winters where you live, but I can certainly assure the undecided that when needed, they provide a massive improvement in safety & usability of any car; once you’ve tried them it is like a revelation and having a set of separate rims makes sense if you get a set without breaking the bank. 

 

13

I’m with you there, Kennyh! I became a winter tyre proponent many years ago, in the mid 1970s when we youngsters cut our teeth driving in the Peak District. We used to go out in the deep snow just to play (Bikes as well as cars). We quickly realised that tyres mean everything where grip is concerned. I later built a trials car, tyre choice means everything when off-roading. It goes almost anywhere a Land Rover can and other places where 4x4s can’t get.

About five years ago my son and I had almost identical cars (BMW 3 series, 6 cylinder), except mine was an automatic, his was manual. We had an unusually deep snowfall, about 18" overnight. His car was stranded on our cul de sac for three days! It had no grip at all. Mine drove almost as normal; the difference was that I’d fitted winter tyres, he was on “all season” ones. The following year I had sold my car but kept the winter tyres and gave them to him; he discovered that the same car was transformed in the snow. He managed to make it home across the Pennines when hundreds of vehicles, not on winter tyres, became stranded overnight on the M62. Even the police and recovery services’ 4x4s got stuck that night, the police waved my son through as he didn’t need assistance.

He now has a 1 series and soon fitted winter tyres which he decided to keep on all year because they give better grip in the wet, not just snow.

The bigger BMW 330D I own now doesn’t go out in the snow, winter run flats are a ridiculous price and aren’t generally kept in stock anywhere in the correct sizes (larger wheels on the back axle). If one gets damaged, the car could be off the road for days. I have a dead reliable, 16 year old Suzuki Swift 1.0 and a set of Norwegian made snow tyres to get me where I need to go In extreme weather.  I’ve also fitted it with a block pre-heater for those early morning cold starts. The whole car plus tyres cost less than a full set of winter tyres for the Beemer!

I also bought a set of steel winter wheels and tyres for my NB at the end of last winter. They are barely used (still got the the moulding "pips’ on the treads) and cost about a third of the new price because the previous owner’s MX5 failed the MOT just after he fitted them and was apparently not worth repairing. I’ll probably fit them soon. I’m quite looking forward to seeing the car wearing them, black car, black steel wheels.

14

Can you fit the 16" wheels from the 1.5 on the 2.0 with it’s bigger (front) brake discs? I was thinking about this also for winter with some full on winter tyres as it’s going to be my daily drive. 

15

I wanted some winter tyres and wheels for my new ND, mainly as we were travelling to Germany where they are required for “winter conditions”. A web search came up with MyTyres but as I work shifts I phoned them to check delivery and found them totally unhelpful “depends on the courier don’t it”. Phoned Wheelbase and was told “No problem, we offer next day”. Ordered on the web and very soon had a call that the tyres I had ordered were out of stock for a week but they could fit another, more expensive. make at no extra cost so I would get next day delivery. I agreed and my wheels were delivered the next day (a Saturday). Not bad from Oldham to Kent. From my experience highly recommended and my main dealer thinks the wheels look better than the originals. I am having no luck in uploading pictures but my little pic shows a winter wheel.

http://www.wheelbasealloys.com

The only really annoying part was the trip to Germany was completed with no cold weather but when had the recent snow at home my car was in the dealers having the roof that some b’stard cut a hole in replaced. I had a Citroen as a courtesy car (horrible) so still don’t know if my Yokohama winter tyres are any good.

On a slight change of subject. The ND does not come with a jack and the manual shows no jacking points. I used my trolley jack against the front and rear sub frames but is there a recommended jacking point on the sills. I have a slotted “puck” to avoid jacking on the seam but without a clear jacking point I was worried about jacking somewhere that would not take the load. Does anyone know where there is a safe point.