My son is looking to get a 1.5 RF
Only thing he dislikes are the tiny wheels.(whic I admit do rather ruin the look of the car).
Is there a 17" wheel and tyre that is a popular upgrade here? or should he wait for a set of used RF 2.0 17" wheels?
Thank you for any suggestions.
There is a set of ND wheels in the for sale section.
Several years ago a mechanic told me that if you change the overall diameter of the wheel (tyre included) then you have to adjust the speedometer drive as it will not read correctly.
One revolution of the larger wheel means the car has traveled further than if on the small wheel. Therefore the speedometer will report a lower speed than the car is actually travelling at.
I think the solution is to change the speedometer drive gear ratio.
This was based on a Ford XR3i.
I donât know if this applies to modern Mazda cars.
Worth checking out rather than a traffic camera letting you know.
Clive
The difference between a 195/50x16 and a 205/45x17 is about 1.5% so hardly worth worrying about and is an upgrade Mazda will sell you if you wish.
When I purchased my new MX5 from Mazda they wouldnât fit the larger 17â wheels. They pointed out the small print âonly available for 2ltr carsâ.
I checked this at the time with two other Mazda dealerships who confirmed they could not supply them for the 1.5ltr
Opinions differ naturally, but perhaps, given the 1500cc ND has a similar (relatively) piddling PTW ratio as my '93 Mk1âŚ17" might be a bit overkill anyhow. A lot of the point to point âperformanceâ emanates from itâs rather exquisite chassisâŚnot massive " âlook at me stanceâ boots.gt
If he does go for âsize 12âsâ Iâd urge him to get an alignment adjustment to ensure the footprint is optimised.
Thanks for replies. It really is a visual thing as we both feel the 16" wheels on the 1.5 spoil the lovely look of the car. They look way too small in the wheel arches. A few people I know have said the same. My friend had a Golf GTI and it had 18" Monza alloys⌠The exact same car was also available with 17" Monza alloys, Also a lot of 205 Gti 1.6 owners put the larger 1.9 alloys on their cars too with no reported problems. so Iâm not sure the milometer would have been an issue.
However, if it really is an issue, he may opt for something else as the 2.0 version is quite a bit more on insurance for him unfortunately.
Indeed, but this is not a case of âmassive; look at meâ⌠its a simple cosmetic upgrade that is perfectly acceptable and works with the chassis on the 2.0 version. The weight difference between the rag top and RF version is substantially greater than the different from 16" to 17" alloys tbh and no one is questioning that?
Itâs interesting that this is reflected through different dealers suggesting it isnât a configuration supported by Mazda, would changing that aftermarket have potential insurance cover knock on issuesâŚ?
I donât know about insurance. I suppose itâs possible that an insurance company may see the possibility of potential increased cornering speed and therefore greater risk.
As Mazda state only 2ltr cars then putting the larger wheels on a 1.5 could be seen by an insurance company as a modification rather than the addition of an accessory.
Guess the only way to get that answer is to ask an insurance company.
Oh, and the other possible issue might be that as Mazda say only 2ltr, fitting them after market but within the cars warranty period might mean that any suspension related issues would be challenged by Mazda as chargeable as they may claim the issue was caused by fitting the larger wheels.
I know this is unlikely but Iâm afraid I have developed a mistrust of main dealerships after 45 years of using them across a number of different brands.
Such as the suspension bush wear issue.
I took a look at the new car configurator for the MX-5 and all bar one of the 17" alloy wheel options are stated as only being suitable for 2.0 engined models, the one exception being the 7x 17", Design 159, bright dark finish, which isnât caveated.
Thank you. I looked that one up and its the Standard 17" alloy wheel for the 2.0 RF. Thatâs exactly what he wants. (Just thought there might be other options).
I can only look at the online configurator and for the 17" wheels it says âOnly applicable on vehicles with 2.0 engineâ. However this means that if you are ordering the 1.5 engine car from the factory it only comes with 16" wheels, it doesnât mean that you canât fit 17" subsequently.
Might be if the 2.0 didnât suffer from suspension bush (actually spherical bearing) failure too.
Actually the phrase is âOnly applicable on vehicles with 2.0 engineâ and means that if ordering the car from the factory the 1.5 only comes with 16" wheels and 17" are not an option. Doesnât mean you canât fit them subsequently.
Agreed. If an owner wants to fit any wheel itâs upto them. They could be secured as Accessories by the dealer, although saying that the same caveat is there for purchase via the Accessory route. Itâs like Mazda donât want you putting 17âs on the 1.5.
Correct.
The discussion with my dealer ended with âyes, you can order the wheels as accessories, you can also have us tyre them but we wonât fit them to the vehicle. You will need to find someone else to do thatâ
They would not give a straight answer when asked why not.
I just thought the whole thing ridiculous and gave up after contacting two other dealerships and received the same answer.
Not really. All 1.5s come from the manufacturer with 16" wheels and obviously have made a decision that an option for 17" is not available. They are not saying that 17" cannot be fitted just that itâs not an option from the factory.