I have a 60 reg. 1.8 Miyako.
Will I have any problems swapping my standard 17" wheels for genuine Mazda 16" wheels regarding road holding or steering?
If anyone’s done this, has yr insurance company loaded yr premium? My insurer couldn’t give a definitive answer until I’d done the change.
TIA
None whatsover
Ive gone the other way 16" to 17"
No change from Insurance due to genuine Mazda parts
As far as I’m aware the rolling circumferance should be the same, someone will correct me if I’m wrong. And as Chris says, if genuine Mazda fitment then with insurance it should be ok, do check with them though. Aftermarket alloys might give them some cause for concern, do declare if that is so.
Rolling circumference is identical. Yes
Thanks to all who replied.
I’ll fit 16" 6.5J wheels with 205/50R tyres, that should keep the overall circumference about the same.
I had been told that fitting the smaller, narrower rims could impair the handling of the car.
Who ever told you that was misinformed I’m afraid
It handles as well on 16" or 17" Wheels
Hi,
If you find you do have any problems with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. I’d be only too pleased to try and help out.
Regards,
Dan.
it begs the question why? The nc steering is vague enough std without going to taller profiles
205/50 R16 87V is the spec Mazda use on 16’s (H speed rating for Winter wheels though)
If your insurer cannot tell you until you have done the change that is pretty useless as I would want to know before doing it!
Some insurers would class it as a modification others might not. Some will allow you to change wheels to different sizes without modification so long as you are fitting winter tyres as well (LV for example will have any change of wheel for same size or different size as a modification fit winter tyres though all is fine not a modification).
I would say the NC steering is not vague on 16’s at all, general feeling through the steering is more down to the settings and items fitted, I doubt 5mm is going to be a huge difference in general driving and you can do more in lowering, changing suspension and ARB’s
Plus depending on where you drive (and if it is your only car) then that extra 5mm is helpful with bumps and potholes!
Things just go round and round.
The tyre sizes on MK3 cars are 205 50 16 and 205 50 17. They are effectively the same outside diameter. The speed recommendations for H in a winter tyre is purely because that is by far the most popular speed rating in that size.
Your car may feel slightly less high frequency road “noise” with the 16" but any big changes in road holding will be down to choose of rubber.
If you buy “Go insure the Meeting dot com” and you phone up and say “I have modified my car by changing wheels,” you will automatically be charged more for the privilege of having that call answered.
Vague steering is down to set up and there is no reason why you can’t get rid of this. Any one is welcome to come and tyre our car on 16" tyres to make their own decision.
Can I confirm you are suggesting the OP does not disclose it?
If you are suggesting that and the OP does not disclose he has knowingly changed his wheels…that is wise…not.
Without wanting to suck lemons and all the OP could be easily strung up on that one by any insurer as it is is careless at best, at worst, reckless non disclosure and could land the OP in a pile of avoidable ■■■■ (additional conditions, premiums at minimum at worst void insurance, and as it currently stands it would not even have to be related to the incident involved! (due to change next August)).
Furthermore as I said above depending on the exact specifics of what the OP is planning it might not cost anything (even though I admit the insurer is pretty rubbish at the moment for not giving any idea). Personally OP call them again and hopefully get someone with some sense to answer the question properly.
No, I am saying if you phone a call centre and tell them you have “modified” your car you will get a charged.
Forums are brilliant a creating scare stories about all sorts of things.
When you buy a new tyre that is not the “OEM” tyre for the car fitted at an approved Mazda dealer, do you phone your insurance company? Since most people on this forum are of the opinion that you should never ever have your car serviced at Mazda, do you phone the insurance company and say “I have had some brake pads fitted, I don’t know what they are, I have also got unknown oil in the engine and blue brake fluid?” Do you phone the insurance company if you change the air pressures in your tyres? All of which have potentially far grater potential for problems that exchanging one set of OEM wheels for another.
For that matter do you even declare what wheels and tyres you have on the car when you insure it? If you were to buy a second hand car, do you know if a previous owner bought upgrade wheels, or even if you buy a new car and specify accessory wheels before it even leaves the showroom it is still insured as a LX. GLX or whatever.
There are things that make a material difference to your insurance and those that don’t. If you phone up your insurance call centre and tell them you have “modified” your car, you will pay more.
Try it, phone up and say at the last service your car was modified by fitting non OEM brake parts and see what happens.
My Mazda official service dealer is by far the best garage I have ever used. They even give me 20% off (because the car (or maybe it’s me) is “old”).
http://www.godfreysmazda.co.uk/
Utter bollocks…some modifications need to be disclosed (depending on insurer) whether they are options changing from manufacturers standard specification or changes made after factory/first registration. Not all “modifications” incur charges case in point Winter tyres which strictly speaking are a modification but do not for a number of reasons by many insurers get classed as a modification (if they do many won’t charge either). Furthermore, a case in point referenced previously on here is changing alloys for same size/tyre specification as I highlighted at the time this was a modification, but for many no charge is incurred (depending of course on exact specifics hence the many).
Tyres only need to match factory specification, that means if a 205/50 R16 87V (depending on insurer some may take the whole specification into account, assuming a Summer tyre) came off then one of the same spec needs to go back on (that includes for example RFT etc. etc.)
In relation to some of those it is factory OEM or OEM equivalent - if you upgrade beyond that then it is a modification.
I take the comment about tyre pressures etc. but that is part of keeping a vehicle in a “roadworthy condition”, which is actually part of many insurance contracts (including where necessary the requirement to have a valid MOT for the insurance to apply).
That would be considered if unknown to the new owner as “innocent/careless non-disclosure”, and in many cases would be looked on favorably and fairly by insurers and if necessary Insurance ombudsman following exhausting the insurers complaint service (however from next year with the new insurance bill some of the risk is being reduced to the insured parties for a variety of reasons but this is one of them). If the OP changed the alloys this would be knowingly changing them hence my post querying it being so specific as it would then be careless possibly reckless as the OP was aware a material fact that they did not disclose to allow the insurer to make a fair and honest viewpoint as to whether they would take the additional risk on and any premium change.
Consumer Insurance Act
“5 Qualifying misrepresentations: classification and presumptions (1) For the purposes of this Act, a qualifying misrepresentation (see section 4(2)) is either— (a) deliberate or reckless, or (b) careless. (2) A qualifying misrepresentation is deliberate or reckless if the consumer— (a) knew that it was untrue or misleading, or did not care whether or not it was untrue or misleading, and (b) knew that the matter to which the misrepresentation related was relevant to the insurer, or did not care whether or not it was relevant to the insurer. (3) A qualifying misrepresentation is careless if it is not deliberate or reckless. (4) It is for the insurer to show that a qualifying misrepresentation was deliberate or reckless. (5) But it is to be presumed, unless the contrary is shown— (a) that the consumer had the knowledge of a reasonable consumer, and (b) that the consumer knew that a matter about which the insurer asked a clear and specific question was relevant to the insurer.”
Your brake pad question in many instances would followed up by the query of whether the pad was an “upgrade”.
Yes, and your answer would be?
Once again, thanks for all the interesting & helpful replies but, honest, I didn’t want to start WW III.
Cheers.
Changed my wheels to team dynamics cyclone red and toyo snowproxes for the winter, insurance informed, no problem with that or with the handling. If anything a smoother ride. Did the same last winter and was great in the snow.
Nick if you bothered to fully read my post based on your original post you would realise you last question only said non oem padpad, clearly that falls into two categories.
You cannot expect to upgrade parts to a higher specification and not have some form of additional risk taken into account. You really seem to hold something completely uncessary against insurers i have had instances like this in the past where people have argued better pad stops quicker equals safer however flip side is you may drive quicker because you have had that pad installed.
End of the day it is upto everyone as an individual or company where necessary to disclose any material facts that the insurer may need information if in doubt tell them and let them decide. It it costs you more then so be it ultimately it is your decision whether to upgrade a pad or not same as any other modification, just like it is your own choice as to whether you choose to have a fair, open and honest conversation with your insurer when you change things beyond the original vehicle specification. If you choose not to (more so knowingly either through being reckless or intention) and get caught out then you really have no one else to blame but yourself. Furthermore, from my point of view a few pounds increase in premium now (if it is a modification with a charge attached) can save so much hassle and more so if the insurer decides to void your policy which would get you a world of ■■■■ (if you can find insurance at all as a majority will not take on the risk of someone that has had cancelled insurance!)
Difference here is you have winter tyres installed on the wheels the op has not mentioned this. Under the abi winter tyre commitment most insurers wont class winter tyres as a modification after the fiasco in 2011. For many this includes changing wheels there are one or two cheeky ones that do mind.