Color/Size combo?

[SoCalMzda3]

I got a strato blue 3 and i want to put rims on it. what size do you think is better 18" or 19" wheels. Also what type rim do you think looks best on the car? I want some opinions before i go buying

[dread]

go with 18's, 19's are too big and they will kill your performance. As for color I would go with black rims that have a polished or chrome lip. This looks amazing on 3's especially a dark color like strata blue. I would stay away from gun metal, but all chrome would also look good.

[ssinstaller]

18's or 19's will be fine if you get the right offset. And, NO 19's won't kill your performance just because they're 19's. As long as you go with a wheel/tire combo that weighs less than or the same as stock you shouldn't notice any difference one way or another. But please stay away from chrome it looks horrible on the MZ3 IMO.

[ariana]

18"s or 19"s . My 19"s are light and my car handles just as well. I would stay away from chrome but hyper or polished silver would look nice.

[dread]

light weight 19's must cost an arm and a leg.

[ssinstaller]

light weight 19's must cost an arm and a leg.

There actually not that bad. You won't find many 19's as light as a good aftermarket 17, but it's pretty easy to find a 19 lighter than the stock 17. My 19" wheel and tire weight about 1# less than the stock 17 with tire did, and they were only $1650 for the set.

[dread]

any pics:? that sounds like an awesome deal. what wheels are they?

[ssinstaller]

any pics:? that sounds like an awesome deal. what wheels are they?

19" R1 GTR-10 +40 offset
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/ssinstaller/wheelmounted.jpg

[dread]

Those look sweet. I cant believe they don't stick out more with that offset.

[Micah]

[QUOTE=ssinstaller]And, NO 19's won't kill your performance just because they're 19's. As long as you go with a wheel/tire combo that weighs less than or the same as stock you shouldn't notice any difference one way or another. QUOTE]

Uhm.... - contact patch???

Weight isn't the only thing. The resistance is based on the contact patch the tire maintains with the ground as well as the weight of the rim/tire.

This is why my 350Z has 17" rims, well - one of the reasons anyway. Money definitely had something to do with it as well.

[ssinstaller]

Uhm.... - contact patch???

Weight isn't the only thing. The resistance is based on the contact patch the tire maintains with the ground as well as the weight of the rim/tire.

This is why my 350Z has 17" rims, well - one of the reasons anyway. Money definitely had something to do with it as well.


The moment of inertia of the wheel/tire is not going to be adversly affected by a larger contact area. The benifits greatly outweigh any negative effect on the rolling resistance, if he's only going from a 205 to a 225 width tire. It might be a problem if he was going to a much larger tire.