Recent content by JayCal

I just put new tires on my 2005 Mazda 3 and decided to finally try a bigger size tire. I installed Goodyear Eagle GT 215/50-17 tires on the stock 17x6.5 rims. They look great and give the car a much more aggressive appearance. I'll post pictures soon if anyone is interested.

The rear pads definitely do not have wear indicator clips on the Mazda 3. I have an '05 hatchback and my rear pads wore down to the rivets and started scraping the rotors. I bought new pads, a rotor-piston retraction tool, and did it myself. having slightly grooved rotors from the rivets is...

You have to use a special tool to retract the rear rotors because they must be turned while being pushed in. Harbor Tool & Freight sells a kit for $30 that works perfectly and makes the job a breeze: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40732 Also, the two bolts...

Does anyone know if the 17x7 Mazda 6 rims will fit the Mazda 3? I want wider rims, but want to keep the OEM look of the factory rims (and they're cheaper too).

17x7 with 48mm to 50mm offset and 225/45-17 tires seems to be the widest you can go with guarenteed no clearance problems, even if you lower the car. It also has the same diameter as the OEM tires. This is so much wider than the OEM setup that I don't know why anyone would want to try and go...

You need a special tool to retract the rear pistons, at least if you want to make it easy on yourself (you have to rotate it CW and push in at the same time). I went to Harbor Tool & Freight and bought this set for $30: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40732...

What the hell does "they are gay sometimes" mean? What does that have to do with anything? What a rediculous thing to say.

There is only a 1% to 1.5% difference in diameter between the factory 205/50 and a 215/50, depending on the brand/model of tire. This is negligable as far as most auto manufacturers are concerned. At 75mph (120km/h) your speedometer would be off by about 1mph (1.6km/h).

I am also considering running 215/50-17's on my car when the factory tires wear out (they currently have 24k and have about another 5-7k left). I would like a wider tire, but don't want to spend the money for wider wheels. The only wider-than-OEM tire that is approved for the factory 17x6.5"...