Help on how to set up my mazda 3 2.0

[curlybill]

Would anyone recommend 19" versus 18" rims? I was thinking about just changing the springs and putting in 18" rims.If I have 19"rims,then do I still need to change the springs for lowering purposes?

What's the ground clearance of the mazda 3?

Has anyone tried HID lights while it's raining?Is it quite ineffective or the other way around?

thanks a lot.I don't know much about "dressing up" my car.

 

[bilzfan]

Bill,

The largest I would go is 17". Remember that you will still need to drive the car on the road. There are a number of potential problems with very large wheels. Not the least of these problems is larger wheels are heavier, and the 2.0L engine doesn't have much to spare. Just my humble opinion.

 

[bvmazda3]

larger wheels are not necessarily heavier, but often are - as long as you keep the same, or lower weight, you shouldn't have any problem with degraded performance ...

remember to keep the same overall diameter of tire, so that you don't throw the speedometer off.

you'll also want to search the forum for info on wheel offsets that will fit...

I think you'll have a very hard time finding a 19" wheel/tire package that will 1) fit without rubbing, 2)be the same overall diameter, and 3) be the same or lower weight than stock.

Probably will want to go with 18's as it will offer more wheel and tire selections, instead of taking what little is available in 19's.

 

[badAzLava3]

What BV said...the stock wheels are pretty heavy at 22 pounds.
I prefer wider tires to fill out the wheel wells.
I think tall and skinny looks weak..like buggy wheels.

What everyone forgets is larger tires are always heavier.
Ride quality is weight of wheel plus weight of tire.
Stock 17's work out to about 43 pounds per corner.

So if you can do 18's and tires and get in around the same weight, things won't be a whole lot different, maybe just a little harsher on bad roads because of the shorter sidewalls on the 18's to keep the speedo accurate.

I stayed with 17's but got wider tires and I took the rims 1 inch wider for more cornering grip, and lost 6 pounds per corner in just wheel weight.
Makes the car feel better, and the shocks don't have to work as hard.

My 2 cents....YMMV

 

[untouchablemz3]

^^^What part of az you from?

 

[rednecks_r_us]

^^^What part of az you from?

Same question as Greg.

Want to get to gether with other Mazda people? we are meeting up at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix in 2 weeks.

Come on out.

http://www.azmazdaclub.com/viewtopic.php?t=643
The SCO Drift, Drag, and Show II December 10th 2005!

 

[chaosProtege]

i think everyone covered the wheel/tire question. HID's are nice and bright in most conditions, but the headlights you have now are still pretty bright. i would say that they aren't worth the money to upgrade. if you're just looking for more light on the road, get some fog lights.