Keys and wheels ....

I was looking through the wheels at the brakes of our new "Touring" model, and it *looks* like there ought to be clearance for 16" wheels like would be on the "Sport". 55-series 16s aren't very tall, but aside from the propsect of some cost savings when it's time to replace tires ($30/ea for RS-As, for example), they seem like a slightly better concept than 50-series 17s here where the roads are constantly potholed. Has anyone tried fitting 16s to a Touring, or at least verified that the 17s weren't necessitated by a brake upgrade on the fancy models?


The other thing I'm finding interesting is the electronickey folding keys. The flip-out blade looks like a normal key, but someone at the dealer said that if I obtained a key without the electronic bit it'd only be a "valet" key, good for unlocking the driver's door and driving a maximum of 20 miles before the car's computer systems assume the car has been stolen and shut things down - i.e. good for if I lock myself out, but useless for actually driving the car. Probably sounds dumb to anyone used to newer computerized cars, but does anyone have experience on whether that's how it really works?

All 5s have the same brakes and all trims are capable of utilizing either the 16" or 17" wheels.

http://mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsSpecs&vehicleCode=MZ5

Brakes 4-wheel disc
- Front 11.8-inch vented disc
- Rear 11.9-inch solid disc

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Good info! I'm looking at a set of Mazda3 steel 16s on Fleabay, but watching local wrecking yards could probably save money.


I talked to the dealer parts department today about an extra key ... they said they could cut me a key, but if I want it to start the engine it'll cost $110 to "program" it? Does this sound at all right? I don't care at all for the idea of keys costing more than like $3-$5 each ....

Didn't it come with two keys and a valet key? How many do you need?

Craigslist is a good place to find extra wheels, 3 wheels are perfect also.

Mine came with only two keys, but my wife will be keeping one with her. I always make extra keys for any car I'm driving, since it's inevitable that one set of keys will get locked in the car from time to time.

What exactly is a "valet key", anyway?



A week ago, if someone had told me that a normal, basic car would come with keys that need electronics to work, I'd have thought it was pure science fiction! (screwy)

wanna trade the 17"s for my almost new, "Sport" 16"s?

I just got 2 keys with our 2012 Mazda5 bought NEW. Does a valet key come with the car?

BP

chandlerGTi said:

Didn't it come with two keys and a valet key? How many do you need?

Craigslist is a good place to find extra wheels, 3 wheels are perfect also.

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Nurburgringer said:

wanna trade the 17"s for my almost new, "Sport" 16"s?

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Coming through southern Michigan anytime soon? I still haven't gotten around to calling the Tire Rack for a good price on brand-new steelies (when I asked for some for a '90 Cutlass a few years ago, they quoted me like $35/each, which isn't that bad).

I'm gathering that the question of whether a wheel is "TPMS compatible" has mostly to do with whether the bead-loading grove is situated next to the valvestem hole for convenient use of a stock type sender ... though, I'm also told that some systems have used a sender that clamps to the wheel with a huge hose clamp, and then you just use a normal valvestem. I found a thread somewhere about a guy drilling extra valvestem holes in some aftermarket alloy wheels, but that seems a little bit looney.

Bad Bimr said:

I just got 2 keys with our 2012 Mazda5 bought NEW. Does a valet key come with the car?

BP

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Looking like the answer is no. The good news is that Ace Hardware said they can make (and program) a key for me for $72 total. Still insanely pricey, but nothing like the concept of having to pay for programming on top of buying a fancy key.

An old college friend said it may be possible to program a key at home, but the procedures I found on Ford boards don't specify whether they're good for '12 vehicles of any make.

For what it's worth, I didn't put TPMS sensors in my winter tires. The dash light is on of course, but I keep an eye on them and check the pressure if the tire looks low. If properly mounted though, the tire really shouldn't lose any air over the course of the winter. So far I haven't had to fill them, and I've had them on the car since mid-November.

And I have 16 ich steelies on my 5 with 205/55/16 tires. Make sure to get hub centric wheels for the best fit instead of generic steelies.

Yeah, I figure if I bug the Tire Rack for a direct fit, they'll come up with something hubcentric. Went through that discussion with a fellow Ford fan who wanted hubcentric spacers when putting high-offset wheels on a zero-offset vehicle. Wheels I was using at the time were not only not hubcentric, but were Uni-Lug!


I noticed the Rav4 could be had with nice styled 16" steelies in 5x114 that use those handy Ford-style centercaps that clip onto shouldered lugnuts. Would need to verify offset and centerbore, though.


Re TPMS oddness, I was surprised when I got around to checking my tire pressures following a pothole hit that apparently the light doesn't come on at 28psi.


What's the recommended lugnut torque, anyway? Couldn't find it in the owner's manual. I'd think 75-80 lb-ft would be typical, but my torque wrench clicked at between 85 and 90 on all the nuts on the car.