Wheel fitment

The first mod I'm looking at doing to my Mazda is putting on a set of new wheels, I've been looking at these strongly and thinking about snagging them up, http://delaware.craigslist.org/ptd/4824234873.html

If you are too lazy to look through it the wheel specs are 17x8.5 +35mm. With me running on stock suspension and looking to lowering it on Eibach springs in the future, will I have any issues with rubbing and such? I'm looking to rolling my fenders also if thats one of the solutions.

You might want to set up your forum signature so that others would know your year and trim level of Mazda 3. Many fitment questions cannot be answered, accurately without this info.
My general wheel-buying advice is simple: Once you have a good idea (by using forums like this one, of course) as to what diameter, offset, and width of wheel will fit your car, try to get the lightest wheels you can afford. If a seller doesn't list wheel weight, there's s good chance it is on the heavy side. Try not to replace OEM wheels with significantly heavier wheels; that's not upgrading, it's downgrading performance and ride quality.
My 3 has lots of potential for weight reduction when it comes to wheels. At 27 lbs, each from the factory, I can achieve better ride, handling, braking, and acceleration, from just a wheel and tire upgrade. Some OZ and Enkei wheels are more than 30% lighter than the OEMs. Combine those with Summer Michelin Super Sport tires, and my car will be significantly improved.

My mistake, new to this whole forum thing, I usually lurk around and not really pay attention to signatures haha. I hope the signature is visible now. But some additional info, I plan on wrapping the wheels on 220/45/R17.

I have been looking at other wheels over the time, mainly on Tirerack.com and I have been really liking some of the wheels that Sparco and Motegi offer. Whatever I purchase will be strictly for summer, and my OEMs will be my winter set.

...not visible, yet.
At the bottom of the "reply" box, there is a check box called "show my signature". That needed to be checked.

Got it, there is some sort of learning curve with forums and such lol

I like concept's approach.

I assume that those are one-piece wheels with phony bolt heads to make them look like modulars. Personally, I don't like anything which pretends to be something it's not, and I really dislike the idea of a bunch of unnecessary hardware adding weight for no reason... but this is mostly about aesthetics, so there is no right or wrong, just preferences.

rarosa787 said:

But some additional info, I plan on wrapping the wheels on 220/45/R17.

Click to expand...

I assume that was supposed to be 225/45R17.
8.5" is a lot of wheel width for this tire, right at the extreme widest typically allowed for this size. I am considering the same size of tire, but I am currently thinking of a 17"x7.5" wheel... but this size could work, if the stretched-out effect is what you are looking for (and some people do want this).

So a small update on this wheel thing. After I called the supplier of the previous wheels and they notified me that they were sold out. I immediately started looking for wheels again, and came across Konig Deceptions. My god they were beautiful and just left me jaw dropped. Contacted Font Motorsports through this forum and picked them up for a great deal.



I won't be wrapping and mounting them until around the summer time, right around the same time I will be lowering the car with the corksport lowering springs also.

A few specs about the wheels.

Konig Deception
18x8 +40

Nice! I had Konig Britelites on my MX6 GT and they were fairly light. They weren't as easy to balance as my Enkei Racing wheels on my MX5, but then again, the Konigs were a lot less expensive.

What do your Deceptions weigh?

They weigh 22 pounds according to amazon.com, but they feel less. I was able to pick it up and fully stretch out my arm and hold it for 30 seconds or so.

P.S. Unused wheels make great alternatives for weigh training lol

Those Konig Deceptions will surely look good with Nitto Tires. Low profile will surely look sexy.

Hi guys. Seem like I finally bumped into right place. I'm new to all this, I mean tires and rims right fitment. Recently I have purchased 2004 Mazda 3 GT MT, love the car but I want to make some mods and make this car look as I want it. So I need pro advice and I can see you guys have much more experience than myself.

Ok so I want to put 18" alloys, at this moment she still has original 17". But I don't know much about offset, rim width, backspace and such. I would rather avoid buying something which won't fit, I mean by that the tire will be rubbing suspension or fender when turning etc. To me ideal situation will be when tire will be slightly sticking out of the fender (I think is offset) and also I would need proper tires set.

I would really appreciate any good suggestions from you guys. So far I saw one set and I think those are the s***!

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

I'm not sure if you have tire pressure sensors, but either way, Tirerack.com contains a wealth of info regarding wheel sizes, offsets, weights, etc.
Here's a web page (within their site) that shows non TPMS 18 inch wheels from lightest to heaviest.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resu...sort=Weight&filterNew=All&filterSpecial=false

The offsets are listed and you can see what the wheels look like on your car. You can even change the color of the car to match your own.

That's great! Thank you concept for your help, I will look it up

Anyone know the minimum offset we can run? Got a 2005 Mazda3 S hatch.

Everything is pretty much dependent on what look you're going for. Looking for the right wheel is like an art form. Do you want to stay looking close to stock, slammed, flush, etc. Are you ok with rolling your fenders? I did multiple test fits to find what I want. I went for the flush look. My opinion is that you should always go for suspension first then wheels because you should know how much of a drop you want before finding a wheel size. Kinda like finding what outfit to wear before picking out shoes to wear. Shouldn't wear a suit with Nike sneakers lol Once you find the height you want, then find the wheel size you want/need. Also, keep in mind that lowering your car will always cause negative camber in your wheels. Negative camber meaning your wheels will point in and having the urge to tuck behind your fenders which will make it look like /----\ The amount of camber would vary on how much it is lowered. This can be adjusted with camber arms. I can blab on and on about wheels.

Eample for fitment. When I first got my wheels (Work Emotion CR-Kai, 18x7.5 +43 and 18x8.5 +43 staggered), it seemed like it would work out great for my car. My stocks are 16x7.5 +50 (don't know the exact offset). I own a 2014 Mazda3 and I'm lowered on coilovers. The wheels did come with tires already (craigslist ftw). 225/40 and 255/35. The 255/35 were in the back and they got SHREDDED within seconds cuz it was too wide and my fenders aren't rolled. So I had to go down to 225/40 all around and had the back stretch a little so I would clear my fenders PLUS I had to stiffen the ride especially in the back so I don't rub. Even now, I would rub if I hit a big dip or something. So trial and error folks.


Car ate my tires


Tires bit my car back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi guys., I am coming closer to buy new set of wheels and tires for my M3. Most likely I am going to get Enkei Raijin 18 x 8 x 40 mm offset. I wonder what size of rubber will be the best fit for that size of the rim? I did some research and there is lot of different opinions, some says that 225/40/18 will be perfect fit where else people saying that I should get 235/40/18. Can you tell me from your perspective what should I consider as the best fit? In the future I will be also dropping my suspension slightly, like 1-2" max. I know I should consider this also when I will be selecting my new rims and tires. Look forward to your advise.

Madridista said:

Hi guys., I am coming closer to buy new set of wheels and tires for my M3. Most likely I am going to get Enkei Raijin 18 x 8 x 40 mm offset. I wonder what size of rubber will be the best fit for that size of the rim? I did some research and there is lot of different opinions, some says that 225/40/18 will be perfect fit where else people saying that I should get 235/40/18. Can you tell me from your perspective what should I consider as the best fit? In the future I will be also dropping my suspension slightly, like 1-2" max. I know I should consider this also when I will be selecting my new rims and tires. Look forward to your advise.

Click to expand...

You're going to have to roll your fenders. 235 is supposed to be an ideal fit but like I said earlier, it's all about opinion. Do you want to have your tires completely square with your wheel or have the thinner tire look etc etc. You can do 225 and have a mild stretch to clear your fenders more so you don't rub. I have 245/40/18 on 18x8.5 but I rub in the rears even though my fenders are rolled BUT I'm also lowered (don't know exactly by how much). It's not too much of a rub but it does when I hit a bump or something. I need to stiffen the back more. When I had 225/35 on my wheels, I didn't rub at all after rolling my fenders. I did slightly before rolling and if I had people in my car. It's trial and error to see what will work with your car and what fitment you like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk