How many of us have done the 18in RX-8 wheel swap?

[TeamCanada]

depends on which part of the car the aftermarket part is installed into. They're not going to void your warranty if you have an intake and have a suspension problem; or void warranty on your engine if you lowered the car.

Now if your engine accidentally suck in water with your aftermarket intake-- that's a different story.

That's what I thought. My dad is a licensed mechanic and says that he needs to keep track of everything he does, even oil changes so that if there is ever a problem, he has the history in writing.

By the way, awesome car inside and out. Did you have it lowered after installing the RX-8 wheels?

 

[sok07]

(enguard)

 

[TeamCanada]

(enguard)

Love your car man.

 

[thebeansoldier]

That's what I thought. My dad is a licensed mechanic and says that he needs to keep track of everything he does, even oil changes so that if there is ever a problem, he has the history in writing.

By the way, awesome car inside and out. Did you have it lowered after installing the RX-8 wheels?

eibach pro-kit. one thing to consider. that initial turn in feel feels like stock on rx8s, when i lowered it with the pro-kit it felt slower, even with the proper alignment. not sure why or how, it could be that the strut towers are flexing a little because it's 45-46lbs per corner + stiffer springs for the stock dampers. but installing the front strut bar eased it a bit.

 

[TeamCanada]

eibach pro-kit. one thing to consider. that initial turn in feel feels like stock on rx8s, when i lowered it with the pro-kit it felt slower, even with the proper alignment. not sure why or how, it could be that the strut towers are flexing a little because it's 45-46lbs per corner + stiffer springs for the stock dampers. but installing the front strut bar eased it a bit.

Nice, thanks for the advice. This is the first vehicle that I have ever thought to modify so I am looking for advice from others who have experienced it.

Is the lip spoiler factory? Did you ever consider the raised spoiler??

 

[doogie]

Did it also with Eibach pro kit. The car looks and handles really well with a good alignment.(2thumbs)

 

[thebeansoldier]

looks good doogie!

 

[doogie]

Thanks man..(2thumbs)

 

[thebeansoldier]

anyone interested in painting the calipers to complement these wheels?

 

[VRMS6]

Painted calipers will be done probably this weekend by me....I will be lowering with Mazdaspeed spring/struts this summer....

 

[ZoomZoomH]

i got RX-8 rims too.... oh wait.......

 

[NZ_Mazda3]

Just trying to see how popular the RX-8 18in wheel swap is. How many of you have done the swap?? I have and love the understated look.....

I have done the swap & also love the understated look! After seeing the car with them on it looks like they should have always been there.

As far as I am aware I am the only one in my country (New Zealand) that has done the swap. The car looks so much better with these rims. Now whenever I see any 3 with the factor 17" rims they all look way to small for the wheel arches.

Currently I have 225/45/R18 tyres which were on the rims when I got them which fills the arches even better. I was going to replace them with the correct size (225/40/R18) when the tread runs out but now I am thinking of upgrading the car to the new Mazda3 MPS (2.3L Turbo Mazda3) which is due in my country in July this year so I might not get the chance as this model comes with 18" rims (different to the RX8 rims) as standard.

Latest Pics of My Car:

 

[mapleleafer]

I have done the swap & also love the understated look! After seeing the car with them on it looks like they should have always been there.

As far as I am aware I am the only one in my country (New Zealand) that has done the swap. The car looks so much better with these rims. Now whenever I see any 3 with the factor 17" rims they all look way to small for the wheel arches.

Currently I have 225/45/R18 tyres which were on the rims when I got them which fills the arches even better. I was going to replace them with the correct size (225/40/R18) when the tread runs out but now I am thinking of upgrading the car to the new Mazda3 MPS (2.3L Turbo Mazda3) which is due in my country in July this year so I might not get the chance as this model comes with 18" rims (different to the RX8 rims) as standard.

Latest Pics of My Car:

View attachment 75977

View attachment 75978

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Beauty, love that look as well. How did you come by your RX-8 wheels?

 

[NZ_Mazda3]

Beauty, love that look as well. How did you come by your RX-8 wheels?

Got them 2nd hand from a local online auction site over here. Someone had bought an RX8 & basically driven it straight to a mag shop & put a set of 19" rims on it so the tyres & rims were all but brand new. Got them for about half the price of what it was going to cost me to buy new rims from Mazda dealer & new tyres!

My advice would be to look for a 2nd hand set on ebay or similar in the country your in. You should get them pretty cheap as I don't think there is much they fit other than the RX8, Mazda3 or Mazda6 due to the large off set.

 

[mapleleafer]

Got them 2nd hand from a local online auction site over here. Someone had bought an RX8 & basically driven it straight to a mag shop & put a set of 19" rims on it so the tyres & rims were all but brand new. Got them for about half the price of what it was going to cost me to buy new rims from Mazda dealer & new tyres!

My advice would be to look for a 2nd hand set on ebay or similar in the country your in. You should get them pretty cheap as I don't think there is much they fit other than the RX8, Mazda3 or Mazda6 due to the large off set.

Yeah, I'm looking. I haven't checked with the dealer nor do I want to as I am sure it is quite expnsive.

Did you lower your 3?

 

[NZ_Mazda3]

Yeah, I'm looking. I haven't checked with the dealer nor do I want to as I am sure it is quite expnsive.

Did you lower your 3?

Don't be too hasty to write off the Mazda dealer. I have been surprised & continue to be surprised at how reasonable Mazda parts & accessories have been for the 3, at least over here. The price that I was given for the set of 4 rims was cheaper than any of the aftermarket rims that I looked at.

And no I haven't lowered mine. The car is currently leased as it is through my business so I have to be careful about the modifications that I do although I will most likely end up buying the car at the end of the lease now. The tires that I currently have on are slightly too higher profile (225/45/R18) so I get some slight rubbing if I have too many people in the car but with the correct tires (225/40/R18) then there should be no problems.

 

[mapleleafer]

Don't be too hasty to write off the Mazda dealer. I have been surprised & continue to be surprised at how reasonable Mazda parts & accessories have been for the 3, at least over here. The price that I was given for the set of 4 rims was cheaper than any of the aftermarket rims that I looked at.

And no I haven't lowered mine. The car is currently leased as it is through my business so I have to be careful about the modifications that I do although I will most likely end up buying the car at the end of the lease now. The tires that I currently have on are slightly too higher profile (225/45/R18) so I get some slight rubbing if I have too many people in the car but with the correct tires (225/40/R18) then there should be no problems.

Ahh, that's what I want to here, about the lowering that is. Everyonse says it looks better lowered with the RX-8 rims but I too do not want to resort to this. If a lower profile tire will help reduce any rubbing, that the way I want to go. I will check with the local Mazda dealer and get a price as well. I haven't seen any RX-8 rims on eBay since I started looking about two weeks ago. Do they come up often? Maybe I am looking in the wrong place.

 

[NZ_Mazda3]

Ahh, that's what I want to here, about the lowering that is. Everyonse says it looks better lowered with the RX-8 rims but I too do not want to resort to this. If a lower profile tire will help reduce any rubbing, that the way I want to go. I will check with the local Mazda dealer and get a price as well. I haven't seen any RX-8 rims on eBay since I started looking about two weeks ago. Do they come up often? Maybe I am looking in the wrong place.

With the 22/40/R18 tires the overall wheel diameter is the same as the factory 17" wheels that come on mine so there should be no chance of rubbing with the factory suspension.

Don't know about ebay sorry as I don't use it since it is not local (everything has to be shipped international to get here) which proves to be expensive on the large items. We have a local auction site that is very popular here (www.trademe.co.nz) that I got mine off.

 

[mapleleafer]

With the 22/40/R18 tires the overall wheel diameter is the same as the factory 17" wheels that come on mine so there should be no chance of rubbing with the factory suspension.

Don't know about ebay sorry as I don't use it since it is not local (everything has to be shipped international to get here) which proves to be expensive on the large items. We have a local auction site that is very popular here (www.trademe.co.nz) that I got mine off.

Yeah, I have the same problem living in Canada. Most items are in the U.S.. By the time you factor in shipping, duities and taxes, it's usually cheaper to buy new. This will probably be the case with the RX-8 rims.

That's a great little web site.

 

[VRMS6]

Heres 1 auction going on right now....
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)