Mazda6 wheels on Mazda3??

Hopefully, you realize that the heavier the wheels, the harsher the ride, the slower the acceleration, and the longer the braking distance, right? ....just sayin.
 
I have 16s and I am thinking of going with 18s. This is because the higher end "s" models can take that size wheel. I would be cautious of going to 19s since they are not offered on the 3 as an option. They may work but everything concept said is also true.
 
I'll probably go with 18s anyway. But I just wondered if the 19s from the 6 would fit.

The reason I am buying new wheels is because I am fitting winter tires on my 16s.

Japan has really weird trim levels. My car is the highest grade 4wd model and yet, it doesn't come with 18s
On the other hand, the base 2 litre comes with 18s.
I could have bought a 2.5 model with the price I paid for mine, and still I get 16 inch wheels.


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Yes, 19x7.5 will physically fit, the bolt pattern is the same, and a 225x40 or so tire will keep the rolling diameter close. The offsets should be close enough to work, but I don't know if there are differences between the FWD and AWD variants of the 3.
 
Very helpful magicka!
Thank you!

I'll see if a shop can let me try some wheels on. Otherwise I found some good looking 18s


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I did a quick research. And If did go for the 19s, I could go for 225/40R19 tires which are only 1.8% larger in diameter. (larger than the stock 18s)
I think the diameter would be ok , but my concern is with the 7.5inch width of the 19inch wheels. Do you guys think if would still fit? (0.5 inch wider than the stock 18s)

I am going to bigger wheels purely for looks. Here in Japan the speed limit on the freeway is 70 km/h, so 1.8% increase in wheel diameter would not have any major impact on safety. Plus, these wheels would only run in summer as I will fit winter tires to my current 16s.

Summarizing. Do you guys think the 7.5 inch wide wheels would fit?
 
I've seen 8.5" wide (18" diameter) wheels on a second-generation Mazdaspeed3. The excessive width looked stupid (to me), was not right for the tires (which I think were 225/40R18), and caused some fender lip clearance issues. The owner just wanted to use the wheels (BBS wheels which were original equipment on a Mitsubishi Evo X). 7.5" is much more reasonable, and is the width that I am considering for 17" tires (225/45R17). I don't know what works with 19" wheels and very short sidewalls - that's not a combination I'm interested in trying.
 
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a 225 wide tire will fit a 8.5 wide wheel without issue, and not bulge over. Hell, Probe GT's came with a 7in wide wheel from the factory and on some 225 wide tires.

You wont have any issues fitting the 19's onto your 3. Many members on this forum are running 19's now.
 
xxxmonoxidechil said:
a 225 wide tire will fit a 8.5 wide wheel without issue, and not bulge over. Hell, Probe GT's came with a 7in wide wheel from the factory and on some 225 wide tires.
Click to expand...
I thought the term "excessive width" was quite clear, but maybe not. A 225 mm tire certainly won't "bulge" on a 8.5" wide wheel, because that wheel is wider than ideal, not too narrow. The 7" Probe wheel was narrow so its 225 mm wide tire probably had a wider sidewall; the acceptable rim width for the P225/40R18 which was OEM equipment is 7.5" to 9", so it is acceptable too, but it is wider than ideal for ride, handling, and fit on the car.

The question was about using 7.5" wide wheels, with tires that will likely be about 225 mm wide. It looks like everyone agrees that the wheel width is reasonable, anyway. :)
 
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It looks like 19s will fit fine. As i would get reasonably low profile tires to keep the overall diameter as close as possible to the OEM's.

So 7.5" width should be fine then?

Thank you guys! Really



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Bruns, just keep your offset conservative. Et45 should be good for 19x8 without having to roll fenders or add negative camber.
Thanks.
 
Thank you very much!!

Can I just ask you a thing.
Did you notice any major drop in acceleration and braking due to the bigger/heavier wheels?


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I've yet to sense any noticeable MPG & acceleration change. Might be due to my previous 18s which weren't very light in the 1st place. Unsprung weight & traction affect those certainly. Love the handling esp on cornering w/ current set up. I was too thrilled to put these on & forgot to weigh old vs new.
 
Just got a set of 19s
Ordered through Mazda, they said they will fit if I use 225/40r19 - quite a low tire so hopefully the ride won't be too harsh.

By the way, what tires do you recommend?
Im thinking about Pirelli P1s or Toyo DRBs


*haven't got them on yet as I'm still running my winter tires.


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