Protege 2003 ES Rims Help

C

CiviCity

Member
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Mazda Protege ES 2003
Hey guys,

Ive been looking thru this forum for a while now and couldn't really find an answer to my question.

I have a stock height with stock suspension protege 2003 ES sedan with the 16" factory rims.

I was looking into getting the 18" mazda rx8 rims. If I do so, what size tires should I consider getting without
getting any rubbing?
Also, would they fit without having to mod anything? Like fender bending or offset adjust?

Sorry for all the newb questions, Im still new into this :p

Thanks
 
to run 18x8 +50 RX8 wheels on a protege, you will need 215/35-18 tires.
 
...which is like rolling on rubber bands - way too little cushion, Besides, your 18-inch wheels are likely to be much heavier than 16s, contributing to the kidney-punishing ride you will experience. Acceleration will also take a hit.
 
Cool, thanks for the answers.

So im probably better off with getting the mazdaspeed protege rims..? the 17" ones.
 
The Racing Hart 17s should be close in weight to the ES 16s, so yes, those would be a better choice. A 205/45/17 is the tire size, according to tirerack.com. Still, it's up you whether looks (big size) comes before performance. Personally, I would not go bigger than 17s unless the wheels were forged (like Volks).
 
concept said:
The Racing Hart 17s should be close in weight to the ES 16s, so yes, those would be a better choice. A 205/45/17 is the tire size, according to tirerack.com. Still, it's up you whether looks (big size) comes before performance. Personally, I would not go bigger than 17s unless the wheels were forged (like Volks).
Click to expand...

i would get light-weight 16's, but, that's me...

the MSP 17's are h.e.a.v.y too. just about 20lbs or so. the RX8 18's are about 22lbs. the stock protege 16's are 16lbs. you can find 16x7" or 8" rims that weigh in the 16-17lbs range for not too much. paired with a set of 205/45's and you'll be doing pretty good.
 
njaremka said:
i would get light-weight 16's, but, that's me...

the MSP 17's are h.e.a.v.y too. just about 20lbs or so. the RX8 18's are about 22lbs. the stock protege 16's are 16lbs. you can find 16x7" or 8" rims that weigh in the 16-17lbs range for not too much. paired with a set of 205/45's and you'll be doing pretty good.
Click to expand...

Thats cool to know about the weight.
Its because I was looking into keeping the stock look on the car, therefor "stock" rims :p.

But for now, adding an extra 16lbs, would it make a really big and noticeable difference on a stock car or not?
 
I think you will notice it but whether or not it bothers you is another thing. Unfortunately, by the time you know that, it'll be too late. Personally, I would never go heavier unless I were increasing horsepower at the same time.
 
concept said:
I think you will notice it but whether or not it bothers you is another thing. Unfortunately, by the time you know that, it'll be too late. Personally, I would never go heavier unless I were increasing horsepower at the same time.
Click to expand...

njaremka said:
on the protege, you will notice heavier wheels INSTANTLY.
Click to expand...

Yea I think I will stick with regular rims after all.

Quick question, would 195/45/16 or even 195/40/16 be a good pick for tire size for the stock rims? Will it affect the traction or it's just for looks?
 
Last edited:
You'd have a larger fender gap and your speedometer would show higher speeds than actual if you go with either of these sizes. The 45s are 1.2" shorter and the 40s are 1.6" shorter than the stock 195/50/16s. I'm running 205/50/16s and they handle very nicely.
 
concept said:
You'd have a larger fender gap and your speedometer would show higher speeds than actual if you go with either of these sizes. The 45s are 1.2" shorter and the 40s are 1.6" shorter than the stock 195/50/16s. I'm running 205/50/16s and they handle very nicely.
Click to expand...

Ok.
I have been looking for some tires and I see that the 205/50/16 are sometimes up to 30$ cheaper per tire.
Will it be a big difference between 195 and 205?
 
205/50's are slightly wider and larger diameter than 195/50's.

i'm currently running 205/45-16's on my stock rims, and they are working out great.
 
njaremka said:
205/50's are slightly wider and larger diameter than 195/50's.

i'm currently running 205/45-16's on my stock rims, and they are working out great.
Click to expand...

Okay cool.

But in concepts post, he said that u will have wrong indications on the speedometer if I take smaller than 50.
Have u felt that? If so, how do u compensate?

By the way, sorry if I'm asking so many questions.. I'm still new into this and I rather have a good knowledge before starting anything :p.
 
njaremka's tires are .4" smaller in diameter than the stock size and my 205/50s are .4 inches larger in diameter than the stock size. Neither is different enough to worry about when it comes to speedometer error. See which ones are less expensive and consider those. Either size will perform well.
 
what he said. i don't really drive by speed, either. i usually just use an estimation based on the gear i'm in and rpm's :D
 
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