Wheel & Tire Options

C

chuyler1

goes to eleven
:
2013 CX-9
I have seen a few questions about this recently and since I am in the process of doing the research myself, I will post my results for others. My only source of data is what has and hasn't worked for other Mazda6/MS6 owners. If someone has verified information that one of these combos will not work then by all means post here and I will update this post.

Disclaimer
I accept no responsibility if you buy a set of rims based on this and they end up rubbing. I am simply compiling information and testimonials of other Mazda6 owners.

Wheel/Tire Education
If you don't understand all the numbers and letters in 215/45ZR18 please read the Tire Size Information article before continuing. If you don't understand what 5x114.5 means please read the Bolt Pattern article before continuing. If you don't understand what +55 means please read the Offset article before continuing. You should now have somewhat of an understanding of how tire size and wheel sizes are determined.

OEM Wheel Specifications

OEM 16" wheels
Tires:
205/60R16 - North America
205/55R16 - Everywhere but North America
Wheels: Mazda OEM 16x7+55mm 5x114.3 21.1lbs
(16" diameter wheel that is 7" wide with a +55mm offset weighing 21.1lbs)

OEM 17" wheels
Tires:
215/50R17 - North America
215/45R17 - Everywhere but North America
Wheels: Mazda OEM 17x7+60mm 5x114.3 21.1lbs
(17" diameter wheel that is 7" wide with a +60mm offset weighing 21.1lbs)

OEM 18" wheels (Mazdaspeed6)
Tires: 215/45ZR18
Wheels: Mazda OEM 18x7+55mm 5x114.3 23.5lbs

OEM Tire replacment options

Alternative tire options for OEM wheels can be determined using a tire calculator. A wheel radius difference of less than 1% is desirable but a difference of 3% is still acceptable. Any more than 3% is not recommended.

Aftermarket wheel/tire options

Diameter: Wheel diameters from 16"-20" will fit on the Mazda6 and wheel diameters 17"-20" will fit on the MS6. You might be able to go 1" smaller and larger but it is not recommended.

Width: Wheel widths from 6.5"-8" will fit on both Mazda6 and MS6.

Offset: The offset that will work depends on wheel width and tire size. To compare the offset difference between wheels of different width, use this offset calculator. However, even though the final outer rim location of two wheels may be the same, a tire mounted on each rim will stick out differenty. For example, a 225 series tire may stick out 17.5mm from the rim of a 7.5" wheel while the same tire may stick out 24mm on a 7" rim. That extra 6.5mm could mean the difference between rubbing and not rubbing. Here is a summary of the offsets I have seen work for other Mazda6 owners:

7 inch wheel with up to 215 tires: 38-60mm offset
7 inch wheel with up to 225 tires: 42-60mm offset

7.5 inch wheel with up to 215 tires: 42-55mm offset
7.5 inch wheel with up to 225 tires: 48-55mm offset

8 inch wheel with 215 tires: 45-50mm offset
8 inch wheel with up to 225 tires: 50mm offset

Note: 235 tires are not recommended for any wheel size unless you are willing to roll and/or pull the fenders.

Note: Whenever you are at the low end of offset specrum you may have rubbing under heavy weight conditions (full trunk and passengers). If you are concerned about this and do not want to roll fenders stay in the in the middle of the range. For example, some people claim the RX-8 wheels rub (18x8+50mm) with 225/40R18 while others say it doesn't.

Where to Buy Wheels/Tires Online

www.tirerack.com
www.edgeracing.com
www.wheelmax.com
www.machiii.net

Most of these sites will allow you to select your car and then choose from only the wheels that fit. Sometimes they hide the offset from you but you can be sure they will work on your car. Please be warned, WheelMax has been known to have a less than perfect customer service track record and they are famous for doing a shotty job balancing wheel/tire combos. However, their prices still make them hard to pass up.
 
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WheelMax also seems to carry only ET45 wheels and a couple ET48. Just a warning before anyone spends lots of time searching there or falls in love with a wheel. If ET45 is ok with you (and potential for rolling your fenders), then have at it... otherwise, you probably want to shop elsewhere.
 
I'm assuming this fitment information is based on the stock suspension setup and height?
 
For a 7.5" wheel ET45 is fine, especially if you don't drop. I found numerous Mazda6 owners who did not rub with 18x7.5+45. If you drop, use 215 series tires to be safe.

For the most part, you are going to have a hard time everywhere finding anything greater than +48.
 
Raynman said:
I'm assuming this fitment information is based on the stock suspension setup and height?
Click to expand...
At stock height you can get by with just about anything. For the lower limits of the offset, I only put numbers down that had at least one person who claimed it didn't rub with their car lowered. Assume they were lowered no more than 1-2".
 
If you want to check for yourself, go to mazda6 club . com and navigate to the "Members Wheels" sticky thread under "Wheels/Tires". After it loads the first page choose Options->Download this Topic. Select HTML and open it in your browser. Give it a few minutes for the images to download and then you can search the entire thread for strings like "45" or "18x8". Most people were nice enough to provide all info including offset and tire size.
 
Mazda 6S V6 5 Speed- eating rotors, pulsation, vibration. Trip #5 after the holiday weekeed back to Mazda. This is our 4th Mazda. I have been told it is my wifes driving habbits. DUH. You buy and drive it. Extremely well maintained vehicle

Replace rotors, they have turned them. When does it start to wear on bearings, tires, tie rod ends, cv axles ect. Making offers but not willing to buy it back yet. LESS THAN 5K SINCE THEY WORKED ON THE BRAKES.
I have noticed they never replace pads and hardward when they do repair work. Anybody else in the same boat???
 
smoke_dude20 said:
Mazda 6S V6 5 Speed- eating rotors, pulsation, vibration. Trip #5 after the holiday weekeed back to Mazda. This is our 4th Mazda. I have been told it is my wifes driving habbits. DUH. You buy and drive it. Extremely well maintained vehicle

Replace rotors, they have turned them. When does it start to wear on bearings, tires, tie rod ends, cv axles ect. Making offers but not willing to buy it back yet. LESS THAN 5K SINCE THEY WORKED ON THE BRAKES.
I have noticed they never replace pads and hardward when they do repair work. Anybody else in the same boat???
Click to expand...
In my own personal experience the only thing that really warps rotors is when the lugs haven't been torqued. I used to live in the hills so we learned pretty quick that if you want them to last you need to get them all equally torqued. If you have wheel locks sometimes the dealer will get lazy and not want to try to torque that one lug since they don't always work so great. Another thing you can do is get a thicker after market plain rotor like Brembo's. Turning rotors also makes them more prone to warping since you are basically taking away metal which makes them more prone to overheating. Never turn them. Just replace them. We used this with our 96 Civic and the rotors lasted over 80k miles with absolutely no warps or needing to be turned. My wifes Mazda6 wagon had the same problem as well and now all is good. We are hard on the brakes regularly but never have any problems with warping ever....
 
Looking for OPINIONS - there is a tire company advertising Bridgestone Potenza SOSA's in 215/45/18 (oem size for MS6GT) at a really low price - $399 for 4 New tires. The sidewall strength rerading is 89 for these ; the oem Potenza RE50A have a slightly stronger sidewall (93 or 94 rating).
Question - will it make a difference in handling that is noticeable?
Has anyone here tried the SOSA's - what is your experience?
I loved the RE50A, even though at 8K miles on my '06, they seem halfway done treadwear-wise.
The RE50A's are more t5han twice the price - worth it?
Anything else on the radar worth a look before I poll the trigger?
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Thanks,
IzMo
 
I don't think it will rub if you roll the fender. I know of a local Speed6 owner Zigger who has 235/40-18 on 18x8.5 +43mm on his speed6 and it's fine now that the fender is rolled.
 
Read the first post man. We can't answer that unless you know what offset and width rim you plan to put them on.
 
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