guitarrc6

hey i was wondering what the largest tire rim people were running on their miata's. like how big can you go and what backspacing would you need? also has anyone run staggared tires? like 17" in the back and 16" in the front? usually staggared tires looks good, so i was wondering if it was possible on a miata or would it just be dumb? pelease exuse the speling i'm still in 5th grade.....for the 12th time *sigh*

akthor

Look at pics of miatas with 17's they look horribly like wagon wheels. Some 16's look Ok but others look bad to me as well.

I do think if you live anywhere that has bad roads and potholes you are looking for trouble with anything bigger than 15's. I was in my local Mazda dealers two springs ago picking up parts and saw the new Miatas and MX6's and commented on how little the amount of tire they seem to have with the bigger rims and the parts guys said he had already ordered like 15 replacement wheels for folks that had ruined their wheels hitting potholes and I live in a small city (50,000 people or so).

guitarrc6

that sucks. buy stronger wheels? i wanted to put a body kit on the car, and the 17s fill out the wheel wells better without all that rubber. if everyone dented their rims on potholes then there would not be such a huge aftermarket for rims. i'm young, i can deal with shitty ride quality.

akaryrye

iTrader: (5)

go ahead and take a peek at some pictures of miatas and see what you like. I, along with many others feel that a 15" wheel is a good size between tire selection and overall look. There is a couple of good picture threads at miata.net ... there is one person on here whose car I like the best. I will find it and post a picture in a few minutes.

akaryrye

iTrader: (5)

GTSmiata has my favorite car of all of our little bunch. He has 15"s, i guess not everybody likes it as much as i do tho

timhill78

iTrader: (3)

I like the look of 16's but if i had to do it again i would probably go with wider 15's I still run 225/45/16s but it's tight. I had staggered tire sizes for a while and it messed with the balance of the car in corners. I think 17s look a little silly an such a small car.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

staggered tires introduces understeer.

Newbsauce

iTrader: (2)

I run 17s.. the ride is rough, however I like the way it looks. I am currently looking to pick up some 16s though just so I have some more rubber. I have 205/40/17s on mine right now. If you want to see what it looks like.. look at the banner at the top of the page, 2nd white car in.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

I always like how yours looks, but if the thing didn't ride on the ground it would look much different.

FHS

iTrader: (2)

I love the way a good set of 17's look on a slammed car, but the ride sucks ***. I'm back to running 15's because I do a lot of long road trips. I'd say, for the street, 16's are a good compromise between ride and appearance.

cjernigan

iTrader: (13)

17" Konig Imagines
The ride is rough, as if I have stiff suspension. The car came with them from the prev. owner. I'll be going to a 15x8 and better suspension in the fall. The 17" wheels are heavy as hell, they look good but I don't like the way they make the car handle.

miatamania

iTrader: (9)

If you only have one set of wheels, jump on some 16s and slam that **** within reason...I'll get a picture of mine...I had 17s...they looked good, but huge.

No Staggering, just don't do that.

airbrush1

those are my 17's.... they're a bit too big in my opinion, but I like the look, and they'll be even better once I lower the car. They actually weigh about the same as my stock wheels and tires.... which is hard to believe, but is true


they make it slower, and the ride is rough......so I'd prolly go with some lightweight 15's or 16's if I did it again....

guitarrc6

thanks for your opinions. I really like the look of the 17s but if the ride is as bad as everyone says it is, i'd pretty much just be stupid to get them. i'm kinda a dumbass so we'll see what happens

miataspeed1point6

iTrader: (1)

I just got some 16's for next to nothing. I planned to put them on, but I think I'm going to sell them off. The thing is I can't find a tire that works. Everything I tried at work rubbed on the fenders. My car is on the middle perch of the Koni's. What size tire are you 16" guys running? I still think I'm going with 15's...

cjernigan

iTrader: (13)

The ride isn't that bad. I went on a 1300 mile roadtrip with my girlfriend and she didn't whine. If that means anything. It can depend on how much air you run in them as well. If you're running auto-x tire pressures then it's going to pound you.

spoom

In the interest of contributing to this thread (and acheiving a post count high enough to utilize PM's), here's my 97 with 16x7s - 205/45/16s in the front, 225/40/16s in the rear.

miataspeed1point6

iTrader: (1)

Can anyone recommend to me a size? I'm thinking the 205/45/16 or 205/40/16 will work. Thanks.

airbrush1

I run a 205 40 zr17..... you may get a better ride quality with a higher sidewall, say 45 or 50 series....

Savington

iTrader: (31)

Good luck fitting a 205/50-17 under Miata fenders. A 205/45-17 is a stretch as well.

I love my 15s, and if you have a problem with fender gap, SLAM THAT ****.