Absolute lightest weight rims people are using?
 

A two part question:

1.) What are the ABSOLUTE lightest weight rims that are available for the Miata if cost and durability are not an issue.

2.) What are the lightest weight rims that are also acceptable for everyday pot-hole pounding street use?

Oh and a third thing...

3.) What is the lightest verified weight of an OEM Miata wheel. And which one from what year? I have heard 9lbs but couldn't find any info to substantiate that or clarify which wheel that was...

I love the enthusiasm... but I gotta bust your chops a little.

If you google miata wheel weights, this is the first link:

http://www.miata.net/faq/wheel_weights.html

You will not be able to find any BBS take-offs as they are prized by BRG dorks. I think they're ugly as fuk.
However, 94-97 hollow's or semi-hollows are practically free. I think about 50% of this board probably has at least one set taking up space behind their shed... 10.8lbs for matte semi-hollows.

http://www.miata.net/garage/mx5wheels/index.html

One of the most popular aftermarket Miata wheels of all time is the 15" Konig Helium, they're cheap and look good, especially in silver... Good-Win-Racing is the place to buy them... 11.4lbs:
http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda...es/Wheels.html


Current most popular Miata wheel (soon to be most popular of all-time) is the 949 Racing 6UL... 15x7's are 11.3lbs
http://949racing.com/15x7-6ul-silver.aspx

IIRC, I don't think I've ever heard of anybody breaking a hollow or semi-hollow... ever. On the other hand, I've heard of lots of broken Heliums (from running into stuff of course). If you can live with a 205series tire (195's I believe are the best fit), I'd stick with the 94-97 semi-hollows.

RPF1's.

Specifically, I think the 14x7" RPF-1s unless they make a narrower option in 14" diameter.

http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda.../61-04174.html

Under 9 pounds per wheel.

Here you go...I'm stole this was stolen from somewhere else as well.... But gives all weights...for everything....

http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-tir...-must-see.html

gonna be one of the small volks. ce28n in a 14x5 or TE37 in a 13x5. somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5 lbs.

Great Response SamNavy! Thanks for such a detailed reply with helpful info. Yeah, those BBS ones the site you linked to also said they've gotten reports from 8.5 lbs to 10.6 lbs and I was wondering if anybody's actually weighed theirs but it sounds like if they are basically unobtainium then it is probably a moot point.

Thanks again for the many details and your thoughts on the other options!

mine are 15x6.5 and 9.6 lbs each.

traded for them on craigslist.

n1 concepts q8

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328483805

uhhh, what size? you could use a 13x7 and probably have one of the lightest around.

in 15xX usually you will find 6ULs, but I think the RPF1s might be a tad lighter.

Yep. 14x5.5 Volk CE28N is 6.5lbs.

FYI, heavy wide wheels are faster than narrow light wheels in every application. I would rather have a 15x9 that weighs 20lbs a wheel than a 15x8 that weighs 12lbs a wheel.

I bet these are lighter:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1328487225

I wanna say my 13x9 Keizers are right at 9lbs a wheel.

949s are abou the lightest PRACTICAL wheel made IMO (light and strong).

^^^NOOOOOPPPEEE ;) even the 13x10 3pc race wheels we run on the Birkin (lotus 7 clone) are heavier than keizer offerings...but they are stronger.

Price range?

I don't think he plans to run 13x10s. I was more pointing at 13x5.5 And keizers at 9lbs is ------- heavy for a 13".

They are light. I know!

This is going on the electric car right? What kind of race are you competing in? That is something we need to know before giving you good advice.

Cost no object, I would have volk racing te37's in 15x10's like my buddy's v8 corolla. I think they weigh 10.9lbs.

That car is such a bauce.

My old Panasport 13x9.5'' C8 3 pc wheels were 8.6lbs each.

The 13" wheel use be the way to go on the Miata back in the day? Do they still dominate the autocross track, or are most cars using the 15" wheels now?

can't say much about autocross, but we have a TTE 1.8 miata on 13xX panasports that is pretty much 1st or 2nd place in NASA-SE...I think his name is John Haff, but can't remember exactly.

Most serious Miata autocross cars run 15s.

If cost and durability are no object, Keizer will sell you an FSAE spec 13x7 that's under 7 lbs. The first pot hole you hit will probably taco them, though, and you're on your own for useful 13" tires, but you won't find a lighter wheel.

If price is no object the easy button would be Volk RE30(lighter but less strong than TE37), or discontinued SSR Comp-C's. If you want to spend like the Sultan of Brunei than custom forged magnesium wheels are in your future. For reference: http://www.miata.net/faq/wheel_weights.html

:hustler:..Can u explain how that is so?

traction>anything else

there that was easy.

Buy 3 more spare miata tires, profit?

Does that apply to tracking the car only? Wouldnt u want lighter wheels for street use? Would be better for handling,braking,accelaration etc....

I would say durability is much more important than lightness in a street wheel.

Also depends on your application. If you will be pushing 350hp, then the wider wheel is always better.

If you want to get in to the symatics of it, you technically want the narrowest, lightest wheel possible, to get you the best gas mileage, and have decent traction in the rain, as wider tires tend to hydro-plane easier than narrower tires. Since we all drive legally of course.

But, if you're using a corner carving canyon run as your comparison, then you shouldn't sacrifice anything when looking at street wheels and tires. Grip is grip, handling is handling, braking is brake, and acceleration is acceleration. I guarantee the track junkie companies like Savington's TSE are considering those factors just as much as you when looking at race wheels.

His point was an extra inch of tire will make a bigger difference than the 5lbs of wheel width required to run that extra tread width. That goes for a track or a street.

Tnx....^^^^^

On wheelweights.net you can find size and weight of practically every wheel manufacturer.

I disagree with those who say grip is always preferable.

I currently have 15x7 on my slightly lowered miata but recently I tested it with oem 14x6 enkei's that are much lighter and narrower and the car was simply amazing. I love the way it flows on the road, the way it gently looses traction and the kind of involvement it provides with smaller wheels.

Indeed, I am going to fit some watanabe 14x6,5 wheels I just got from UK!!

I have to agree with you. I prefer driving my car on the street with grippy tires on stock wheels.

That's nice. I guess we will all throw away our mountains of empirical evidence and lap times and just do what feels right :jerkit::jerkit::jerkit:

I prefer to make my car as shitty as possible until it's possible to drive it at 10/10ths on the street and have nobody notice.

Some people do think that way, as evidenced by the Prius tires on the Toyubaru. But that is different than the question "what are the best wheels for the street." The best wheel/tire combination won't necessarily be everyone's favorite.

I just think those people are wrong.

I am not suggesting small wheels will make the car go faster on the track, and I do not run the small wheels all the time. It is just fun to me to run the stock wheels on occasion. My car is not exactly overpowered. Something with more power would be fun with a bigger wheel.

Right. I understand, it's just not my preference.

Grip > everything.

On my daily Acura TL I went up 2 sizes,An inch and half wider and with TE37's that are lightweight to make up for increases over stock...Plus there hot looking....On my boosted Miata I have 13lb 15inch wheels,but want something better looking but with equal weight or lighter...I dont track the car so not sure i need to go over 8inches in width...

I was simply saying that, IMHO, 14 are better for a daily use and 15 are better for track use (or for those who can mostly drive it on smooth asphalt and on fast roads. I am not among them)

I personally drive it on mountain twisty roads (sometimes with a bad asphalt) around the como lake (I live in Italy) where 14 give a much better driving experience. My two cents, anyway

I am completely fucked with my 17s.

They will bring a premium at Racewarz.

I want two premiums.

I drove my broke down, piece of shit on 13x5s on a mountain road and it felt faster than 15x10s on 275 R80s, it was clearly faster on the 13s.

Close your mouth, breathe through your nose, try vagina.

:laugh:

All these ClubRoadster betas need to go back to their mom's basements and get off our forum of extreme masculinity. Most of these little-boys desperately need testosterone therapy.

I'm still layin low..

:ninja:

But I effed myself when I was autocrossing my FD on my 17s when I had perfectly able 15s at my disposal.

Not to mention cheaper tires... and extra money = faster... eventually

Do 15s even work on FDs? I run the 16x8 FD wheels on my MX6, and it's actually limiting what i can do to the car in terms of brakes.

I weighed the BBS that came off my black and tan at 10.1lbs on the UPS shipping scale before shipping them to Pennsylvania (for nearly $500) to an RX7 & Miata owner whose RX7 came stock with the 15" version.

I've found sets locally at a little over $300 for the 14" version, but they usually go for more. The 15" (RX7) version usually goes for twice that. I've never had a lighter wheel on the Miata, and they did "feel" differently. I immediately missed that feeling, and regretted selling them, even though my next wheels were semi-hollows.

However, for the money, there are much better options out there. Hard to get down to that weight, but with the aftermarket options you get a wider wheel which allows you to run a tire that gets some semblance of traction at 220 turbocharged whp. My car was an absolutely iceskate while turbo on every set of stock wheels I ever ran.

If you do find a set of clean BBS at a decent price they are a NICE wheel. No need to knock them besides the varying weight accounts and their prized status by the wine and cheesers. There is a reason they're sought after though. I firmly believe they were the best stock wheel ever fitted to the Miata in regards to handling and ride.

Yes.. they fit young padawan.
15" wheels for FD drag racing, do they fit? - RX7Club.com

minor grinding is required, but it's hardly anything major. I never used my 15s because they were ugly as sin. Would have saved me a chunk on tires just sticking to those. Shit costs me like 1100 bucks to ship decent tires out here for 17s

are your 16x8s the factory wheel? Or the RZ option wheels?

Factory wheel. 93-spec, so the lightest ones. I suppose they could belong in this thread, i don't know of many lighter 16x8s.

Unfortunately, they won't fit over the Mazdaspeed6 brakes i kindof want to put on the car.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1350659034

Pretty sure my BBS RZ wheels are lighter.. 0.0
I mean, I don't have weights or anything, but they are extremely light. Although not a fan of the staggered set up. (16x8 and 16x8.5)

Give them to me for free.

Already sold them bro.
and free... hah, cute

Then no care. It's my DD, no money will be spent on it.

You had me laughing my ass of in the middle of my koolege class. And now I feel like a dumbass in here.

Not really. Ask bbundy how I did vs him at the FM Summer Cap a few years ago..I wsa on 17"sw/slicks. My only problem with them is tire selection. While the V710s a super nice, I want more options.

I have 15 by 7 inch IFG forged mags( international foreign group based out of Eureka Ca)
Herb money based company in humboldt co Ca that is no longer in existence. They have been very streetable with 205/50/15 azeni's. The rims weigh 8.0 pounds each. They are one off forged mag proto types from an old Russian aerospace foundry. Originally 9 were maid. I have the last 4 in the wourld. They were $1200 a piece before polishing and powder coating. Very light very sexy and alot of fun. Spin up sooo easy with 1.6 eng to keepin the power band.(lots of enkies also ect.. etc..)

I also have a set of Italian mags off a 2002 tii alpina. 13 by 6 or 5-1/2 not sure on weight very light but have 235/45/13 race rubber on them. Hustler was talking before about his smaller rims feeling faster. The smaller diameter rim and tire combo changes the gearing making it easier to excelerate in a worn out used up car. The race rubber would also be harder to spin up because of stick and alot of added weight.

Other science
Ten pounds on a 13 by 7 rim vs ten pound rims on a 15 by 7 rim are not equal. How so you say? The centrifugal force on the 15 takes more power/ torque to spin up then the 13-7.