DeerHunter

After fixing the OEM "4x4" look with Xida suspension, the last tweak was to eliminate the "wagon-wheel" inset that comes standard on all NDs. My original plan was to replace the Rays 30AE wheels with 16x8 Konig Dekagrams but that fell through due to lack of tire choices and, frankly, the 17" tires were much more comfortable than I expected. I also grew to love the look of the gunmetal ZE40 wheel. My first attempt at a fix was to install a set of GarageLine wheel spacers but, for some reason, they didn't fit with my wheels. Plan B was to order a set of forged ZE40s from Mazda Motorsports, which are half an inch wider and with a better offset (+40). They are also about half-price compared to ordering from a standard vendor. The order was placed last November.

Well, after a looooong wait for the wheels to arrive from Japan, they shipped from Mazda Motorsport a couple of weeks ago to a mailbox facility in Montana. A local freight forwarder imported them and I picked them up yesterday. The packaging was impressive: Two wheel boxes were placed within a bigger carton and surrounded with packing paper. Total weight was about 49 lbs each, so given that the wheels weigh 15 lbs each, that's almost 20 lbs of packaging material per pair. The individual wheel boxes looked essentially bombproof - you'd have to drive a semi over it to create any damage.

I thought long and hard about my tire choice. I considered Continental ECS and Michelin PS4s but ultimately decided on PS A/S4s in a 215/45R17 size, for a few reasons:

• I sometimes go on road trips during the shoulder season and, particularly through the mountains (which is pretty much the only way to go anywhere interesting from where I live), there is always a chance of a snap blizzard
• I want to keep the playful nature of the Miata chassis intact (too much grip on the street isn’t always ideal in terms of fun)
• I have a set on my winter beater (’06 BMW 330i, RWD with stick) for summer/shoulder season and like how they feel, particularly in the wet
• My brother put a set on his MSM this spring and raved about them during our Springtime road trip (which featured some epically-wet days)
• Finally, the size is more readily available than 205/45R17 (and better suited to the 7.5" wheel width).

They arrived in short order and were mounted this morning at my local performance tire shop.

Here you can see the sticker showing size, offset and bore. The date also shows they were recently manufactured. You can also see the eBay-sourced OEM TPMS.



First order of business was to clean the wheels, use a panel degreaser and then apply CarPro CQuartz DLUX nanocoating to all surfaces, including the barrel.


I took the opportunity to weigh the OEM SOO1s on the 30AE Rays wheels. Per Tirerack, these tires are 19 lbs each, which puts the OEM wheels at approximately 14.4 lbs each.


The PS A/S4/Cup Car wheel combo weighed in at 38.4 lbs, an increase of 5 lbs per corner. That's a little higher than I was expecting but the tires are 22 lbs each, making the new wheels a couple of pounds heavier (give or take, as the OEM tires are partially worn).


Here's a comparison of tire width (Heinz, my track-mostly MSM, is in the background):



And here's the mounted wheel, complete with Rays centercaps (sourced from Nengun). Ignore the wheel/fender gap, as the car hadn't settle properly after jacking it up.

DeerHunter

And here you can see the offset difference.

Front OEM offset:


Front Cup Car wheel offset:


Rear OEM offset:


Rear Cup Car wheel offset:


Front top fender clearance:


Front rear fender clearance:

DeerHunter

Tires look meatier and more purposeful. Mission accomplished, I'd say.





I've only driven around the block, as the nanocoating needs to cure before being exposed to the elements. I did try a full-lock turn and noticed a touch of rubbing on left-hand turns but nothing when going right. I don't think it's a big deal but I'll report anything as I put more miles on the car.

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

The wheels look great! The offset and the 215/45's look just about perfect. I am actually running 225/50/16 AS/4's on my 16x8 Konig Dekagrams, so I don't get the comment about tire availability. Does that size not exist anymore?

What muffler do you have on and did you have to trim the diffuser to get the twin tips to fit? I have a JDL twin-tip muffler that I will be putting on soon and I am betting I will have to trim my diffuser a bit.

DeerHunter

Thanks Chili. I saw several warnings about rubbing with that size tire, so I shied away from it. I'd already bought the Dekagrams, even before I took delivery of my car, and planned to do the swap before heading out to Miata Reunion at Laguna Seca the following month. The timing didn't work out and once I realized that the 17s didn't ride like crap, I put that project on hiatus. I finally sold the wheels this summer, which helped offset the cost of the ZE40s.

The muffler is a Goodwin SQTT (coupled with FM midpipe). This combination needed two resonated inserts to get rid of mid-range rasp (it sounds wonderful now). And yes, you definitely need to trim the Verus diffuser. It's not difficult and I even 'painted' the cuts with a black Sharpie.

DeerHunter

Here's a side view:


I went for a long-ish drive today and ride comfort is pretty much the same. Sharp bumps seem a little softer due to the larger sidewalls but bigger bumps are perhaps more noticeable due to the higher unsprung mass. Vanity precludes me from going back to stock, however. I do like the new look.

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I never noticed any ride benefits when I went to the 16x8's and 225/50's. That is the exclusive reason I bought them, but all I got from them is a speedo that is way off lol.

I plan on going back to 17's when I buy some 215/45 Conti ECS's for my 17x8 6UL's that have been laying around for awhile.

emilio700

iTrader: (3)

That's what I notice on my 30AE with 17x9's and 245/40 ECS compared to Sonny's 30AE on OEM wheels/tires. His sidewalls are stiffer so small stuff comes straight through unfiltered, while the fatter Conti's soak that stuff up. But on big sharp hits, you feel the mass difference. We both run Xida Touring but he's on about 18 clicks and I'm at 11 clicks.

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

Car looks fantastic. I really like the purposeful look of the GCC wheels. They're also pure jewelry.

DeerHunter

Thanks Ed. I have a few more miles on this combination, a few updated observations and some more photos:




The Global Cup Car wheels are the ZE40 design, same as the 30AE OEM wheels. Mounted on my car, they looked juuust a little different but I couldn't put my finger on it. At first I thought it was just the difference in the center cap design and colour, but then it finally hit me: The hub section (negative space) is bigger on the new wheels. A ruler proves it:




Perhaps they were tweaked for additional strength for racing use, or perhaps it's just what's necessary in order to achieve the higher offset. Either way, I don't mind it. Here's a shot, taken at a recent Miata Club meeting, with a bone stock 30AE parked behind my Xida-equipped car:




A comparison of the +40 offset and stock. Much improved:




Anyway, further driving impressions: At first I thought I had made a huge mistake in my choice of tires. One of the things that I had loved about the new Xidas and alignment is how quickly my car would turn-in and hold a corner, with nary a hint of understeer. This is a city speeds, mind you, not tearing up a canyon road (which we don't have any of around these parts). Sadly, that went away and I put it down to the squishier sidewalls on the larger diameter all-seasons. I had clean forgotten about mould-release compound though, and after the tires were thoroughly scrubbed-in, that greasy, vague feeling evaporated. It once again turns-in with alacrity and on-ramps can be taken at ludicrous speeds, so there's definitely no shortage of grip. A final assessment will have to await the next road trip (likely next year, as winter doth approach) but, so far, I'm thrilled with this addition.

I'll leave you with a photo of this interesting rear badge mod on a CX-5:

denim_shiba

Hi Deerhunter - I have a 2018 ND with the OEM Brembo brake calipers. I'm also looking at acquiring these rims (used) and wasn't sure if they would clear the brembo calipers. I'm assuming your brembo brakes are the same as mine, but just wanted to see if you had to do anything for brembo brake clearance. I've looked and looked and cant find anywhere online that specifically says that Mazda wheel #0000-04-5806 clears OEM Brake calipers. Thanks for the help!

nd2slow

He has the same Brembo brakes as you and they’ll obviously fit.

DeerHunter

Yes, they will fit with any OEM Miata brakes.

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

Just wanted to chime in that this setup is awesome! Perfectly OEM +, makes the car look way better without changing the style. +cats.