Tire Clearance

[RobbieTheStiff]

I'm looking to upgrade my stock 14" wheels and I wanted to know how big I could go before clearance becomes an issue... right now I have 185/65/14 on my 2000 sedan so I'd be looking for either 195/60/16 or 205/40/17 I guess (haven't looked at what's available these days so not 100% sure those sizes exist?). 205 is only 20mm wider so I'm assuming there'll be no problems but just wanted to ask before I take the plunge.

[wrpfctr6]

THE MAZDA SIZES ARE 195/50R16 AND 205/45R17

[nicholas13]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">THE MAZDA SIZES ARE 195/50R16 AND 205/45R17[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

I hate to correct you here but the size on a 2000 sedan were 195/55/15 on stock mazda alloys

[wrpfctr6]

no need for correction....i was answering his question pertaining to 16&quot; wheels and 17&quot; wheels and not the stock 15&quot; alloys on the 2000 model....the stock size tire on 16&quot; wheels is 195/50R16 ....i know they didn't come with that size for that year but the gearing is the same so the wheel and tire size should be similar as well....if he chose the sizes he mentioned then the speedo might be off by a few km/hr....

[RobbieTheStiff]

I tried a couple different tire size calculators just to confirm and 205/45/17 is a little too big. With the stock 185/65/14 my rolling radius is 298.05mm. If I went with a 205/45/17 it would change to 308.15mm which is a 3.39% increase. A 205/40/17 has a RR of 297.9mm which is only 0.05% smaller, much much closer to original size. Plus the lower profile is trés sexy http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[wrpfctr6]

true that.....i was just repeating what the parts computer said about the tire sizes.....i thought it seemed a bit large too....i talked to our tire specialist next door, Extreme wheel&amp;tire, and for 17&quot; rims they tend to go with the 40 aspect ratio....

[RobbieTheStiff]

Yup I ended up with the 40s after all... Kumho Ecsta 711 205/40/17 to be exact. And Advanti Racing Sokudo-8 17&quot; rims -- here are two horribly low-res pictures:

http://flow.cx/crbenne/Car/030709%20-%20exterior01.jpg

http://flow.cx/crbenne/Car/030709%20-%20exterior02.jpg

Today was a perfect chance to test the tires out, and I could not get them to slip even under some pretty hard turning/acceleration. Much better than the stock Firestone tires...

[Action Jackson]

Nice looking ride.

[RobbieTheStiff]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Action Jackson @ July 11 2003,06:45)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Nice looking ride.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Thanks man! The rims were a huge improvement... I felt so ashamed every time I looked at my 14&quot; wheel covers http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

The gunmetal finish on the rims is really nice... they're a very interesting dark/shiny grey/silver... it really looks good on the car. And I had my calipers and drums painted black as well. The guys at Automotive Import Market did a great job and were very helpful. I would definitely recommended them.

[Action Jackson]

Next question someone will ask is...

how much? and where?

[RobbieTheStiff]

Well the where I already answered -- Automotive Import Market, 400 Denison St. in Markham, 905 477 1771

How much? $1488 all in. That included:
- Advanti Racing &quot;Sokudo-8&quot; rims
- Kumho Ecsta 711 205/40/17 tires
- Set of 4 lock nuts
- Valve caps
- Installation of new rims/tires
- Painting of calipers/drums (choice of colours)

Install only took about an hour, no appointment necessary. I dealt with Dustin who was very helpful. While they were installing I went to a nearby Indian buffet for lunch, and when I came back my car was sitting out front all set to go -- they even bagged my old tires and put them in the back seat http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[wrpfctr6]

LOOKING GOOD ROBBIETHESTIFF.....SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT DEAL ON THOSE RIMS AND TIRES....! I'VE DEALT WITH AUTOMOTIVE IMPORT MARKET BEFORE AND THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN COMPETITIVE WITH PRICES AND HELPFUL WITH SERVICE.....

[redfyre]

I'm looking at getting a set of 205/45/17's next year for myself. Anyone know what is involved in setting the odometer for this? Is there even such thing? I know the 45's are a little larger in diameter and will affect the reading some.

[RobbieTheStiff]

Apparently there is no way to recalibrate the odo/speedometer on the Proteges... I asked at the dealership and if I remember right they said the Tribute and MPV instruments could be adjusted for different tire sizes, but no other models.

If you're worried about the lower profile of the 205/40/17 then you may want to step down to a 16&quot; wheel instead, like a 195/50/16. This size is less than 1% different from the stock size.