Max size of wheels

[StanTheMan]

SE 17" 205/40x17 tyres = 595.63mm diameter - so only 16.5mm difference to the 19's Greg is proposing.

This is the way I see it

Standard size for an NA is 575mm the 19" size is 633mm to me that's 58mm higher. (Thats massive.)
that means the car will sit 29 mm higher in the standard suspension height setting but will also be 29mm closer to the inner guard compared to the standard wheel.

so really its a bit like lowering the car just over an inch and a bit. except that its now got a bigger wheel & has 29mm more ground clearance right?

The NB8B rimms have the same offset as your proposed. but they are only 6.5" wide. If I was to put 25mm spacers I know I have to roll my guards. but to simulate your 19x7.5 rimms I would only have to put on a 12.5mm spacer.

I recon they will fit. At worst you will need to roll your guards. but you'll fugure that out while you fit them.

just have it all organised when you pick them up.

my 0.01 with no GST

[Wivvix]

I didn't say anywhere that driving with a particular size wheel/tyre would have the effect of reducing cornering capability

In my opinion 17's totally screw with the handling on an NA

hmmmmm

Yeah, the car feels different through corners. I didn't say it reduces the cars ability to corner however, just that it's a different feel and I don't like it. "Screws with" probably wasn't the best choice of phrase. You seemed to interpret this as meaning a decrease in cornering potential, i.e. that 17"+ wheels mean slower lap times. This is not the message I was trying to convey. My apologies for the confusion.

Lack of forbearance for different styles? That's rich considering you're pretty intolerant yourself of differing, yet valid opinions.

That's funny considering I have one of the most individual cars in this place. Besides which you aren't offering a different opinion you are just regurgitating the same thing I have heard from a million other people on here over the last 2 1/2 years when talk turns to larger than 16" on an NA. I wasn't personally having a go at you anyway about lack of forbearance, just the general forum theme. Sorry if you took it that way. Personally I can't wait to see 19's on an NA but that's the autosalon side of me coming out

Ben

I'm not saying different styles are a bad thing, I actually really like what you've done with your 5. Autosalon is fine and I think as long as you're enhancing the vehicle through tasteful mods you can't really go wrong, but 19" wheels on an mx5 is going to be a purely aesthetic exercise which is deleterious to ride quality. I don't allow mainstream prejudice to influence my own opinion on things. I personally tried out 14-17" wheels/tyres and found 14's and 15's to have the nicest feeling handling through corners. If this happens to correlate with what other mx5 owners say then great, it seems I share company with people who have similar tastes.

[PUR157]

*group hug*

Just out of curiosity greggtr... do you have any wheels in mind?
or is it just the size you're looking at right now?

Also had a similar experience as Fatty, I've had a steer of a friends late model NA8 with 17" wheels (that were actually quite heavy) and as an old fashioned MX5er I approached with much apprehension
But because of the Power Steer I was pleasantly surprised... maybe I'm just not perceptive enough to the handling side of things but they did not interfere with the handling as disastrously (if at all) as I initially thought they would

[GP]

205/50/16 = 612mm height
225/50/16 = 631mm height
215/45/17 = 626mm height
215/35/19 = 633mm height

They are all Illegal

Standard size for an NA is 575mm the 19" size is 633mm to me that's 58mm higher. (Thats massive.)

That's Insane, the Plod are going to love you

[devolutio]

I feel silly for having read this thread in it's entirety. i think i lost a few brain cells in the process. that was like 'researching' interccooler size for a sr20det on ns.com. thankfully i haven't been that bored at work for quite a while.

i'm not going to give any advice and this post is only as useless as most of the others here.

hope they fit!

[PASHN8]

Greg, i'm pretty confident they will fit, as long as you check the offset of the rim which will make ALL the difference.

I had 18" rims on my NA6, tyres were 215/35/18 from memory and the ride was just fine and handled very well running up the front of the non-turbo pack on all the cruises/runs it went on.
They fit with ease, didn't rub on any occasion and didnt' require guard lipping or modification. I believe the right offset is paramount to get the wheel in the place to start with before lowering.



What you must understand is that unfortunately not all people have dríven a vast range of cars and been part of a vast range of car scenes, so some mentalities will always stick with tradition.

End of the day mate, if you like that look, go for it! What you like is what matters, not the people around you

(with the right wheel tyre combo and a subtle lip/kit I think it would look good!)

[ampz]

Where abouts in Sydney are the rims bud?
I can check them out/try fit them if the seller agees.

I have an NA6 and won't be ashamed to try before you buy

I had to switch to heavier 16s to regain some traction on mine

[tassone56]

Lets face it, the MX5 at the best of times is not a good looking sports car

uhh.. no.

I do however see what you mean about larger wheels making it look a bit better. I recently baught some 17" for mine, and i think they look great for size, handling difference is barely noticeable if your just an everyday driver. The only problem is now it looks a little too high. Of coarse if you have adjustable coilovers that wont be a problem. anyway.. to be constructuve, i have seen an mx5 for sale with (dont laugh) 20"s on it.. yeah.. big shiny chromies too.

After swallowing a small rush of vomit i concluded that it was far from impressive. Anyway, when i baught the 17"s i have now, the dealer said the rolling diameter is just out of the legal range, from memory i think he said about 5mm or so. aside from the fact that it would not be legal for 19"s and all the handling problems, i find that because of the small size of the car, 17s look large enough, im sure ur oppinion may vary though.

If u end up getting them, post some pics!

[MxJadeMonkey]

Could be totally wrong here, but didn't "BCHLOR" (alex, with his auto salon NB) have 19's?

Any one got any pic's?

I could be wrong here.

Josh

[philz]

He had 19's but they scraped, and so he went back to 18's.

Refer to this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=23051

[Jeo]

Could be totally wrong here, but didn't "BCHLOR" (alex, with his auto salon NB) have 19's?

Any one got any pic's?

I could be wrong here.

Josh

I've got a magazine feature on that floating around somehwere.

*goes looking*

[7Hazi]

Well for anyone who wants to see what 19's on a NA looks like I found this post on Clubroadster...

http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=26520

So I guess it can be done. As to whether it looks right . I think 19's might be going a little bit too far...