Well, I'm going to build up slowly- probably run FSP until my Victoracers wear out. Ultimately, I'd like a set of 15x7 SSR competition wheels in dark grey with Falken Azenis.
However, I noticed the 215-45-16 tires are only .2 lbs heavier than the 205-50-15's. So if I could happen upon a 16x7 set of SSR's for a good price, I wouldn't pass them up!

 

+42 should be plenty for my sedan. Especially running only a 205 tire. The cast version is also a fairly reasonable price so I might end up with those if they are in stock.

FWIW, I have seen +35 offse 15x7 wheels with a 225/50/15 tire fit on a Protege5 and it barely sits inside the rear fender but doesn't rub strangely enough.

 

Nice, I have a local shop that will give me cost on some R1 wheels (i forget the manufacturer name, but it's not a great one, Aerospeed maybe) anyway, they come in gray and black and are only like 12-13lbs each and at $75-80 each, pretty hard to pass up. They look like the Kosie's or Enkei's.

I bet the price difference betwewen the 15 and 16 is a bit more than .2 but that's probably gonna be my choice for a street tire for my 16's.

and FWIW on offset, the wider the track the better, so get the widest offset possible. 35mm is probably max for a Protege, about 42mm the other way.

 

I am running in HS in a 02.5 ES A/T (I know ) with stock 16x6 wheels. Can I run the 17x7 wheels, which is an option for the ES? What would be a good combination of wheels and tires and still run HS? The AZENIS 205/55VR16 might be too tall and might loss to much HP and might be a stretch for the 6”. The AZENIS 215/45ZR16 are too wide for the 6” wheels. The sizes for the 17” are still no help to me. Only if a can run 15x7 or 16x7 I would be OK. Any suggestion?

 

When was a 17" wheel ever an option on the ES?

If you're running in a stock class, go with an 'R' compound tire that will fit your stock rim; use a Hoosier if you can afford it. There's no point in running Falken Azenis when you're allowed to run a race compound tire.

 

if you don't race, then why excessive negative camber?

 

Because my car is lowered and I did'nt want to bother with a camber kit (don't even know if it's available for the 1st gen Pro) and my camber did'nt look all that bad.... Besides, it had'nt cause me problems until now....

But like Jesse said, the wear is probably due to an alignement issue... I have'nt done one in a while and I just remembered that I smacked a curb while sliding on ice this winter which may have caused the problem....20/20 hindsight, right?

Anyways, all that to say I don't think my camber is all that bad.




So I think I'm going to go with the Kumhos afterall... If they wear out, they're half the price of anything else that size around here, so I've got nothing to lose.... Besides, they're probably alot better than my Paradas in the rain....those things were death traps!!

 

It wasn't. They were available on the MSP and MP3, but never the 01+ ES or P5, which all come with 16x6 wheels.

BTW this is a SCCA Solo II rule that is commonly misunderstood by newbies. In order to run a certain part or option on a Stock-class car, the car must have been available from the factory with that EXACT combination of parts. Cars can be "converted" from one option combination to another, but only when the resulting car is an EXACT duplicate of a factory combination from the same model year.

Perfect Protege example: you cannot run the 17x7 MP3 wheels, bigger rear swaybar or better ECU on an ES unless the car is a 2001 model that also has the strutbar, ground effects kit, big round foglights, subwoofer box, rear wing, short shifter, and non-VTCS intake manifold and every other part that makes an MP3 what it is. This also means that you can't create an "MP3 hatchback" from a P5 because the car wasn't available from the factory that way. The car must also run in the correct MP3 class (GS) rather than HS. In other words, 17x7 wheels on a P5 is a BIG NO-NO.

For more information: Unofficial SCCA Rules Site

 

Ok I have been reading this thread and I am now very confused, wait maybe the thread had nothing to do with the, went to the SOLO II Divisionals this weekend and had lot's of fun and learned a lot. But, everyone laughed cuz i was running on my factory tires. I want to compete really for fun but don't want to be left behind too much. Some of the people in my class HS were using the Falken Azen's, what size should I go with on my Pro 5?

Thanks

 

Likewise, 16x6 wheels on an MP3 is not allowed.
Too bad Mazda didn't ship the cars with an extra set of ES wheels like Subaru does with the Impreza R1 edition.



As far as putting race tires on the stock P5 wheels, you have only a few choices at the moment.
1 - Kumho V700 205/45 16
2 - Hoosier Race compound 205/45 16
3 - Hoosier Autocross compound 215/40 16

I don't think Toyo or Yokohama have any r-compounds in 16" that are even close to being a good fit for our cars. I think Hankook has a new r-compound but not sure what sizes.

 

whoa!! the V700 in the 225/50/16 size will fit???
This would be awesome...!

I also want to comment on why people have mixed reviews on the Kumho 712. Different sizes have different speed ratings and treadware... I assume that means different rubber compounds. SO if you get 205/55/16's they may not be the same as the 205/45/16's.

I had the 712's in 205/55/16's on a Contour SVT (crap car) and hated them they felt hard and sloppy... I have them 205/45/16 on the MP5 and love them.

Just try and hydroplane! while they are not race rubber, but they are a hell of a lot better than say Nitto 450's or the Stock Dunlops. and then when you factor in the cost element and wear they are just about as good as you can get for daily drivers.

just my .02

 

I have the Supra 712s. A great tire for the price(probably the best tire for pure priceerformance ratio), but not a great tire at any price. Mine are 205/40/17s, and handling, grip and traction are amazing in optimal conditions, but I find they slip easily in wet/slippery conditions, and traction is crap in the wet also. I think I'm going to get the Ecsta MXs next, in a 215/40. They're supposed to be a great tire, as good as most max-performance tires.

 

I had heard the 712s were pretty good in wet conditions.....

My Paradas are crap in the wet, and that's why I wanted some that were a bit better....

Whatever, I guess I'll buy them anyways 'cause they're much cheaper than all the others...

 

they area good tire. I raced them twice in the rain(one was a total downpour) i felt they did very well in the wet.

whats the price difference in the Azenis and 712's in the size your looking at.....i bet the Azenis are a bit cheaper. The Azenis beat the 712s on dry hands down. I've never had a chance to race them in the rain, but from what i've heard they are about equal to or just a hair above the 712s in the wet.

 

Ya, the 712s are AWESOME during heavy rain. ie when there's enough water on the road for the tires to push away. It's during light rain/slick conditions that they suck-***. It's almost like the compound is made of polyurathane....