hey guys, got my 2011 mazda 3 a month ago, i love it. but i'm a total newb when it comes to cars. this is in fact my FIRST car.

I wanna get larger wheels & tires cause i'm not feeling the 16inch ones that it came with. Will 18 inches fit? if so, would it be a good idea to put them on? Also, i live in new york and the weather is trippy at times so what kind of tires should I get?

I want my car to look sporty so i'm looking to you guys for your knowledge and expertise. thank you so much.

 

"not feeling" like you just don't like them? or you can't feel the road / seems squishy?

I think you can get 18's but it would be a super low profile, therefore expensive. And I think there's still a caster issue on the mazda 3, so unless you fix that, the tires (lower profile is worse) won't be sitting on the road flat and wear very unevenly compared with a more standard sidewall.

I'm in NY too, have stock 17's for summer, and 16's for winter - just cause they are cheaper and have more cushion if you to hit something if you slide off the road.

 

Thanks for the response djs.

Not feeling them as in I don't like em. so 18s wouldn't be the best idea? esp with winter coming up. so i guess 17's would be best.

Also what is caster? and why would a low profile on the car be a bad thing? i was thinking of probably dropping it as well. Mind u , i'm new to the car game so these are just random ideas i'm having.

 

You can try 18's, but i'd think it would be a much harsher ride, and less protection from potholes - seems impractical to me. But a lot of people like the look and deal with (or have another way around) the problems I think they would cause.

Caster is the angle front to rear that the tires pivot on when steering. 0 means they rotate always square with the road, positive caster (typical for cars) means the tire will lean inward when turned, which is better for cornering. I've seen many trucks that are negative caster and end up with the tires squealing around corners - seems like a horrible design to me, but probably allows the truck to skid before the tires grip and tip it over. Have a look here for some more info - http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html

I actually mis-spoke above and meant camber - which is the angle of the wheel off of vertical side to side when pointing straight ahead = how square it is on the road going straight. The front of most cars have the top of the tire tipped in slightly for handling, but the rear of the mazdas have a lot of camber, tipped in enough to cause wear issues on the OEM tires (search the forum = manu complaints).
With a 'normal' higher sidewall, the inside can be squished more than the outside and not cause much of an issue when the tire is tipped sideways. With a low sidewall, there's less give, and it causes handling issues. I'm dealing with this now and that's with stock size 17's. I'd guess if you go to 18's it will feel horrible on the road unless you fix the camber problem.

 

A good set of 17s will fit nicely and they won't have a huge effect on ride comfort. So not only will they look good, but they won't create a bumpy ride.

Make sure you do your homework and get a proper wheel size. 17x7 or 7.5 with an off-set in the high 40s or low 50s will do. Stock 17 size is 17x7 52.5 offset.

Another thing to think of is tire size. Ensure you get 205/50-17, so it doesn't rub if you slightly lower your car.

Oh yeah, don't go get cheap wheels, because you get what you pay for. The cheaper wheels will easily bend or possibly crack on rough roads!

One last thing, the larger the wheel the more it will negatively effect your car's performance; due to rotational inertia.

 

wow guys thanks a lot for the info. i'm such a newb so i really appreciate u guys schooling me on this stuff.

wolfgang thanks for the specs, 17s sound like the way to go. How do mechanics go about lowering the car? i was actually thinking about this but didn't know if it would be expensive or what they actually do. i live in nyc and sometimes the roads can be a bit chippy so i want to lower them but not so much where it would affect the tire/wheel.

any other knowledge u guys can share would be awww'freakinsome. thanks

 

There are two ways to lower your car.
1. Simply order springs ($250) to install with your stock struts (if it is a very low drop, around an inch or so). Performance struts must be ordered for any drop greater than 1.5 inches. Struts will cost around $600.
2. Or get a set of coilovers, which is a spring/strut setup that allows you to adjust your drop and some have other adjustments for ride comfort. But they are expensive $850+.

If you live in an area that has roads with pot-holes and possibly snow (as you stated), I would suggest not touching the suspension. I may not look as cool, but you won't mess up your car.

 

18s are pointless unless you roll down compton at 20mph, and thats all. theyre heavy and youll waste lots of power turning them. plus all the other stuff these guys said....

 

yeah thx for the advice, I'm sticking wit 17.

what rim manufacturer do u guys recommend? i'm looking for black or gun metal

 

tirerack.com is amazing for wheel/tire combos. dont like the finish? you can always get em painted too. dont pay for a namebrand, youll stress alot less about damage knowing you paid half of what suckers pay.

 

You get what you pay for. Machined aluminum wheels are relatively light, but they are fragile compared to forged aluminum wheels. Yes, forged wheels are typically expensive, but you get what you pay for. I had a set of machined wheels once, and they got bent by hitting a little pot-hole. Never again will I waste money on machined wheels.

I personally like the mazdaspeed wheels. They are also forged and you can get them relatively cheap! I bought a set for $400 bucks from http://www. mazdaspeedforums .org/forum/

Just remove the spaces between the www. and .org You have to donate to become a VIP member to access the for sale thread, but it's worth it. Like I said, I got a set of flawless mazdaspeed wheels for $450 bucks that are forged. Can't beat that deal!

 

as always, you get what you pay for. but seriously, have you ever BROKE a wheel? like a spoke actually collapses? if youre like me, other people cause more damage than you do (stupid accidents, rock chips on the highway etc...) replacing inexpensive wheels gets my vote everytime. keep em fast and light, and keep em commin....

 

I have never personally broke a spoke, but my buddy did in his WRX. Also, the pot hole I hit bent the machined aluminum alloy wheel so badly that it could not be repaired, but the worse part was that I was stranded on the side of the road and missed my college class that night.

Basically, my opinion is this...if you live in a city that has amazing roads that never get potholes or other road hazards, than aluminum alloy wheels are fine. However, I don't live in such a place and will never waste money on those types of wheels because they cost more in the long run. It's the same as the internals of your engine. If you are running a stock engine, than machined aluminum pistons and rods are fine. But if you decide to boost it, than invest in forged internals because it will save you money in the long run...

 

Hi guys. This is Ian from the Philippines. I am planning to upgrade my wheels before christmas. i am using a Mazda3 '09 1.6V model which has a 16' stock rims. I went to a Dubshop wheel supplier and thry recommended a 17' upgrade coupled with a 50 series tires. Actually another tire option was offered-a relatively thinner low profiled 45' i guess. Will the former be a better option? I want the car to at least have a new look as it turns 3 but i am concerned with the comfort in terms of rides that it brings. I understand changes will be felt. But i have decided to go with it anyway. Thank you.

 

I'd go with the 50-sized tires because it will not effect your speedometer at higher speeds

however, ride comfort isn't going to change dramatically from 50 to 45.