My question would not be if it will rub, but rather if the tire will fit on that rim. I am not sure what year you are talking about, but I have the first gen mazda 3 wheels and they are 6.5" wide. I just purchased a set of 205/40/17 because the guys at tire rack and discount tire direct said that a 215 would bubble. I took the safe root because I am conservative like that. But I would be deffinatley interested to hear how it goes if you get the 215/45/17 that I wanted.
Santa Cruz, CA