2004~2008 Aftermarket wheel question

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2004 Mazda 3 S Sedan
I have had my 3 since 2004. I have done numerous mods and such in the past. I have changed out my stock 17s for stock 18 inch RX-8 wheels a few years back. However I have never gone to an aftermarket wheel until now. So anyway. I know the stock RX-8s are a 50 offset. And as I look for wheels I am mostly finding 35 offset. I am told that they wont fit by some and told they will fit by others. Please help me out and let me know what you all think and if you can why. Thanks Sku11
 
This is what I did for my car, which doesn't have much aftermarket support.

1. Go out to your car and snap a picture of the clearance from the inner wheel to the suspension components, and the outer wheel to the fender. Do this for the front and rear. Here's an example:

IMG_20180902_115753.jpg


You now have a general idea of how much room you have to play with based on the photos.

NOTE: The higher the offset, the more inboard the wheel will sit. So if your RX-8 wheels are 18x8 +50, and you replace them with an aftermarket wheel that is 18x8 +35, the new wheel will sit 15mm further out from the centre of the car (i.e. 15mm further away from the suspension components).

2. Note the specs of your rims and tires.

3. Go to willtheyfit.com and input your current wheel setup and the wheel setup you are considering. The calculator will provide a comparison between the two setups.

4. The comparison provided will include important information like change in wheel diameter. It will also provide a visual representation of your current setup and your potential setup. Compare that with the photos you took to get a good idea of whether the wheels will fit. It isn't exact, so if you're working with a much smaller amount of clearance, unfortunately you'll have to rely on the experience of others, or worst case scenario, trial and error.
 
Thank you for your reply. The crazy thing to me is that most wheel manufacturers dont have a wheel offset that will work with most regular sports cars. I am not 17 and am not looking to have crazy camber and all that. LoL
I have built my car to handle the twisties. Eibach Prokit and Koni yellows with an upgrade of brake components and a camber kit. I'm just trying to find a wheel that changes up the looks and performance and a more or less flush fit without breaking the bank. And all most of the online stores carry are crazy to even concider putting on a sports car.
Thanks again for the reply and I'll do some checking on my setup to see how much space I'm playing with.
 
That looks great, but I can understand wanting to change up the look and maybe shed a few pounds. Good luck in your search!
 
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