MS6 wheel specs

After reading this post and thinking about teh whole winter tire thing I think that I may go with the steel rim idea, it is cheaper and although some say ugly... But I am going for the cost effective way to get thru the winter, I dont want to or have the cash for nice looking rims and tires for teh winter. My thoughts are get steelies and GREAT tires.... Any one else have opinions???

thanks

michelle
 
mazda6gal said:
After reading this post and thinking about teh whole winter tire thing I think that I may go with the steel rim idea, it is cheaper and although some say ugly... But I am going for the cost effective way to get thru the winter, I dont want to or have the cash for nice looking rims and tires for teh winter. My thoughts are get steelies and GREAT tires.... Any one else have opinions???

thanks

michelle

This is the way to go. Why trash aftermarket rims in the snow, slush, and salt if you don't have to. Besides, the car is dirty way more often in the winter than it is in the summer, so why not save your money for summertime goodies and just go with the steelies. If the steelies get scratched up, its OK....they're steelies. If your aftermarket "winter" rims get scratched up you might not be so happy.

Go with the steelies with good tires combo...you won't regret it.

R
 
So after doing a 360 in my driveway on ice today I am off to find steelies and tires I am new at this so what am i looking for in terms of size and offset etc for 17 and 18 inch rims
Thanks
from a
newbie


Michelle
 
You Can go to http://www.net-comber.com/tirecalc.html and find out what size you need to have the same diameter in a 17 inch steelie (that's the most important), then go to www.tiretrends.com (Canadian) and do a lookup for that size. I have a set of Pirelli all seasons on my speed6 now, that'll do for the rest of the season. I'll purchase probably a set of Bridgestone Blizzak next season and a set of 17 inch steelies.
 
17" rims with offset ~ 35mm (did a quick measure this evening, but at -20 degrees C I wasn't spending a lot of time outside with exposed fingers...LOL). Tires are 215/50R17 Dunlop Graspic 2s.

Initially, the tire guy didn't think that they would fit over the calipers. He thought that he might have to go to a 16" rim to find appropriate clearance. However, after doing a test fit, he found that the clearance was fine and that there were no rubbing/binding issues.

I have had them on the car for 3 months through all sorts of weather and I have never had a problem with them at all. If I had had more money, I might have gone with Toyo winter tires instead. I have those on the MSP and I love them. The Graspic 2, although rated well, don't feel quite as grippy as the Toyos.

R
 
jaw307 said:
the offset is "high" like most import cars witch means 35+ offset would be fine for any aftermarket wheels with a 5/4.50-114.3 lug pattern

What?

The stock offset of the Mazda6 wheel is +60...+35 won't work...

You need to be in the 48+ range to get wheels to fit on the Mazda6
 
StuttersC said:
What?

The stock offset of the Mazda6 wheel is +60...+35 won't work...

You need to be in the 48+ range to get wheels to fit on the Mazda6

I realized the error when I checked the receipt today. According to my invoice this is what was installed:

Dunlop Graspic DS2 215/50R17
Steel Wheels 17" 5x4.5" (114.3mm) bolt pattern, +42.755 offset
No spacers used to my knowledge.

I have been driving through mucho slush and snow without any problems whatsoever. No contact with the fenders or contact with the calipers. The installer had to do a test fit first to be sure that they would clear the calipers, but once on the car be found that there were no clearance issues.

R
 
cheesefarmer said:
....i wish i could've used my 17x7.5 enkei rpf1 rims with summer tires at the track this summer to see how the car goes with lightweight rims and tires....but i didn't wanna pony the $$ for winter rims....

I'm using the stock oem wheels for my winter wheels and have done that with my past three vehicles. I think the factory wheels for the mazdapeed 6 are just OK and rather heavy. With the factory wheels and 18 inch snow tires (215/45/18) - this car is as good a winter vehicle as anything I have driven in the snow. I would rather spend money on a summer set-up than buy a wheel/tire set-up for the winter - plus I knew that they would fit and didn't stress about offset, clearance, or speedo error. Steelies are a good option, but I just don't like the way they look on any car that I have seen them on.
 
ferdinand said:
Steelies are a good option, but I just don't like the way they look on any car that I have seen them on.

True enough, they do look kinda ghetto. However, I just can't bear the thought of my rims oxidizing with all the salt that they put on our roads locally. Even aluminum rims oxidize...the oxide is just clearless so most people don't think that they rust. The steelies already look ghetto so I don't worry about them rusting.

R
 
Rainman said:
True enough, they do look kinda ghetto. However, I just can't bear the thought of my rims oxidizing with all the salt that they put on our roads locally. Even aluminum rims oxidize...the oxide is just clearless so most people don't think that they rust. The steelies already look ghetto so I don't worry about them rusting.

R
No doubt - if I liked the stock rims more, I wouldn't put them through the harsh winters...and even though I don't especially care for the rims, I still find myself washing the car weekly and keep wheel cleaner in the car for when I go through the car wash (so maybe I do like them a little :) )
 
Ghetto or not they are less expensive so if you hit a harsh pot hole no troubles.. however while on my quest for steelies, i am having NO luck!!!
 
nicka said:
The service manager at my dealership says that there was a guy who tried to put 17" on his MSP6, but his wheels actually seized up because some slush/ice/snow got up within the wheel and there was no room for the brake calipers. Anyone hear of this happening to anyone else? Can anyone say for 100% if it is possible to put 17s on that car?


i have enkei rpf1 17's with winter tires ... we've had about 5" of snow/slush/water/refrozen snow/ice in the last week and i've had no problems with my 17's with wheels seizing. there is a lot of room inside the wheel and brakes.

btw, i have 48mm offset on my wheels, it sticks out about 13mm compared to stock wheel setup
 
cheesefarmer said:
i have enkei rpf1 17's with winter tires ... we've had about 5" of snow/slush/water/refrozen snow/ice in the last week and i've had no problems with my 17's with wheels seizing. there is a lot of room inside the wheel and brakes.

btw, i have 48mm offset on my wheels, it sticks out about 13mm compared to stock wheel setup

How much did the Enkei's run for ($)?
 
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