Problems with Brembo Gran Turismo Brake Kit for Mazda 3

[Lord Devlin]

I need to know if anyone has gotten this kit to work on their Mazda 3. I had the kit installed and now my wheels won't go back on without hitting the calipers. It looks like I need a 30mm offset and I haven't been able to find any 17x7 rims that are less than 40mm. From what I can tell there isn't room in the wheel well for a wider rim without the tire rubbing the fender.

Will a 17x8 or 18x8 rim fit on a 2007 Mazda 3 5 door?

Do I need to do major body work on the fenders so I can mount a bigger rim with the correct offset?

And if the above question is true, how can Brembo sell a brake kit that flat doesn't fit on the car specified???

Any help would be appreciated. I paid $1600.00 for a useless brake kit.

 

[junya1985]

Have you tryed wheel spacers?

 

[Lord Devlin]

Have you tryed wheel spacers?

No room in the wheel well. And with a spacer as big as would be required, I'd need longer bolts as well.

 

[halo0]

You can't expect to throw huge brakes on the car and have your stock wheels go right back on.

You have a lot more room than you think. An 18x8 wheel fits all day with no problem. The RX8 stock wheels probably being the most prevalent in that size (as seen in my avatar). 18x8 et50, I'd imagine that would clear the brakes, maybe. I'm currently running a 19x8.5" wheel. There are people running 9 and 10 inch wide wheels with fender modification.

 

[Lord Devlin]

You can't expect to throw huge brakes on the car and have your stock wheels go right back on.

You have a lot more room than you think. An 18x8 wheel fits all day with no problem. The RX8 stock wheels probably being the most prevalent in that size (as seen in my avatar). 18x8 et50, I'd imagine that would clear the brakes, maybe. I'm currently running a 19x8.5" wheel. There are people running 9 and 10 inch wide wheels with fender modification.

So I can run up to a width of 8.5 with no fender modification?

 

[halo0]

I didn't say that. It all depends on the offset, and tires. I'm saying you can run 18x8 et50 (i.e. RX8 spec wheels) with no fender modification, assuming your tires are 225/40-18 (to match stock tire height) and you aren't dropped more than an inch or so.

 

[Lord Devlin]

I didn't say that. It all depends on the offset, and tires. I'm saying you can run 18x8 et50 (i.e. RX8 spec wheels) with no fender modification, assuming your tires are 225/40-18 (to match stock tire height) and you aren't dropped more than an inch or so.

To clear the brakes i need around a 30mm offset. This is an estimate, it could be from 38 to 28, but i think its around 30. I tried some 42mm offset rims and I still needed about another half an inch.

 

[MrTea]

i've done the install and seen them on a 3, i have them on my 6 as well. it's about wheel design as well, not just size/offset.

if you are looking for something on the cheaper side, look at some of the Rota's. i ran the Rota Boost on my 6 with plenty of room. they have a couple other designs as well that should clear. i can get you the cross section and the guys over at wheeldude.com (the rota guys) can usually tell you from there.

and as stated, buying a brake kit is about performance, not fitting under a stock wheel. Last rx8 wheel i saw did not clear the brakes either, just an FYI, though they do change through the years. i know a guy fit a Rotora kit under the new OE Mazda6 18's from my understanding.....so there might be some OE option, just don't know which one.

...and if it's your first Brake Kit, make sure you break it in well, that's where most problems can arise from (well, other than the wheel actually turning in this case i guess).

--edit---

i used a 17x8 ET35 on the 6 with a bit of rubbing, they have a 17x7.5 ET45 that might suit you better. here's a not so great pic, but give you the idea

and here's my other wheels, Exel TZ10's, 18x7.e ET 48 i believe...needed a 10mm spacer due to the shape of the face of the wheel.

 

[Lord Devlin]

I would really appreciate it if you could send me the cross section and any other information. I live in the SF Bay Area so I could drop right in and talk to Wheeldude. I've been in contact with Race Technologies who are the distributors for Brembo here in the US and even they haven't been able to help me so far.

 

[MrTea]

i'll shoot you the cross sections in the morning, i'm not at my pc tonight. keep in mind not all shops know how to utilize the cross section, though some companies have the ability to overlay it on the computers with different wheels.

the tough thing with Race Technologies is they only deal with the Brembo part of the equation, but there are 10's of thousands of wheel options on the market, so being able to say what fits and what doesn't is tough.

Rota will definitely have a solution that works, it's just a matter of finding it.

 

[MrTea]

i could only find the diagram for my 6, though i know the #'s for the 3.

what you can do is make a stencil and glue/attach that to something harder, like cardboard or something.

the end result will look like a "P". on the paper, draw a straight line that is 192mm (this is the disctance from the CENTER of the wheel to the top/outer edge of the caliper). on this line mark a distance at 110mm as well, being the bottom of the caliper. then draw a box that extends 41mm off the line, this represents the forward face of the caliper.

in my trial and error as well, i've found it's easier to extend the diagram and mark the wheel centerline. wheel bores can vary a bit, and marking the outer edges can help ensure you are actually at wheel center when using the diagram.



that's a quick one to show what it would look like. if you contact Race Technologies they can send you a better layout that can be printed, which acurately shoes the roundess of the face of the caliper. though when printed, always verify the lengths as printers don't always get it just right.

hope this help man, i know 100% that Rota has a wheel that will fit

 

[Lord Devlin]

i could only find the diagram for my 6, though i know the #'s for the 3.

what you can do is make a stencil and glue/attach that to something harder, like cardboard or something.

the end result will look like a "P". on the paper, draw a straight line that is 192mm (this is the disctance from the CENTER of the wheel to the top/outer edge of the caliper). on this line mark a distance at 110mm as well, being the bottom of the caliper. then draw a box that extends 41mm off the line, this represents the forward face of the caliper.

in my trial and error as well, i've found it's easier to extend the diagram and mark the wheel centerline. wheel bores can vary a bit, and marking the outer edges can help ensure you are actually at wheel center when using the diagram.



that's a quick one to show what it would look like. if you contact Race Technologies they can send you a better layout that can be printed, which acurately shoes the roundess of the face of the caliper. though when printed, always verify the lengths as printers don't always get it just right.

hope this help man, i know 100% that Rota has a wheel that will fit

Thanks much. I went with the Rota P1 18x8 48mm offset. Just clears the caliper by maybe 2 - 3mm. I'm going to possibly add a 3mm spacer for peace of mind. Should have the tires and rims on the car by tomorrow afternoon. I'm so glad this is over. lol

 

[MrTea]

Brembo basic rule of thumb is if you can fit a credit card in the space between the caliper and wheel you are golden. the product does not deal with any expansion or warpage during use, so as long as the wheel stays true, there will not be an issue.

on my miata, i BARELY fit 1 business card between the caliper and barrel of the wheel. if a grain of sand gets in the wheel, it starts scratching the inside of the wheel.


...glad you got the wheel figured out, big piece of mind i bet

 

[kurtis]

I have this kit on my 3.

i use a factory RX8 wheel with a 10mm spacer and it just barely clears. But I've been thinking of gettign a set of volk te37's, so if you are interested, i may part with the setup for a good price.