RIMS? Powdercoat or custom - any 16" x 6" available or only 7"? Does it matter?

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LostinCanada

Member
:
2003 Mazda Protege5
OK I'm completely fed up with my corroded stock rims and I'm also wanting to do something about my calipers (NEVER EVER replace with aftermarkets unless you like rust!).

Car is 2003 Protege5 (Manual - of course!), black mica with leather interior and sunroof. Exterior is stock except for PIAA fogs.

I have 16" stock alloy rims with reasonably new Toyo Proxes 4 Plus tires 195/50R16. I've been waffling back and forth between polishing my rims or powder coat due to lack of stock size rims in the custom market. And I've held off due to lack of funds plus I already put new tires so have been reluctant to pay for removal/replacement/balance of tires in order to deal with my yucky rims. And for those that aren't familiar with the story, at the urging of my parts guy I elected to buy aftermarket calipers from my dealer (instead of the rebuild kits which were twice the cost to replace the entire caliper set). Dumb dumb dumb move. Cheap rusted out crap calipers! Grrrrrrr.

Anyway. My vision is to find some to either clean up my existing rims and powdercoat or find some nice custom rims and either use as-is or powdercoat. If I powder coat I'm wanting the colour of hot exhaust discolourtation (high sheen silver base with iridescent purple/blue hues). Anyone seen this before and know how/where to get it?

Re custom rims, though I can find a limited selection of 16" rims, I cannot find any that are 6", only 7". Know of any 6"?

Re 7", I checked out the specs for the Toyo Proxes 4 Plus and the approved rim width is 5.5", 6" and 7". Is there any down side to departing the safe "stock" mid-range and going with the 7" installation?

So far I've found the following rims of interest: American Racing - Torque and 2Crave - No. 2. Any other suggestions?

Then I will need to reexamine options for calipers and discs (also new, rusted crap). :(

Thanks!
 
No kidding with the aftermarket calipers.. I think they only bead blast and soak them in oil. The factory parts have some sort of clear coat on them.

Do you want to keep your stock tires? A 195 on a 7" wheel is going to be a stretch, with little protection from curbs and potholes. 225 or 215 fit best on a wheel that size.

Any change in width will need to be accounted for in the offset to prevent strut contact. Generally speaking, the wider the wheel, the less offset you need until fender contact is made. So, a 7" wheel will work best with +40 offset or so, compared to the stock 6" wheel with +50 offset. Of course you'll need to do some measuring on your own to confirm the exact numbers before ordering wheels. Other than that, there are really no downsides to going with a wider wheel.
 
I'd take car of those brakes asap. You can find someone doing a part-out around here, I'm sure.
ANY 3rd gen Protege brakes with 5 bolts and you're golden.
 
@MrGiggles thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I bought new tires a few months ago so yes, for now I'd like to keep stock tires. Is there absolutely no source for 16" x 6" rims? I guess I could go back to the stock rim powdercoat option...

What about disc options? Those are stock Mazda parts - also new and they rusted like crap right away. Is there some kind of aftermarket stainless option? I see all kinds of awesome sports cars with minimal rims that have a good view of nice discs/calipers that are rust free - so I know it exists! Are there options for the P5?

@Natey the brakes work just fine, and are new they just look like s***. I remind my parts guy every time I see him... LOL.
 
LostinCanada said:
@MrGiggles thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I bought new tires a few months ago so yes, for now I'd like to keep stock tires. Is there absolutely no source for 16" x 6" rims? I guess I could go back to the stock rim powdercoat option...

What about disc options? Those are stock Mazda parts - also new and they rusted like crap right away. Is there some kind of aftermarket stainless option? I see all kinds of awesome sports cars with minimal rims that have a good view of nice discs/calipers that are rust free - so I know it exists! Are there options for the P5?

@Natey the brakes work just fine, and are new they just look like s***. I remind my parts guy every time I see him... LOL.
Click to expand...

You can paint the calipers and rotor hats. I did it with Duplicolor paint, and it's holding up pretty well, but I'm not in the rust belt.

There are some rotors out there that have a coating that's supposed to resist corrosion. I think Bosch makes one.

A lot of guys run a 195 on a 7" wheel without problems. I would be apprehensive to try it in this area, you may have better roads.
 
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LOL... yes, I had the bright idea of painting my calipers... my friend offered to powdercoat them but his skills aren't the greatest. Instead I used a high temp fire engine red paint and did the job at the side of the road before install. Sigh. Pretty hard not to get brake fluid on them during install, or brake kleen.... and they rusted right through the paint. I'm never going to forgive that parts guy as long as I live... LOL. I guess I'll be powdercoating the next batch.

Found some 6" options on Summit racing... they all look like crap. Looks like 7" is the only option for nice 16" custom rims. So maybe I'll go back to researching powdercoating options. Sucks because I found a couple of rims that I really liked!
 
@MrGiggles, I was curious about your pothole/curb comments... as I mentioned the Toyo spec sheets list acceptable rim widths from 5.5"-7". Apparently if the tires are spec'd for a given rim width they're engineered to stay on for the same driving style across the range. LOL my question to tech support was if I could drive just as aggressively with the 7" spec as I can with the 6" spec. Apparently the answer is yes.

So I guess the next question is with respect to offset, and whether the wider tire will affect handling - positively or negatively.
 
I'm doing fine with the stock spec tires 195/50/r16 on 16x7 rims with an offset of +40. The tires don't look stretched. Although, I needed to have my rear fenders rolled because I've also lowered the car with Tein springs and the rear tire sidewalls were rubbing slightly.

If you install 16x7 +40 rims with factory spec tires mounted and your car has stock springs, and the ride height has not drooped much, you might not experience much rubbing in the rear until you hit a speed bump, corner hard or carry passengers in the rear while going up/down a steep driveway/ramp.
 
I always clear coat my rotors with duplicolor wheel clear. Just make a stencil for the part of the rotor that touches pad, and lay the rotor flat on a peice of cardboard. You can get the hats and the outer perimeter. No rust.
 
Interesting. Well, after going through hundreds of (really boring) rims that all seem to be variations on a theme, and nothing at all what I though I was looking for, I think I've settled on these:



Enkei FD-05 16x7" with a 50mm offset. There is a 38 mm offset but so far two people have recommended I stick with 50mm. Anyone bought Enkei before, or these particular rims? Seen them on a Protege5, or in person?

Curious as to any comments... again 2003 Black Mica Protege5, stock with new headlights (Mazda), PIAA fogs (AWESOME!!!), and Yakima Whispbar racks.
 
A 7" wheel with the stock offset will be .5" closer to the strut. You'll need to make sure there is clearance.

With a less offset you can expect a little more steering feedback, but not much otherwise.

I have similar 5 twin spoke wheels on mine, although 17".

 
Those are Konigs I think? I looked at those. Thanks for the pic. LOL I even scoured the Japanese market looking for something completely original... I even (briefly) considered neon orange just to be different but then... well, I suppose the Enkeis will look classier but make less of a statement.

And then there was this! The rims aren't that fascinating but the colour is sure attention-getting!
 
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I have a light workload at my day job today so I decided to churn out a mock-up. If anybody else would like a mock-up of wheels on a car PM me to schedule/check my availability but I'll need to charge a fee. This one was done pro bono to help @LostinCanada visualize. +1 for 16-inch wheels :)

attachment.php
 
Thanks booom! Actually I had thought of doing a mockup in photoshop (not sure if that's what you did) however I settled for holding up the printed pictures. This is definitely a better method!

And thanks for sharing the link to your custom build - very nice. Still want to stick with stock size, or as close as possible to stock size though. Just not stock look.

Certainly the car will look nice and clean, and maybe a bit more "modern" but in the end I will still have silver rims like the entire rest of the population. I'm still feeling a bit cheated - all the rims, no matter by whom or where they are made seem to be variations on a theme, but collectively unoriginal. I think I'm going to hold off a bit on those Enkeis - they are still my "choice" if I decide to upgrade and be safe, but they're really not exciting. Those neochrome rims are exciting! These are exciting: http://www.vipmodular.com/finishes/. Like wow.

Maybe I'll do a bit of research on clean/polish and custom paint on my existing rims, or some nice rims that have the right surface area/shape to show off a custom paint/ colour chrome job. Too bad there doesn't seem to be an option (at least in 16" rims) to buy an unfinished version of a nice, commonly available wheel design and then get a custom paint/coating applied to it. Instead it seems you have to buy something finished, strip it down and then customize it.

Which brings me to the next point of frustration - custom rims should be just that - custom! Instead what is usually referred to as "custom" is really just aftermarket.
 
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LostinCanada said:
Thanks booom! Actually I had thought of doing a mockup in photoshop (not sure if that's what you did) however I settled for holding up the printed pictures. This is definitely a better method!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I composited the mock-up using Photoshop CC with low-res images sourced from Google search.

It sounds like you want to stand out, like a lot. Plus, your acceptance criteria of keeping stock specs is tough to meet with just aftermarket options.

I presume it's not economically viable for anyone to offer up completely custom wheels for prices affordable by the general public. If you're down to spend more money, you might consider a modular/configurable multi-piece wheels. Within the realm of 16-inch rims, one maker comes to mind: SSR Wheels. The price is much more than your readymade aftermarket rims, but you'll probably achieve your goal of standing out amongst those around you. Only those people willing/able to blow a massive wad, like Ken Block, could acquire completely custom wheels. The rest of us are left to purchase a close copy of it and perhaps redo their finish to be more personalized.

If you think you won't be completely satisfied with another set of wheels and frustrated by the compromise of your vision, why bother pursuing it? Consider just working with the wheels you have and settle with what you can reasonable accomplish and enjoy the modification experience.
 
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LOL... that is the conclusion I have come to. The money it would cost to remove/reinstall my tires plus the exchange rate USD-CAD, even if I get the rims changed in the US is still around $825 CAD. That's for the Enkei option. Not worth it if I'm simply going to look like I have more modern rims. If I'm going to spend money on a rim upgrade, I want to be the kind of statement I love it every time I walk up to the car - like with my PIAA lights, only better. Something with rich, striking colour that glints in the sun and makes you go WOW!

I've decided to do one of two things - see how much it would cost to strip/polish my stock wheels (or could I clean them up myself - takes longer unless I have a spare set of rims) and source out a colour chrome or striking custom paint job. Or, find a nice set of 16x7 rims with a nice shape that will better show off a striking paint/colour chrome job and then get those stripped/painted from new. I don't mind straying from stock slightly (ie width/offset) to get a better choice in selection, however I don't want to have suspension/steering/rubbing/performance issues resulting from going outside stock size. And I don't want to buy new tires when mine are less than 6 months old and in fantastic shape. Sounds like I would be fairly safe with 16x7 and the correct offset.

In the meantime the car drives awesome on its existing rims - I can replace my forward O2 sensor in stead and improve the performance.
 
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LostinCanada said:
LOL... that is the conclusion I have come to. The money it would cost to remove/reinstall my tires plus the exchange rate USD-CAD, even if I get the rims changed in the US is still around $825 CAD. That's for the Enkei option. Not worth it if I'm simply going to look like I have more modern rims. If I'm going to spend money on a rim upgrade, I want to be the kind of statement I love it every time I walk up to the car - like with my PIAA lights, only better. Something with rich, striking colour that glints in the sun and makes you go WOW!

I've decided to do one of two things - see how much it would cost to strip/polish my stock wheels (or could I clean them up myself - takes longer unless I have a spare set of rims) and source out a colour chrome or striking custom paint job. Or, find a nice set of 16x7 rims with a nice shape that will better show off a striking paint/colour chrome job and then get those stripped/painted from new. I don't mind straying from stock slightly (ie width/offset) to get a better choice in selection, however I don't want to have suspension/steering/rubbing/performance issues resulting from going outside stock size. And I don't want to buy new tires when mine are less than 6 months old and in fantastic shape. Sounds like I would be fairly safe with 16x7 and the correct offset.

In the meantime the car drives awesome on its existing rims - I can replace my forward O2 sensor in stead and improve the performance.
Click to expand...

You might be best off grabbing a cheap set of wheels off Kijiji, have them media blasted, and then go crazy with the paint job.

You could also do the same with your stock wheels, but then you have the problem of a car with no wheels for weeks.

You might also swing by a Pick and pull and see what's available. The yards around here have several sets of OEM and aftermarket wheels for sale.
 
Good suggestions! Definitely would be a lot easier if I had a spare set of good rims. Found a place that does copper and chrome plating down in Seattle - anyone know an established and reputable place that does coloured chrome in NW Washington or SW BC ideally but elsewhere considered too?
 
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