.[/QUOTE]I need to decide what to do now. Maybe an sts and cai, or maybe powdercoating. OR all three, probably still cheaper than new wheels and tires.[/QUOTE]
Tires are the biggest bang for buck change to any car. Problem is that our rims are not wide enough to fit the most benificial sizes. if they were 8 from the factory 235 sticky tires would do the trick and leave money left over for the other mods. keep looking for just the right wheels.

FYI: when using tire rack i found that if you look under other cars (eg.rx 8) you may be able to find wheels that will fit your speed but are not listed for it. Just make sure offset and bolt pattern are proper. They air on the side of caution on widths. The last thing they want are people coming to them with rubbing issues or other problems. my wheels were not listed for the speed, I found them under the rx8 listing.
Wow that is a tight, TIGHT fit. Kudos on the very tough clearances! I'm curious to see how much rubbing if any is created if the rear suspension compresses fully.
All that said, as you can see our clearances are CLOSE, and we must be careful with our offsets and widths. Could you imagine the trouble you'd be in if you used wheel weights on that inside lip? WOW!
Thanks man, stock there is no rubbing while driving in a spirited manner.(drive2)
When i put my coilovers on in the spring I will find out if a fender roll is in order. It looks like it will be close, the front should be fine. (yes)another good reason to use stick on weights.
.[/QUOTE]My point of Cobb's setup wasn't that they couldn't do it but that they didn't bother. What they did wheel/tire wise was to get lighter rims. They increased the rim width about 12mm, and the tire 10mm. This was good enough for their road racing track car. If they figured the gains from going even wider were so negligible as to not bother, it is certainly food for thought.
One other thing to consider is that Mazdas (especially the front drive varieties) have a reputation for responding very well to
reducing wheel/tire weight. There must come a point where the weight gain from the increased sizes causes losses in performance and suspension response that more than negate any slight skidpad improvement.[/QUOTE]
Cobb tuning obviously knows there stuff. They think out there products and cars. They pay attention to details a lot of other companys overlook. However they developed thier test mule to run their suspension kit. That wheel size and there kit would be an excelent combination. I think with coilovers and a much higher spring rate a wider wheel has benifits. heck i would of gone 9 if it would fit.
Wheel weight is a huge factor, believe me that had a huge influence on my choice. The wheels and tires I chose are still lighter than the stock setup even at 8.5. I beleive its is the rwd miata that has this tendancy. It is very sensitive to unsprung wieght. It is also much lighter and therefore need less rubber brakes etc.
Good lord that's close! Those wheels look awesome too by the way. (2thumbs)
I stand corrected about the width of the tire compared to the rim. I'm glad I used the modifier "pretty much", there will always be exceptions.
Man... looking at those wheels again... I'm very jealous!
Thanks dude. just wait till the ride height is right. (nana)(2thumbs)