2012 Mazda5 with Mazdaspeed3 Wheels

[Orangutan]

Just picked up a set of 18" OEM Mazdaspeed3 wheels and Continental ExtremeContact DWS 225/40-18 tires. Installed them this evening. Sorry for the low-quality pictures; the light was almost gone by the time I finished up. I weighed the OEM 16" wheels and Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 tires that came with my 5 then did the same with the new set. There's still life left in the original tires even after 36,000 miles on them amazingly. I've driven about two hours on the new wheels/tires and I notice a difference in noise, ride, and handling. The new tires sound different than the Turanzas. I'm going to say louder but only a little bit, with the main difference being the sound of the two tires. The ride is barely stiffer while the handling is substantially better. These tires are obviously grippier with the larger size of course helping even more. So far I'm pleased. I expect worse fuel economy but that's fine given the improvement in dry, wet, and snowy traction and better appearance. I'll see if I can get some better pictures soon.

Comparison of the two, Speed3 on the left and Mazda5 16" on the right:

]

Weights (44 lbs vs. 39.4)
Mazdaspeed3 rim + Continental ExtremeContact DWS -

Mazda5 16" rim + Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 -

Installed:

 

[Orangutan]

Can someone move this to the Wheels section? Put it in the wrong place by accident.

 

[eyeballs]

Any noticable change in acceleration? Seems like an extra 4.6 lbs per corner could make it feel a bit slower.

 

[Nurburgringer]

jealous! They look great.
Does the TPMS still work?
What'd you pay?
I was really hoping to score a set of these last year when shopping for winter tires/wheels, but winter was fast approaching so settled for a set of cheapo 17" 5 spokers with Blizzaks.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123808968-Bought-used-snow-tires-amp-rims-for-the-5

Any noticable change in acceleration? Seems like an extra 4.6 lbs per corner could make it feel a bit slower.

I'm sure mine are at least 5lbs heavier than stock and I can't notice any difference in acceleration. They're a bit larger so the speedo's a bit off (75 on GPS with ~71 indicated), a little noisier like Orang's, other than that no different from the driver's seat.

 

[torquelover]

Looks like the side sills and rear spoiler from the T/GT would really help the look on your car. The wheels look great. Would look even better with a mild drop!

 

[Orangutan]

Any noticable change in acceleration? Seems like an extra 4.6 lbs per corner could make it feel a bit slower.

I haven't noticed anything but I haven't really pushed it lately. Most of my driving right now is very short, under a couple miles on slow city streets.

jealous! They look great.
Does the TPMS still work?
What'd you pay?
I was really hoping to score a set of these last year when shopping for winter tires/wheels, but winter was fast approaching so settled for a set of cheapo 17" 5 spokers with Blizzaks.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123808968-Bought-used-snow-tires-amp-rims-for-the-5

I'm sure mine are at least 5lbs heavier than stock and I can't notice any difference in acceleration. They're a bit larger so the speedo's a bit off (75 on GPS with ~71 indicated), a little noisier like Orang's, other than that no different from the driver's seat.

I picked them up from a guy over on another Mazda3 forum used for under $1,000 shipped. He picked the wheels up used as well but they're absolutely pristine. He had mounted the DWS on them already without TPMS. I was quoted over $200 to switch the TPMS from my original set to this new one, so I'm just going to deal with the light until these are dead and I put a new set on. Based on the reviews, that's going to be quite a while. Haha.

Looks like the side sills and rear spoiler from the T/GT would really help the look on your car. The wheels look great. Would look even better with a mild drop!

I agree about the sills and spoiler, which is why I put a spoiler on! It's not a perfect fit and I botched the installation a little bit, but it passes the untrained eye test. I'd love sills but nobody makes an aftermarket set and they're not an option in the U.S. I've checked with wrecker and salvage yards but I haven't found any. I still kick myself for not stepping up to the Touring. I wouldn't mind a mild drop, but my idea of mild is under an inch. If I could find a set of springs that would lower it by about .8 up front and .7ish in the back I'd go for it.

 

[MAZDASPEED MX5]

Looks awesome!

 

[hiko54]

I think the 18" Speed wheels look awesome and fit the car perfectly. Being a 7.5" wide wheel, no clearance issues or rubbing. It's how it should've came from the factory.

I had mine lowered on H&R's on the same wheels and loved it. Even the 225/40/18 tires provided a nice smooth ride. Not the harsh, rubber band tire ride you'd associate low profile tires with.

Any plans on lowering it?

 

[ukulele]

I concur, these wheels should at least be an option, if not standard on the GT, doesn't make sense to use the same styles of 17" wheels that are identical (Touring and Grand Touring). I am looking to get a set of these MS3 wheels, and I was scared that if I popped these one, #1 Are these going to tear into my splash panels and #2 Can I drop it with the H&R springs even though I just put on the MS3 wheels without encountering the probs I just stated in #1.

I am jealous because it not only looks good but I thought I was the only one to that would fathom such a move, I figured everyone else that drives these are females that are more concerned about makeup mirrors than wheels.... I was wrong. (shrug)

 

[Orangutan]

Looks awesome!

Thanks!

I think the 18" Speed wheels look awesome and fit the car perfectly. Being a 7.5" wide wheel, no clearance issues or rubbing. It's how it should've came from the factory.

I had mine lowered on H&R's on the same wheels and loved it. Even the 225/40/18 tires provided a nice smooth ride. Not the harsh, rubber band tire ride you'd associate low profile tires with.

Any plans on lowering it?

Only if I could find a mild drop under 1" front and rear.

I concur, these wheels should at least be an option, if not standard on the GT, doesn't make sense to use the same styles of 17" wheels that are identical (Touring and Grand Touring). I am looking to get a set of these MS3 wheels, and I was scared that if I popped these one, #1 Are these going to tear into my splash panels and #2 Can I drop it with the H&R springs even though I just put on the MS3 wheels without encountering the probs I just stated in #1.

I am jealous because it not only looks good but I thought I was the only one to that would fathom such a move, I figured everyone else that drives these are females that are more concerned about makeup mirrors than wheels.... I was wrong. (shrug)

Thanks!

I also figured out that I gained .2 inches of ground clearance when I swapped wheels. The stock clearance is rated at 5.5" and because these wheels are just slightly larger than the 16s, I should have 5.7" of clearance now. I'm actually happy with that right now, and it gives me extra to play with should anyone ever make a lowering kit like I want.

 

[ukulele]

I don't mean to (deadhorse but you never mentioned what model year the MS3 wheels came from. I'm assuming it's either a '10 '11 or '12 because after the redesign (as far as I know) this is the only style you can get from Mazda, someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'm looking into it now, I might buy all 4 of my MS3 wheels separately, so I am guessing that regardless if it's off of a '10 '11 or '12 they are all the same spec.

Thanks.

 

[Orangutan]

They're from a 2010. The 2013 wheels are the same style but are a dark gray instead of bright silver color.

 

[ukulele]

They're from a 2010. The 2013 wheels are the same style but are a dark gray instead of bright silver color.

Word?? Like gunmetal? I gotta see this... they must retail for like $700 a piece. Thanks for the info though, I appreciate it. Let me start calling junk yards in the south to see how many 2013 Speed3's are already crashed and have good rear wheels.

 

[Orangutan]

 

[ukulele]

That's sweet. They switched to black center caps.

 

[ukulele]

I just picked up a 2012 MS3 wheel off of eBay for $249 + $28 shipping. One down, 3 more to go. Reminds me of that Johnny Cash song, "One Piece at a Time." LoL

 

[SonicBoy]

That's not going to be easy to source the other 3 alone. A set of 4 yes, Singly, no.

 

[ukulele]

That's not going to be easy to source the other 3 alone. A set of 4 yes, Singly, no.

Your right man... I'm going to have SUCH a hard time finding a single wheel!!! (nervous) ... I will never be able to go to ebay and buy a single wheel, even though they have hundreds of wheels, and currently a few '10, '11, '12-style MS3 wheels you can buy individually. I will never be able to go to google.com and type this in: 9965187580, and click on a BUY NOW button to buy a single MS3 wheel!!! What should I do?!?! (shocked)

LoL Just when I think I'm safe.... someone always comes up from behind me and surprises me with their (bs)

 

[Bob*5]

I guess this is the new thing. The 16" wheels on my 2013 sport also have the black center caps.

 

[ukulele]

Well at least the Mazda'teers out there in the world know it's a 2013 and not a 2012. Nice wheel! My MZ5 has about 4500 miles on it as of today, and thanks to NJ roads I already bent one wheel on the right side (pothole) and on the left, I got a tire bubble on the sidewall (another pothole). If this keeps up by 15K miles my wheels aren't going to be round anymore, more potato shaped.