Miata Mailing List: April 1995, Message #135
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   From: "Doug Klein" 
Subject: Re: 15 inch wheels?
   Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 10:34:54 -0400

On Apr 4, 10:20am, Chad W. Bohlmann wrote:
> Subject: 15 inch wheels?
> Hello all,
>
> 	I'm really curious to see a Miata with 15 inch wheels!  I keep
> picturing a Miata with wheels bulging out of the wheel wells--something
> akin to a "Monster Truck" that you see crawling over rotting old cars.
> Do these 15 inch wheels look a little disproportionate?

I recently went to 15x7 rims with 205/50 rubber. IMHO they look much better
than stock, especially with the car lowered ~1" by aftermarket springs. The
only thing that looks a bit out of place might be the width. The tires are ~1"
wider, and from the rear they look a bit large, (again, IMHO). If I were to do
it over I'd just go 15x6 rims with 195/50 rubber. That is plenty of tire.


> 	If anyone has a scanned picture of a Miata with 15 inch wheels,
> I'd love to see it. :)

Unfortunately I don't, but even if I did I'm not sure you'd really notice the
difference in a picture. It just isn't all that dramatic. You really need to
see two cars together to get the full affect.


> 	Along the same lines, what is the error on the speedometer when
> you're riding on these 15 inch wheels, or does it come pretty close with
> the low profile tires?  Do you ever have problems with the wheels rubbing
> on the inside of the wheel well?

The general recommendation when doing a plus-1 conversion, (eg., 14" -> 15"),
is to simulataneously go to a lower width to height ratio tire. I haven't
worked the math exactly, but a 185/60-14 translates pretty much straight across
to a 195/50-15, I think. It's the diameter of the tire that causes any possible
change to the speedo.

As to rubbing, I again mention that my car is lowered, (~1"), and I have never
heard any rubbing, nor do I see any when I look at the tires. This is the
second car I've done such an upgrade to, and on the first, (a VW GTI, also
lowered), I would get an occasional scrub in the right rear when I hit a hard
dip, so I'm pretty familar with the sound :).


-- 

Doug
klein@ncd.com