Since this is my favorite Miata forum...

How much tire can one fit under an NB without rolling/pulling fenders?

Seems that i can fit a 7.5" wheel under the car without rolling with a +40 to +45 offset, but it also seems that most who do so that i've seen are hardparkers who just throw a 205 width tire on it.

I'd like to put a 225 width under the car if possible, but also don't want to take the chances of rolling a fender on a minty fresh car.

225/45-15 on a 15x8 should not be a problem. I'm pretty sure a 15x9 fits as well - I'm at home today and can't check my notes at work.

Keith wrote: 225/45-15 on a 15x8 should not be a problem. I'm pretty sure a 15x9 fits as well - I'm at home today and can't check my notes at work.

What offset would i need without rolling? The car will be lowered... maybe a little farther than you tend to do with your cars, but not to the "hellaflush/stance" movement, either.

A +40 sound about right?

I'm shopping your site right now for suspension stuffs, too!

Blah.... this is another one of those cars like the Celica that has a 23.5ish" rolling diameter, isn't it....

949 6ul wheels 15x8 +36 are verry common. Konig now has a few 15x7.5 +32 wheels as well.

To be difficult, i'm looking for 16s or 17s.

I can't seem to find out if rolling is required if lowered on the 15x8 6ULs, either.

I think +35 to +40 is the range. Ride height really doesn't matter, it's all about travel range in the suspension. And you should be fine there. We run Igor on the VMaxx and 15x9 TRM wheels, no rolling that I remember.

And yes, 23" tires.

I already told you about rolling on the 15x8 :)

If you want dubs, look at a 225/40-17. Finding a 17" wider than 7" is a bit of a challenge.

There's a few wheels available in 17x7.5 from +35 to +40 out there, not so much in the 16s.

225/40-17 isn't that big of a change from stock, that should be fine.

I forgot that something like the VMaxx would give more clearance, i learned that the lucky way with the Celica.

Well, the VMaxx were what i was looking at anyways. What size tire do you run on Igor? I checked the build thread, but didn't see anything past the stage where it was running the 17" Racing Harts.

I'll have to double-check that tire size at work on Monday. There's a 225-something-17 that's under 24" in diameter.

Igor, like most of the cars at FM, runs "whatever is appropriate for the job at hand and is not mounted on a car". On track, that's usually a 225/45-15 Nitto mounted on TRM wheels. On the street, it could be anything. I think it ends up on the Racing Harts more often than not, but that depends on if they're mounted on some other car at the time. I think the Targa Miata is the only one with a dedicated wheel/tire setup.

Neat! 15x9 +36s with 225s. LOTS of room!

FWIW, I'd vote to stay with 15's if you can. I think 17's look too big on miatas. I drove mine that way for 5 years on the stock Racing Hart 17" wheels.

I stuck with wimpy 205 tires when I switched wheels.

Everything i like is the wrong offset for big rubber.

Rota Grid Offroad 16x8 +20 w/ 4mm spacer. 215/40 tire. Looks great, but doesn't seem worth switching.

T.J. wrote: FWIW, I'd vote to stay with 15's if you can. I think 17's look too big on miatas. I drove mine that way for 5 years on the stock Racing Hart 17" wheels.

How did i not know you had one of these?

I'm kindof agreeing that 17s are too big, but i really like 16s. Then i run into the same problem with the Celica... there isn't anything out there for tire.

BAH!!!

Except no one makes a 225/40/17.

215/40/17 or 225/45/17 (obviously too tall).

FK-452s with 245/35/17s all the way around? They also have a 225/35/17.

Z31, there are 235/40-17s. I could live with that if i had to.

Didn't think of going down to 35s... that may be a bit too rubber band for these roads, though. Which negates my other reason for wanting to replace the Racing Harts. They aren't supposed to be real strong. I'm unsure if that's due to the wheel itself, or the small stock sidewalls.

These + a rebarrel to 8"?

z31maniac wrote: Except no one makes a 225/40/17. 215/40/17 or 225/45/17 (obviously too tall). FK-452s with 245/35/17s all the way around? They also have a 225/35/17.

Well, no one but Hoosier :) I did say I wasn't 100% sure on that size. The Yoko S.drive comes in a 225/35-17. I'll bet you could make a 225/45-17 work if you wanted on an NB. I've run 245/45-17s on one with a bit of work. Not ideal, but if you really need a wide 17.

Remember that the aspect ratio is not a meaningful number without the section width. A 225/35-17 is going to have the same sidewall height as a 195/40-17.

I believe it's the Racing Harts that are soft. I don't hear of as much damage to other 17" wheels.

If you're looking for weird tire sizes, Toyo is always a good bet. It's where you'll find a 235/40-17 as well as a 245/35-17. Problem is finding wide enough wheels that will fit a Miata bolt pattern.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Neat! 15x9 +36s with 225s. LOTS of room!

Lots of fender clearance... but watch out for swaybar/LCA rub. I think a slightly lower offset (or 5mm spacer) would be better for the NB.

None of the 17" setups you can find will be as fast as the 15x9 setup.

There's a few 17x7.5 and 17x8s out there that will fit. I think the best 17s i've found so far are the SSR Comp Cs and the Enkei NT03+Ms.

The problem is that due to the weird 23.5" size, tire selection isn't exactly great in 15" vs. 16" vs. 17" anyways.

ProDarwin wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Neat! 15x9 +36s with 225s. LOTS of room!

Lots of fender clearance... but watch out for swaybar/LCA rub. I think a slightly lower offset (or 5mm spacer) would be better for the NB. None of the 17" setups you can find will be as fast as the 15x9 setup.

That's his track setup, and i thought 949 made those wheels pretty much for these cars? (Or was it NA and there's a clearance difference with the NBs?) I don't really know... i'm newby to all this right now.

As for 17s not being as fast as 15s, yeah, probably not. You're right. I'm not worried about it, car won't be raced anytime soon, and right now i'm mostly looking for looks i think. (Well, wider tires never hurt anyone) That... hurt to admit.

17s can look good... i just don't understand why the Racing Harts look so... Donk-ish.

17" SSR Comp Cs.

The NB has much more fender than the NA.

That said, IIRC, the control arm vs. wheel issue is on both cars. The wheels are made for the car, but that doesn't mean they are the perfect fitment. Go too low, or turn to tight and your suspension and wheel will meet, accompanied by some nasty noises. Because the NB has more fender, I think the fitment would be better with a small spacer to help avoid those issues.

Ah ok, that makes sense.

Sooo... since i'm trying to find info on rebarrels. What would be the perfect offset of an 8" wide wheel? (Or maybe even a 9" if i get stupid?)

Just sharing this... just because.

Looks like a TDR splitter and small skirts are in my future. That looks GREAT!!!

Now i'm hearing rumors that not all 15" wheels will fit over the Sport/MSM brakes.

Any truth behind this?

Yes. For example, the Enkei RPF01. But most fit. Any Miata specialist should be able to tell you if the wheels you are considering will fit or not.