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Hello guys.
I just bought a new Mazda 3 GT (woohoo!) I also bought a set of Mazda Speed 3 rims (2011). I have not put it on yet, but wanted to make sure that it won't looked jacked up when they are on. That being said, I wanted to know if the standard ride height of the MS3 is the same as the GT.
When putting these rims, are there other things I have to consider? (etc spacer?)
Thanks!
Henry
You will be fine installing them as is without spacers.
The MS3 is 10mm lower if i recall; x2 you'll have no problems even lowered on a mild drop will be fine. its not until you get into aftermarket wheels with say 235+ tires that you start having the potential for rubbingQuote:
Originally Posted by rocketlow
Sweet, Thanks. So even though the rims are 18inch, instead of my standard 17inch, the outside diameter of the wheel (thinner tires) is still the same, is that correct?.Quote:
Originally Posted by Unoriginalusername
Can someone confirm the 10mm drop between the MS3 and Standard 3?
Thanks guys!
Henry
http://cars.ign.com/articles/730/730560p1.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by rocketlow
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.htmlQuote:
As is expected on a "tuned" version of a car, the MazdaSpeed3's ride height has been dropped by 10 mm, though the drop seems more pronounced thanks to the oversized 18-inch wheels.
Ah! I see. Thanks for pulling up the quote. It looks like this is for the first gen MS3. I am assuming it is the same for the 2nd?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unoriginalusername
205/50-17 vs. 225/40/18 is 0.1% the same rolling diameter... the wheel isn't going to rub when you stick with OEM offset, wheels/tires/sizeQuote:
Originally Posted by rocketlow
Welcome to TM3!
I'm running 2011 MS3 rims on my 2010 MZ3 Sport... It's perfectly fine. No adjustments or special considerations are necessary.
Gap at stock height:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3..._Rims_Back.jpg
Gap when lowered on 04-09 Eibach Pro-Kit:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...Left_After.jpg
Cool, thanks for the photos. No rubbing? How much of a drop did you do?
No rubbing. The 04-09 Pro-Kit gives a slightly more than stated drop when used on the 2010+ Mazda3, although it's still milder than using Sportlines.
2010+ Official Drop Spec: 1.2" Front, 1.1" Rear
2004-09 Official Drop Spec: 1.4" Front, 1.2" Rear
I'd estimate the 04-09 drop on a 2010+ to be somewhere around 1.6~1.8" Front, 1.4~1.6" Rear, but I didn't take any measurements prior to changing springs. The exact change in height will depend on your shocks, though... I found that with my Koni Sports installed, mine rides ever so slightly higher than other 2010s with the 04-09 Pro-Kit who are still running stock shocks.
Gotcha. Do you find that the handling and comfortable level is affected when switching to 18s and dropping the car? If so how has it changed?
Also when lowing the car, does the camber change? If so does t affect tire wear?
Thanks mang!
Henry.
18" Rims:Quote:
Originally Posted by rocketlow
Comfort: I didn't notice a very significant change. There's certainly a slight reduction in the tire's ability to absorb bumps when you go to a 40-profile tire (225/40R18) from a 50-profile tire (205/50R17), but I didn't find it bad at all.
Handling: I didn't notice much of a change, between 17" and 18". Perhaps a slight increase in cornering, but that is likely due to the better/new tires which went on with the new rims. With the heavier rims (MS3 rims are pretty heavy for OEM), theoretically braking and acceleration take a slight hit as they are unsprung weight, but again I didn't find the changes significant enough to notice.
Suspension (Eibach Springs + Koni Shocks)
Comfort: Much like the rims, bumps become more noticeable with the firmer springs and shocks. That said, it still continues to absorb the shocks effectively, meaning the ride is not at all jarring - it simply has more "road feel". If you're attuned to the wheels, you get much more information being transmitted to you from all four corners of the car. My Konis are set to 25% from full soft, although if I were to reinstall them I might go with 50%. It is a pain to adjust the rear shocks later on.
Handling: Huge gains here. Even with the shocks at 25%, the car feels much more planted to the road. Any sudden manoeuvres are quickly damped out. Body roll on corners is also reduced. When taking a curvy road for the first time after having the shocks installed, your first reaction might be that the car seems to be slower than it was before... This is because you're used to a certain amount of roll for a given corner at a given speed. If you take a look at the speedometer however, you'll realize you're actually taking the corners at a much higher speed than before. The "slowness" illusion gets dispelled pretty fast as you get used to the new behaviour, though.
As for camber, yes - whenever you lower a car you change its suspension geometry, which results in a change in camber. If the camber is significantly off, it can result in premature wear on the tires. I installed a set of Eibach (SPC) rear camber links at the same time as the shocks and springs.
The Eibach Pro-Kit have a sufficiently "mild" drop that most cars should be able to adjust their camber to within spec afterwards, while still retaining the stock camber links. However, this depends on how close (or far) to spec your camber is pre-lowering... If your car is already near the limits of allowable travel, lowering may well push it outside. As a result, some people need a camber kit while others don't.
I decided I'd rather play it safe and install the camber kit at the same time as the other suspension work rather than take the chance, though.
Hope this helps! :thumbsup
Thank you for providing me your insight and experience. I will post photos once I get everything installed! I decided to go with rota g force with +30 offset. 8.5 wide. :-). Probably need to roll my fenders. :-)
Nope youll have plenty of room left unless you're slammed. Gl and pics pls :)
I have the 2010 Mazda 3GT with MS3 18" wheels.
I dropped the car 1.25" on Eibach springs plus I added 10 mm spacers at the rear.
No problems with rubbing. Car handles great and look so too.