Holy wheel gap batman!!!

[mazdabetty]

Got my 17's on today that I just purchased this weekend, but the wheel gap is INSANE!!! Everyone here kept telling me it will look fine and the wheel gap won't be any different than a GT that comes with 17's, but it seems to be much larger than usual... is this normal? Is it just because I have a GS? Do I just need beefier tires maybe? Yikes... starting to change my mind about these lol

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/4191/mazda3023.jpg

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/4157/mazda3024.jpg

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7507/mazda3026.jpg

[coriolis]

Nice 4x4 :D Just kidding haha



They would look great with a drop, Prokits perhaps?

[mazdabetty]

NOOO hahaha I should have mentioned, I will not be lowering my car.

[SSmoked]

WOW!!!
what tires are those. the stock gt tire size is 205/50/17. are those 40 or 45s? lol that friggen massive wheel gap.

that gap could serve as a great hiding spot...

[mazdaskit]

wow if i ever get stuck in the snow ill know where to go lol jk rims look good but prokits would look sick on it

[shu5892001]

yea its weird... why is it so high lol my is not nearly that high. Maybe because i have a gt hatch heavier engine and heavier body? I am not sure lol

[KenYork]

Your suspension should settle a bit since you had your car raised, wait a few days and see.

[cwp_sedan]

Your suspension should settle a bit since you had your car raised, wait a few days and see.

+1.

Mine gained a lot too today when I swapped them. Give it a couple of days and I'm sure it will go down a bit.

[mazdabetty]

WOW!!!
what tires are those. the stock gt tire size is 205/50/17. are those 40 or 45s? lol that friggen massive wheel gap.

that gap could serve as a great hiding spot...
LOL!! You guys aren't making this any easier on me :chuckle They are stock tire size, (205/50/17)



Your suspension should settle a bit since you had your car raised, wait a few days and see.


+1.

Mine gained a lot too today when I swapped them. Give it a couple of days and I'm sure it will go down a bit.

No kidding, really? Wouldn't the suspension have already been settled though from having the same wheels on for the last 4 years?

[pacmann33]

Yuuuup! Give it some time to settle, it'll look better in a few days. I'm also not going to be lowerign my car. Need the clearance and comfort.

[Gen1GT]

You could change your oil without jack stands...

[cwp_sedan]

No kidding, really? Wouldn't the suspension have already been settled though from having the same wheels on for the last 4 years?

Well it was jacked up or put on a hoist causing the suspension to expand. It will take a few days to settle back to where it was.

[Kappa]

mine did the same thing but i dont remember it being that high but now its much lower :)

[insaini]

LMAO wow thats a huge gap :|

[SonicBoy]

If those are the stock Goodyears, the profile makes them look like 40 series rubber.

As others have mentioned, the suspension should settle down. Don't fret it.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Umm.... that's a LOT of settling for stock suspension to do.

[Krazy]

Well... just think of it as setting a trend..

why lower a car like every other modders? when you can raise it :headbang

[Takumi616]

yea you will be fine don't worry...

[Noisy Crow]

You are also used to looking at everyone's dropped cars with wider/lower-offset rims.... you car looks great!


Although, if it bugs you enough you could always throw a couple of concrete blocks in the trunk and some steel weights under the hood. :chuckle

[Gizzmo_jr]

How about a subwoofer setup?

[b.rabbit]

My car looked like that as well when I swapped today, but after a few hours, it looks back to normal.

[CFX]

I'm also not going to be lowerign my car. Need the clearance and comfort.

+1.

[mzkaye729]

Ash, nice wheels, minus the gap lol after getting the fogs installed, I'll be looking out for the GT rims as well but probably have it powdercoated or painted or something :)

Anyway, GS power !!!

What's next on your list ?

**edit**

I forgot to ask... but if you don't mind, can you post update pictures of when the wheel gaps settle ? Wanna see what the GS looks like without drop on 17s. Thanks Ashley !

[mazdabetty]

How about a subwoofer setup?
Yes I considered this!! I might just have to do it hahaha (great excuse too :chuckle)


You are also used to looking at everyone's dropped cars with wider/lower-offset rims.... you car looks great!

Although, if it bugs you enough you could always throw a couple of concrete blocks in the trunk and some steel weights under the hood. :chuckle
Awww thankssss :) It's true I think I'm definitely used to seeing so many lowered cars + my old beefy tires filling in the gap hahaha... I'm sure my back end will lower once I load my luggage in there to go home tomorrow hahaha


Ash, nice wheels, minus the gap lol after getting the fogs installed, I'll be looking out for the GT rims as well but probably have it powdercoated or painted or something :)

Anyway, GS power !!!

What's next on your list ?

**edit**

I forgot to ask... but if you don't mind, can you post update pictures of when the wheel gaps settle ? Wanna see what the GS looks like without drop on 17s. Thanks Ashley !
Siiiick do it!!! I'm starting to like the rims now. They settled in somewhat today... still a gap, but it doesn't look as bad as it did yesterday lol... I'm hoping they'll settle some more over the next day or two, particularly the back end which still seems to be sitting higher than the front. Oh well! Here are some before and after pics:

Before:
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1232/mazda3003.jpg

After:
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8628/mazda3004.jpg

Before:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8743/mazda3001.jpg

After:
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/5111/mazda3002.jpg

Sorry about that last one, the dog refused to move hahahha

(PS Kristina, HIDs are next!!! wooo!)

[mzkaye729]

Siiiick do it!!! I'm starting to like the rims now. They settled in somewhat today... still a gap, but it doesn't look as bad as it did yesterday lol... I'm hoping they'll settle some more over the next day or two, particularly the back end which still seems to be sitting higher than the front. Oh well! Here are some before and after pics:

(PS Kristina, HIDs are next!!! wooo!)

Thanks for the pics, Ashley ! They look too hot on your ride and I'm glad they've settled in for the most part lol like I said, "GS Power !" hahaha ! I'm going from cheap mods on the car to the more expensive ones... it seems you're going the opposite lol

Btw, HIDs are a great addition... just don't forget to have spacers put in ! Any idea which color temperature you're gonna go with ?

[mazdabetty]

hahha yess, 2005 GS power!!! HID's will be 6000k fo' sho if they're from Illumination Technik ;) And thanks I'll definitely have to remember those spacers!!! :chuckle

[ericssonfan]

The wheelwell gap doesn't look that that bad to me... All the more space to get low low low low.. :)
Actually I wished I had that much wheelgap... I ordered some lowering springs I don't even know if I'll have the clearance to get that low..

But going back to your topic.. Going from 16"s ---> 17"s, did you choose the tire size and profile that would give you the same Rim+Tire height on 17s as 16s?

[fini]

the after shots look normal. the wheel gap should be about 3 finger widths... or maybe 4 if you're a girl :)
...okay how abot 6cm?

[turpro]

I have a GS and before I lowered it, I didn't have that much of a wheel gap with 17s. I think maybe you should check your tire size. What size are those 205/50/17 or 195/50/17?

[crystal8484]

That is a big gap!! I wasn't expecting that at all - but no worries as long as you are happy!!

[Iceman_F1]

I have a GS and before I lowered it, I didn't have that much of a wheel gap with 17s. I think maybe you should check your tire size. What size are those 205/50/17 or 195/50/17?

Wouldn't the 195 be a more narrow width tire than 205? The 50 I believe is the height on the tire so that is unchanged in your example...

Though she said they were stock tire size which for the GT is 205/50/17.

[fini]

Wouldn't the 195 be a more narrow width tire than 205? The 50 I believe is the height on the tire so that is unchanged in your example...

Though she said they were stock tire size which for the GT is 205/50/17.

you're right that 50 is the height of the tire, but it's an aspect ratio of the width of tire and not a specific unit of measure. so the width of the tire does make a difference.

50% of 205, and
50% of 195

[Iceman_F1]

you're right that 50 is the height of the tire, but it's an aspect ratio of the width of tire and not a specific unit of measure. so the width of the tire does make a difference.

50% of 205, and
50% of 195

Good to know...though the answer was still posted earlier that she had a 205/50/17. So Stock height and thus not as small as I would guess the 195 would be?

[fini]

Good to know...though the answer was still posted earlier that she had a 205/50/17. So Stock height and thus not as small as I would guess the 195 would be?

right on right on!
I just wanted to clarify the tire size thingy.

205 x .5 = 102.5
195 x .5 = 97.5

so a 5mm difference in height.

[gabbygenier]

looks way better after settling. i guess i should of mentionned that haha. as far as i know the springs are all the same on all the trim models. you saw mine and the only thing diff is i have a stereo that weighs about 200lbs so it adds a bit to the back. just keep the stock tires and itll be good. if you go through my pics of my car youll see my summers have 215 45 17. the gap isnt that much bigger but most ppl can notice.

[x_o_k_x]

few blocks of bricks will fix everything :chuckle

[dadinho_nfg]

dude, where did u get your breaks painted ? looks so nice

[bman13]

why wont you lower? just curious...

[mazdabetty]

dude, where did u get your breaks painted ? looks so nice
Thanks! I did it myself with caliper spray paint at CT... the stuff lasts a really long time, just needed a quick touch up from the winter :P



why wont you lower? just curious...
Cuzzz I don't wanna put out the money for it and I might be getting a new car, so it wouldn't be worth it for me right now.

[-RJ3-]

Ashley, did you release the emergency break after taking the pics of it looking so high? Believe it or not when a car is jacked up and dropped back down, it will look high. Until you release the emergency break the springs wont go down...

Just my experience.

[marvin24k]

Ashley, did you release the emergency break after taking the pics of it looking so high? Believe it or not when a car is jacked up and dropped back down, it will look high. Until you release the emergency break the springs wont go down...

Just my experience.

+1 this always happens to me too.

[marvin24k]

How come you don't want to lower your car??? even a bit? I know the Megan springs will give you about an inch drop. That's very mild and your ride will look better. I too was afraid to drop the ride, but went to prokits and I have never looked back

:)

[gretzky]

wow thats a big gap, my gt sedan with the stock 17's isnt that high hopefully it settles

[mazdabetty]

Ashley, did you release the emergency break after taking the pics of it looking so high? Believe it or not when a car is jacked up and dropped back down, it will look high. Until you release the emergency break the springs wont go down...

Just my experience.

Never thought of that! E-brake is always on though... I guess it looks better while I'm driving... hahahah


How come you don't want to lower your car??? even a bit? I know the Megan springs will give you about an inch drop. That's very mild and your ride will look better. I too was afraid to drop the ride, but went to prokits and I have never looked back

:)
I know it would look awesome!! I just can't right now. AND I have the driveway from hell, I already scrape at stock height :whoa


wow thats a big gap, my gt sedan with the stock 17's isnt that high hopefully it settles
It's good now it's much better!!! I posted before/after pics, it's settled a bit more since. I'm pretty happy with it now :) Pretty sure I broke a world record for the highest 3 though.. that was ridiculous!!!!

[Thrizzl3]

wow you cant actually fist your own car.....LOL im j/k

[mazdabetty]

LOL!! ewwwww... actually, it's about one full fist's width that fits perfectly into the gap :chuckle

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

LOL!! ewwwww... actually, it's about one full fist's width that fits perfectly into the gap :chuckle

TWSS... :)

Glad it settled down Ash cause that looked hilarious... The 4X4 off-road Mazda 3.

[Riftler]

Nice 4x4
:chuckle

Get tractor tires and your good! Jk

[mazdabetty]

Maybe I should have set up a new poll thread instead :|

EDIT: Okay poll here lol
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?52580-POLL-Mazda5-wheels