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Jessea14
10-12-2016, 12:58 PM
I just bought a 2015 Mazda 3 GS with what I assume are the factory tires and rims. I traded in my 2006 Mazda 3 for this car and I still have old winter tires for it. I assume i'll need to buy new winters for my new car and I'm wondering if the rims for my new car stay on the tires of the new car? Therefore, do I need to buy new tires and new steel rims for the new winters? I'm just not sure of exactly what I need.

Anyone info would be greatly appreciated.
morganc
10-12-2016, 02:41 PM
The bolt pattern should be the same for the rims, so they're still usable. The sticker on the driver's door sill will spec tire size so any shop should be able to slap the right size winters on there.
Johns 08 3 GT
10-12-2016, 02:43 PM
If your old wheels are 16" you will be fine. If they are 15" you might want to check if they fit over the front caliper. Most 15" wheels dont fit the 3rd Gen.
Dubcee
10-12-2016, 03:27 PM
Currently running 205/55/16, the gen 1/2 size, all year round on my gen3, no issues. It just makes your speedometer read 3 km/h faster per every 100 km/h. It also lowers the car slightly and makes it look like an SUV due to wheel gap :)
Jessea14
10-13-2016, 01:13 AM
Thanks for the reply. I heard buying new rims for the new winters is actually cheaper than having the mechanic change the rims and tires each season. Like they always ask if the wheels are on rims or not. If I'm using the same rims for both sets of tires doesn't the cost of changing the tires go up? And is it not better to just have 2 sets of rims? I'm sure it's more expensive however
Dubcee
10-13-2016, 10:33 AM
Running 2 sets of wheels is nice because:

1) if they stay balanced you can change them seasonally yourself, at your convenience
2) you can use ugly and or smaller wheels for winter (cheaper tires) and pretty/larger ones for summer
3) you avoid the tire shop possibly scraping your wheels every time you mount/dismount tires
4) it's easier on the tire to not be constantly mounted / popped off
5) Over 4-5 years the second set of wheels pays for itself in mounting costs

The only downside is the upfront cost of a set of cheap winter wheels.