I just picked up a set of Mazdaspeed 3 wheels. Ill be getting them on in the spring, cant wait! Ill be the first with these wheels?

I want to powdercoat or paint them with a color thats unique, but not too loud. Im thinking something close to Carbon Bronze like the Civic HFP wheel. Yay or nay?

Then theres powdercoating vs painting. Powdercoating is expensive, can a good paint job stand up to normal wear and tear for a couple of years? Or is powdercoating the way to go. Im a full time student working only part time so if I powdercoat, will it be worth the money?


hope you dont mind me using your car, nf3d0149ab


Give me some ideas if you dont like that color...

 

Some others I did.

Gold


Burnt Red?


And not so serious.

Pink


Green

 

Being the first one is not necessarily a good thing. I hate those wheels, even on the Speed3, the RX8 5 spokes are nicer. Hope you got them for a really good price.

Since you live in the east coast, I would go powdercoat.

 

Have you considered these wheels, they are coming out this month, and they look very similar to the wheels you posted, but they have a split in them. They come in 18" x 8" with a 48mm ioffset and 20" x 8.0" with a 48mm offset, they are also built specifically for the CL and are hubcentric.

They even have the optional inserts that can easily be painted or left chrome.

 

I just wanted to know if it was done before.

I got a quote, $300 for all four. Good price?

I just bought these....?

 

That's about the going rate, my guy in Stockholm, NJ charges the same, and he does excellent work.

 

300 for all 4 is a good deal.

 

These are good wheels guys. I think they have a +50 offset so he can slam the car with out much modding the fenders.

They are conservative, not really lookers but better then chrome wheels. And the biggest plus of all, these wheels are lighter then stock.

good pick up on wheels zac

(just did some quick research and the RX-8 rims are actually 2-3 pounds lighter then the MS3 rims )

 

$300 for all four is average. What are the specs of them? I kinda like them in the carbon color.

What do they weigh?

 

Thanks

I don't know how much they weigh but they feel very light. Specs are 18x7 +52 so they're not aggressive which means I could go pretty low (although I am prob just getting the b&g kit). And yea I really like how these wheels look. They're pretty subtle and 18s.

 

Do you already have them?

 

According to some mazda forums, they weigh about 24 lbs.

 

24 lbs and 7" wide, when you drop you're going to be tucked in.

 

I guess the first post is confusing or something cause Ron is even posting ads for his wheels.

Yes, theyre sitting in the garage. I dont have alot of money at this point so I gotta keep my budget low. When I saw these on a MS3, I really liked them. I did some research and found out that these wheels would fit close to stock, and are fairly cheap when resold. Found a really good deal so I got them. Now I can work on them a little for the spring, theyre in good condition, just wanted to paint or powdercoat them.

I like Carbon Bronze, but im trying to get people's opinion on the color or to suggest other colors, I already have the wheels...

This is the color, carbon bronze:


Im not sure what your trying to say. Are you saying that the wheels will be tucked because of a drop, I doubt that with less than a 2" drop.

I am not doing any engine modifications to my car. I will not be tuning it or racing it. Its a high mileage, automatic, daily driver. These wheels fit my cars level of performance, almost stock.

 

Nothing a spacer cant fix.

 

I dont want to buy spacers. Although I might get 235/40 tire to help with wheels sinking a little into the wheel well.



Will 235/40/18 +52 rub with an Eibach drop ~2"F/1.5"R?

 

I dont think so. My tires are 235/40/18 +50, but I only have 1.2 inch drop.

You might have to cut/roll rear fenders but thats easy. or you could go with 225/45/18

 

Theres 225/40/18 on there now, I guess ill try to see if I might be able to get a 235 in there once I get the suspension in.

What setup gave you a 1.2" drop?

 

Tein H-Techs. Its pretty moderate, you might be happier with the B&G set up that gives 1.5 i believe. but i dont have to worry about bottoming or scraping up driveways or speedbumps.

I would either get 235/40/18 or 225/45/18 to keep the speedo accurate. Right now, your speedo is going too fast.

 

Actually, 225/45/18 throws off the speedometer more than the 225/40/18.

 

Yes, thats true. try to get 235/40/18 then.

 

I don't think you're going to need to roll/cut anything. I have 255/35 18x9 rears and I had no rubbing when it was only lowered 2".

 

Unfortunately, spacers are the mickey mouse way of doing things...IMHO

 

I agree, but if he just wants to fill out the wheel wells then its an option.

 

One that I might take, but not for a while.

So 235's it is. I found a nice set of BFGoodrich summers, any good??

 

Summer performance tires? But you guys have snow up there right?

 

What model?

I had BF-G gForce Sport summer tires. They were decent, but compared to other tires for the same price they sucked.

I run summer tires year round

I know its not safe, but if theres snow on the ground the car doesnt leave the driveway.

 

We get snow, but I have my stockies for the winter.

Not sure yet, its a craiglist find and it only said BFG high performance summer in the desciption. All 4 for $120 w/60-70% tread. I asked for details, so ill know sooner or later

 

Found a set on craigslist, BFG G-Force Summers. Had to drive to Philly to pick up though. They have about 5K miles on them Maybe a little over half an inch wider than the 225s, they look great! Much better than the Kumhos on the wheels right now...

Hoping whatever suspension I get it, it wont rub +52, so I should be okay with Eibachs/Illuminas, B&G?

 

You'll be fine. Your setup is really safe.

 

Those look just like the gForce sport I had/have. They last a good 40-50k miles. Theyre decent tires, much better then the shitty Kumhos I had on the 19s.

 

These are replacing the Kumhos

 

How much did you get them for?

 

I stole them for $100, all four. He had it listed for 120 and I wasnt sure whether he meant the entire set or per tire, so I decided not to assume either (anything is possible on craigslist)

Went to pick it up, asked how much he wanted again for the set, told me he would give them to me for 100 if I took them away today, so I did. Helps alot cause I dont have much to spend on these luxuries, let alone basic necessities

 

Nice pick up

Now get them mounted!!!

 

As soon as I decide what to do with the wheels (repaint/powdercoat or leave as is)

I wont even be trying them on the car until I lower it though. That will be happening during my winter break, so at least 4 more weeks.

 

Id say mount them on the car first, even if its without tires, just to see if you even like the actual fitment.

 

If I don't like the figment then it's just too bad for me.

 

Lol.