Hi, I apologize for the length of this message but I wanted to get all
my thoughts in one post.
I have a '90 Yellow Miata with 95,000 miles and going strong here in
the Northeast US.
The Mazda Alloy Wheels that came with the car have gotten cruddy over
the years. Here is the sad part. I never realized they are painted and
I used some very abrasive scrubbing pads to get the gunk off. Now I
have penetrated the paint because it a dark black crud and normal
automotive products have little effect cleaning them up. I also need
new tires.
OPTION 1 - Keep the wheels and recondition them.
I have been quoted $150 to recondition each wheel back to near new
condition. If I do that, I would just get 185/60R-14 tires and I'd be
happy, but out $600 for the wheels. My good note is that the car would
look like the day I picked it up.
OPTION 2 - Keep the wheels and clean them.
Maybe there is some interim cleaning method that will mask the
underlying problem but make them look good through the summer. Perhaps
a power tool and some coating over the surface. I would still get
185/60R-14 tires and I'd be happy, but save on getting new or
reconditioned wheels.
OPTION 3 - Get new Wheels and Tires from Tire Rack.
They recommended KOSEI because its Japanese and light and looks good
on the Miata. I have been looking at the KOSEI K1 RACING, KOSEI K3 and
KOSEI K1 TS. Unfortunately, the K1 RACING does not come in 14x6, like
the other two wheels. This might be too dramatic a change to the
original handling parameters that I have come to love.
If I go with a new wheel and tire combo, all mounted and balanced from
Tire Rack, should I stick closest to the original size wheel and tire?
CURRENT MAZDA ALLOY WHEEL:
MAZDA ALLOY 14"x5.5" - Offset 45 - 12.3 lbs.
___________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDED NEW WHEELS:
KOSEI K1 RACING ALLOY - 15"x7" - Offset 38 - 13.5 lbs. Requires a
bigger tire than I use.
KOSEI K3 ALLOY - 14"x6" - Offset 38 - 9.3 lbs.
KOSEI K3 ALLOY - 14"x6" - Offset 38 - 10.6 lbs.
NOTE: I have no idea what OFFSET means or the different wheel weights
compared to my 12.3 lb Mazda Alloys.
|
