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Thread: Alloy wheel advice

  1. #11
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    ^^^ That photo looks like a bad Photoshop mash-up.

    But, they do look like Konig Helium wheels... which are actually a cheap knock-off of the very expensive and even lighter forged Volk CE28. (so, they could also be that)

    I once owned a set of Volk CE28N in 14x5.5... they weighed 6.5 pounds each! (but, they cost $250 each)


    Simplify and add lightness.

  2. #12
    Attachment 16108Could be photoshopped? I just took a pic of the tv, I was being a weirdo watching random mirage videos.
    Mirage videos:

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  3. #13
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Don't bother. It's an unheard of brand. Will likely be quite heavy and of unknown quality.

    Probably the best deal on a nice looking, name brand, lightweight 15x6.5 is the Konig Helium:
    https://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazd...t/21-1045.html

    Available in silver, black or bronze. I have a silver set on my Mirage.
    Hmmm, they have the bronze available. Thanks for the link, their sale makes them affordable for me.
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  4. #14
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    When I first decided to go with this wheel, that site was a big factor. I figured if the Miata guys were OK with them, then they couldn't be that bad.

    That is a great price on those wheels, too!

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  5. #15
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    So did one of you guys ask the question on Amazon today?

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    Loren can probably elaborate on this since he has first-hand experience. But small, light cars are more sensitive to unsprung weight (the weight of the wheel/tire). A heavy wheel/tire combination can have a negative impact on your car's handling.

    Here's a quote from the Goodwin Racing (Miata) Website...

    The 1990 through 2005 Mazda Miata is VERY sensitive to unsprung weight. The factory designed and sold it with factory rims that were as light as 10 pounds each! Our STRONG advice for owners of 1990-2005 Mazda Miatas is to only buy similarly light wheels and avoid any rims that are over 15 pounds each. The lighter the better! We sell 15 inch rims that are under 10 pounds and most users can feel a change as small as 3 pounds of unsprung weight per corner. Buying wheels over 15 pounds will seriously degrade the ride and performance of your Mazda Miata. We have had too many customers call us only AFTER their purchase of 15-20+ pound wheels elsewhere asking how their Miata can be fixed now that it rides rough, crashes over potholes, and is no longer fun to drive! Asking your Mazda Miata suspension to lift 15 to 20 pound rims with each bump and still feel fun to drive is like asking your own body to run with ankle weights and still be fast--heavy rims will hurt your Mazda Miata's performance just like the ankle weights would hurt yours. Don't accept the representation from the average tire shop that the rim they are trying to sell you is "light." Know exactly what the true weight is before you buy! Note that there is a lot marketing hype out there and few distributors bother to actually check the advertised weights of the wheels they sell, relying instead on exaggerated or atypical claims in the marketing materials produced by the wheel manufacturers. Because we actually weigh the wheels we sell, our weights will often be higher than what the wheel manufacturers list on their own websites. It is VERY COMMON to find other vendors selling 15 pound rims yet telling their customers those rims are 12 pounds and lower. Here, we weigh every rim we sell and report the actual weights in the product listing for each wheel.

    The 2006 Mazda MX5 has a more sophisticated suspension but the user seeking to improve performance should nonetheless remember that weight is still the enemy. The brakes on the 2006 are too large to accommodate 15 inch rims which means that 16 inch rims are the minimum. We use 16 inch rims for both street and race track duty to keep the unsprung weight as light as possible.

    Source: https://www.good-win-racing.com/mazd...nical-faq.html

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  6. #16
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    I asked yesterday, weird it didn't show until now. Oh well, I have an answer. They weight a ton. Wow.

    The Konigs in sale are now with a couple of bucks of the Amazon wheels. It's now a no-brainer. Konig.

    The only question is now color. I tend to favor the bronze for my grey car and silver for my wine red. If I knew for sure I could sell my factory alloys with the Enasaves in the spring for a reasonable amount of money I'd buy a bronze and silver set.

    Do I absolutely have to get hub centric spacers? I don't recall any when I took my factory alloys off. Are they only when the center bore is a different size, like large, and you want to make sure the wheels go on properly?
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
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    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  7. #17
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Wheel spacers are not necessary. They are often made of plastic, it's not like they actually support any weight. They make it a little easier to put the wheel on the car and line up the studs, but I normally run without them.

    There is the question of "hub-centric" vs. "lug-centric", but, if you have tapered lugs... you're lug-centric. The lugs center the wheel. The center bore does nothing.

    Then there's the question of what actually supports the weight of the car, which if you dig around on Miata.net, was answered quite thoroughly by a mechanical engineer. I'm no engineer, but in a nutshell... the tapered lugs CENTER the wheel... the lug nut torque CLAMPS the wheel against the rotor or hub... and what actually supports the weight of the car is the FRICTION of that hub-to-wheel interface. The reality is that the lugs are not capable of supporting the weight of the car. It was a fascinating analysis. (to a non-engineer type who never really thought of it that way before)

    Wheel weight is a HUGE deal on a lightweight car. On a 2300 pound Miata, I found that 3 pounds of wheel weight per corner was VERY readily felt, and my personal tolerance for "noticing a difference" is close to 2 pounds. On a 2000 pound Mirage, it's going to be even more sensitive to wheel AND tire weight. (you'll note that the stock Mirage tires are extremely lightweight)

    If you increase wheel weight by enough to feel it, what you'll feel is more flywheel effect... when you coast, the car will want to coast MORE. (potentially a good thing) And when you brake for that first stop sign, you'll learn that you have to brake MORE to get the same rate of deceleration. (a bad thing) And if you're in tune with your car's acceleration, you'll notice that the car accelerates more slowly. (always a bad thing) In addition to that, the gyroscopic effect of the heavier wheel makes it more resistant to turning. The steering will feel heavier (sometimes good, but usually bad), and transitional steering response will suffer.

    For a heavy car, it's a lot less noticeable. But, for something in the sub-2500 pound range... 3 pounds of wheel weight is a big deal... 8 pounds of wheel weight? OMG, it would be like driving a completely different car!

    This is why I have the 11.5 pound Konigs and 16 pound Toyo tires. A sub-28 pound package. I think anything more than about 30 pounds on a Mirage is too much, unless you're fighting other compromises. (like my autocross tires... wider, more responsive, grippier... and the package was something like 32 or 34 pounds... but, it was worth it)
    Simplify and add lightness.

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  9. #18
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    I really notice the difference in coasting with my winter tires. The Mirage doesn't want to stop, it rolls on and on. I had bought a set of really nice Pirelli winter tires in 185R60-14 and they were a ton heavier than my 175R65-14 winter tires. So I sold off the Pirellis and bought some some Nexen winters in 175R65/14.

    Now I need a sale on the 185R55-15 Encopia 442 Plus tires and I'm all set. So I think. Then'll I have to decide what Mirage gets them! Lol. It's funny having to make that kind of decision.
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  10. #19
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    The decision is made and the order is on the way!!!!

    Each Mirage is going to get their own set of alloy wheels. Since my partner primarily drives my wine red '17 I let her choose the color for wheels and she decided on.......

    wait for it.........


    just a moment...........


    Silver!!!!! Why am I not surprised? They're going to look great on her "Wine Red" Mirage.
    I guess it's bronze for me!
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  11. #20
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wallythacker View Post
    The decision is made and the order is on the way!!!!
    Nice. Looking forward to seeing them so post lots of pictures.


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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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