Looking for Miata Wheels

[tgordon]

I am looking for a set of wheels for my '95 Miata, either:

1) a set of factory hollow spoke wheels ('94 M's preferred)

or

2) a set of Spec Miata wheels

Thanks,

Tom

[tgordon]

Come on guys.

No one has a spare set of Spec Miata wheels that they want to get rid of or a set of take offs?

Thanks,

Tom

[WillM]

Hi Tom,

Are you looking for 14" or 15"? Sounds like you want auto-x wheels?

I have a set of '93 LE 14" BBS wheels. About 8 pounds each, forged.

[tgordon]

Will,

I'm looking for either 14 or 15 so that I can upgrade my stock wheels and street tires for the track.

I haven't made up my mind yet as to which size; 14" will be easier on the wallet and let me stay in SSC while 15" gives me a much better choice of tires.

I guess I'm looking for advice as well as wheels!!!!!

Thanks,

Tom

[WillM]

Hi Tom,

When you say "SSC", are you talking about COM classing or SCCA auto-x classing?

COM SSC rules allow wheels that are the same diameter and with as stock. That means you could run 14" or 15" wheels, since 15" wheels were an option.

EIther 14" or 15" wheels are fine for track use. There may be more tire choices in 15". That said, the limiting factor is the stock width, which I believe is 6-6.5". Most Spec Miata wheels you'll find are 15x7".

As long as the tires you want to run are available in 14" and/or 15" sizes, I do not perceive one being a better choice than the other. The slightly lower profile of a 205/55-14 wheel vs. a 205/50-15 wheel will give slightly better gearing for your 1.8 car at NHMS, but the difference is negligible.

If I were you, I'd go with:
14" BBS wheels - super light weight and very tough
15" BBS wheels - also super light weight and very durable
15" OEM wheels from 99-01 Miatas (not sure if they were available after 00, but if so, that would be fine too).

All would be SCCA legal. The cheapest choice are the NB 15" stock wheels.

I ran Kumho and Toyo tires on the 14" BBS wheels for a season or two. 205 tires dish a bit, but you will have the same issue with any wheel of stock width. The combination works fine though.

I have to check my garage. I may have a set of 14" stock wheels as well as a set of the 14" BBS wheels.

Actually, I ordered new wheels for my street car, but they will not arrive for another couple of weeks. At that point I'll have a set of 15x6.5 SSR Competition wheels (semi-solid forged, less than 9 pounds each) for sale. Those would be an ideal choice, now that I think of it.

[mossaidis]

what's the offset of those 14" BBS 's? how wide?

[WillM]

Hey Mickey!

The offset should be around 35-40. I'd guess 38. For whatever reason Mazda went with offsets typically found on front-wheel drive imports.

I believe the width is 6.0, but it could be 6.5. WIdth, if I recall correctly, is +0.5" wider than the stock Miata alloys. I could be wrong. It has been a while since I paid attention to the finer details of different Miata years, interior/exterior "mods", detailing, etc. Before I shifted gears into autox and then track, I was plugged into all of that stuff. Now? Not so much!

I hope to clean out my garage this weekend. I hope to have a Miata parts & wheels/tires & race-parts yard sale soon.

FYI, since I have a complete '93 LE interior for the Miata (only 1,500 made and only model with the 14" BBS wheels), I have not tried very hard to sell the wheels. Thought anyone interested in the interior may also be interested in the wheels.

Good luck at LRP, wish I could be there!

[TroyV]

Let me know when that garage sale is. I might be in the market for some trinkets..

[paultg]

Me too, is there a VIP invite for fellow miata owners/com members!

[paultg]

PS: Some decent info on the various miata wheel options: http://www.miata.net/faq/wheel_weights.html

The 14" BBS wheels Will has were available on 1992 Black/Tan C-package cars and 1993 black/red LE models only. They are sought after by SCCA folks who compete in stock autox class. The 15" BBS wheels were only made in 1995 (on the M-edition) and are also rare, but none of them are wider than 6" as far as I know. I sold a set of each type and bought 15x7 Enki RFP1s (and kept some cash).

Paul G.

[paultg]

Tom,
Here you go: http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/pts/1175788880.html

Or: http://nh.craigslist.org/pts/1185582147.html

Or: http://nh.craigslist.org/pts/1177771782.html

Paul G.

[CP]

Osamah has several sets of SM wheels that I'm sure are for sale along with his two SMs. The classified ad for the car is down this page a bit. Click