Thinking of changing my mazda 3 1.6HB tires and rims, from stock 195/55R16 to 215/45R17. Just wondering if its advisable and what would I be losing out on / gaining? I think the gap between tire and fender is abit big, thus looks ugly. Will changing size as stated above help cosmetically? Hope you guys can help, don't know much about this stuff. Thanks!

better stick to 16 , just find nice pattern rims

16 to 17 , wider tire , more traction on braking and cornering , stability on highspeed ,

down side , pay more $ , increase in FC , less comfort

maybe u can try 16/55/205 or 215 with nice rims

Is the increase in FC and decrease in comfort significant/noticeable tho? Tempted to whip on 17's to cover the gap between tire and wheel arch abit. It does help right? If the cons are pretty significant tho, I won't opt for the 17". Also tempted because theres a good looking set of rays 17" I'm interested in

definately can notice the comfort but just slightly increase of FC due to slightly heavy tires and wider tire ( need more power to more the car)

even my last mazda 3 1.5 CBU comes with 15" and it just enough for 1.6

it up to you,

why not u try any members of m3 who already upgrade to 17" then u gonna get better feel

This post has been edited by gahpadu: Aug 2 2013, 02:57 PM

Damn. Hard to decide in that case. Thanks for your feedback!

If your aim is just to reduce fender gap then the right thing to do is get a sport lowering springs. If you change rims & tires from 195/55/16 to 215/45/17 then the fender gap will be only reduced by a measly 2mm, or practically not noticeable reduction! Because the difference in radius between the 2 sizes are just about 2mm. On top of that, since your tire is much thinner, it will actually look more ugly and odd since the fender gap will look larger compared to the thin tire. then of course you'd get much reduced comfort, and also FC (this depends on how heavy the 17 setup will be).

So my advice don't change to 17' but get a lowering springs, or if got more budget get adjustable coil over.

get 17" and 205/50/17 tire
original m3 using this size as well , fender gap reduce , rim bigger 1inch , sidewall still can remain thick

after rim change only decide lowered ornot

Correct me if I'm wrong, the total diameter would be increased by about 15mm, if the mentioned changes were to take place. How much would sport lowering springs cost? Pricey?

Hmm sounds like a plan. My tires now are conti mc5, which also come in 215/45R17. Do they also come in 205/50/17? I dont know much about this, hope its not a stupid question haha

Well, you're wrong.
195/55/16 diameter = (19.5 x 0.55 x 2) + (16 x 2.54) = 62.09cm
215/45/17 diameter = (21.5 x 0.45 x 2) + (17 x 2.54) = 62.53cm
Difference in diameter = 0.44cm
Difference in height/radius = 0.44/2 = 0.22cm = 2.2mm

Or you can just compare here
http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-C...55R16/215-45R17


Lowering springs will depend on the brand. If local one like GAB, can get for maybe rm400 or even less.
If going for reputable brands like Tanabe, Tein, Eibach, then expect to pay rm1000-1200.
Not sure about Taiwan brands though.

Well most people make the same mistake. Should lower first before changing rims! Unless you decide to go for adjustable coil over.

Damn must've typed something wrong in my calculator just now hahaha thanks for the correction man. In that case, no doubt you're right, won't help with the gap. But if I get 215/50/17 instead? Diameter would be 2.6cm longer, which will definitely make quite a difference right? Again, correct me if I'm wrong hahaha.

Are the local lowering springs okay to use? I DEFINITELY cannot afford both rims and reputable branded springs. If so, any recommended place to purchase and install? Thanks again for your help! Appreciate it

for TS case , after rim change if the fender gap are acceptable then y still need lowered?

For the size I mentioned, there was a negligible difference in total size of the tire, so fender gap wouldn't have been improved. If I were to change to a size where the gap would be smaller, then dont need to be lowered. Thanks for your input! If I decide to change to 17", I'll see how it looks first then decide on lowering

Guys, just found out from my dealer that lowering springs will void the suspension warranty. :/ such a bummer, as I'm really keen on shortening the wheel arch tire gap. Any way to get around it? If problems occur, can just reinstall the old springs and go claim warranty? Or if I send for servicing with lowering springs, they would know and warranty will be voided even if I change it back (before sending to them to claim warranty given my suspension is faulty)? Really hope I could get your insight

When changing rims & tires actually should always try to maintain the same overall diameter with variations less than 3% compared to std setup. Changing to 215/50/17 will increase diameter by >4% so this is not recommended since it will make your car noticeably slower and braking also longer. So changing rims should not have any significant effect on fender gaps. Therefore if want to reduce fender gaps the only proper way is by lowering the car, and that has to be done first before choosing rims & tires to make sure that the rims & tires you choose would be perfectly fit with the lowered ride height.

I don't know about local brands quality, never used before. But GAB seems quite popular.

Yes, it can void your warranty with regard to suspension parts.

This post has been edited by 6UE5T: Aug 3 2013, 03:43 PM

most people practice it. Back to factory ones before claim any warranty.

They won't know right? They're not going to have some record somewhere that I lowered the car right? Abit paranoid

some SC can close one eyes. start keep fren with them

So far haven't seen any horror stories about GAB, so I think I'll settle for it if I do lower my car. What lowering springs have you used? And how much did you pay for them? do you know of a good cheap place to buy and install? Lastly, if I use the lowering springs and SC see it when I send for service, would they note it and thus void my warranty even if I do change back to ori springs upon claiming warranty? Possible to just change back, god forbid anything goes wrong?

Thanks for your feedback, really helps alot.