Rim Size

I've noticed alot of the MX-3s have 17" rims on them :sunglasse they look nice... I'm a form and function kinda guy, how much does the 17" rims effect the ride, and turning ability, cauz I am looking at dropin my car 1.8" next.. I like how the 15" rims look, just want diffrent style.. was thinking about gettin 16"rims... just wonderin why do all the AM modded MX-3s have 17" rims...

because IMO 16's are too small..It looks like if you missed money to buy 17's lol...no really i think 16's are too small...17's looks nice..and personnaly i don't have 18's because the price is way to high...
as far as ride quality it's really nice...cornering is a lot difference but you do feel a the little bumps in the roard too...one thing i hate with them..wheel hop!!!

yeah, wheel hop is a big problem with mine. But, IMO, 18's look better, but if you went with 18's, then the ride would be like thunder mountain railroad at disneyland...and if you haven't been to disneyland, it would be like you were always driving on dirt. My 17s are very bumpy, but, I was willing to make a little sacrifice in comfort to get my rims.

Im not so sure you would want to go the 18" route... wheel rub would suddenly become a big problem, especially if you get it dropped. Either that or you would need paper-thin rubber sidewalls lol

ya wheel rub is what I'm worried about... that's why I was wonderin about going bigger than the stock 15" rims... but with the tires I got runnin 15"rims allows me to carry a full size spare.. yea

I really don't like how 15s look on our cars...even 16s are a little too small for me. But if that's what you like...go for it. and, as far as wheel rub goes...I don't think you'd have to worry about it. If you get 17s/18s, then drop it, the only way it would rub is if you got tires that are too big, or if your lowering springs are too soft. But, if you lower it, the springs will be firmer, and wont travel as far, so you wont have a problem with wheel rub...at least I don't think.
I was told by professionals that I could fit 18s with 40/35% profile.

...with a camber kit maybe. I have a hard time seeing 18s on a lowered MX3... the second you turn a corner your fender will rub.

ya rubbin when I hit a bump in the road wan't a big concern.. I figured stiffer springs would be fine to fix that.. I'm worried about when you turn the wheel to steer lock your inside of the tires will rub against the wheel well

I don't know much about wheel size etc...I just quote what other people tell me. I was told by a friend who works with michelin, that I could go with 18s, and nothing would rub...and he said that if later I decided to lower my car, it wouldn't cause a problem!

i likw the way 16s look i really dont like huge wheels but i was also wondering if racing at the strip with 16s if ill lose to much traction? because i really dont care how it looks as long as the wheels perform well

If you performance wheel/tires...get some lightweight wheels and some slicks :iceslolan

as far as 18's goes...I've seen them couple of times but you got to have 215-35/18 in order to fit...no rubbing there

yeah...35% is just way too small. It would be like riding a really bad rollercoaster. As far as traction, just get some drag radials. Unless you plan on spending a lot of time at the strip, IMO, slicks aren't worth it.

I am lookn for BRP (Back Road Performance) that is how I'm tuning my car, for back and mountain roads... I'm more of a technique driver, I put more imphasis on the corner than the strait.

I've never heard of BRP...but if that's your style, go for it.
I don't have much of a chance to go on mountain roads. I live in So. Cal. and all the mountain roads here are busy as hell!

BRP I made up, but sounded funnyl, and a works... lol
the principle is there, our car was written by car and driver to have a "back road fun factor".. but ya

i realy wish we had some mountanous road around my area... I dont know of any besides a few KMs north of here and its pretty lame... hold on.. babyblue, do you know of any winding "fun" roads to drive on in the area?

you really did make up that BRP thing....that's funny. I thought it was just some obscure rally tire company that I'd never heard of! That's really funny.
Yeah, I can see how you would have fun on mountain roads. The only time I've ever driven too fast on mountain roads was on my way to lake arrowhead up in the mountains. (east of LA) It was way tooo much fun, but I had just gotten my car, so I was afraid to go too fast cuz I didn't know my car too well then!

I live in a hilly area, it's got both.. haven't been able to take my car up to the mountains yet :D but around my area there are several roads for a mile or 2 some just have sections of 2-4 curves which are challenging. another good thing to do to push yourself, and see your car's limit, is to drive in a predetermined circle as fast as you can without loosing your line.

I don't have anywhere to do that. But, I've been driving alot, and have pushed my car pretty hard. I know it's boundaries pretty well now. I took it out to an airforce base that opened its runaway to public vehicles to race and show off on, and I had some fun on a couple courses.
Mazda did a really good job on the suspension on our cars! I was cornering with some of the best!