[RalphinOrmondBeach]

Firstly, I do have 225-17's on my current ride, a VW Sportswagon, and, of course, I do think the fat tires give a superior hold on the ground. But I have been thinking about whether the skinny 195-16's might be better than the 205-17's on the 124 Spider. The lightness of the car seems like a special feature, not to be squandered unnecessarily. From the bicycling I learned that spinning weight is "heavier" than the not spinning weight. I cannot hope to begin trying to do the math on it but we'd be talking about four spinning wheels plus the spare. If the real effect added up more than one hundred pounds, I think that would be worth consideration.

 

[ForzaFiata]

Since the 124 will use the same 4-lug hub design as the most recent Miata, it stands to reason that the lightweight wheels engineered for the Miata would bolt right up.

This way, you can retain the OEM tread width (if perhaps even wider) and have zero/negligible weight penalty.

Prices are very reasonable too.

http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda-Performance-Parts/MX5ND/Wheels-Tires.html?id=DXDJCnVH

 

[Busta]

yes, people in go-fast circles have long known unsprung weight is detrimental to performance...

 

[RedTRex]

So is sprung weight ..... ha! couldn't resist.

 

[Busta]

So is sprung weight ..... ha! couldn't resist.

for sure. but if you had to choose an extra 10 pounds of sprung vs unsprung weight which would you pick >

 

[spilner]

Since the 124 will use the same 4-lug hub design as the most recent Miata, it stands to reason that the lightweight wheels engineered for the Miata would bolt right up.

This way, you can retain the OEM tread width (if perhaps even wider) and have zero/negligible weight penalty.

Prices are very reasonable too.

http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda-Performance-Parts/MX5ND/Wheels-Tires.html?id=DXDJCnVH

I was actually surprised they didn't decide to go 5x114.3 on the new Miata, which was what I was expecting with the 124 Spider.