[trisweb]

I have the opportunity to buy some barely-used 15" Bridgestone Blizzak tires (205 60 r15) for my Mazda 3, as I've just moved to Boston from CA and the stock tires (205 50 r17) are not giving me much grip if there's any amount of snow on the ground...

They're coming on rims that were on a BMW 325i, which seems to have a 5x100 bolt pattern, so I know those won't fit.

So, if I pick up some 15" steel rims, will those tires fit? The radius at least is within a percent or two, so no big change there. The car is a standard Mazda3 TVE, and currently has the stock 17" wheels.

Also, where might I get the rims?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lucaspl88]

ideal size for u would be 205/60-65/r15.
im running steelies... 205/55/16 and its perfect...

 

[Werty]

Welcome to MA

Actually the ideal size for 15" would be 195/65/15 but 205/60/15 is close enough.

Some people get their steel wheels from a junkyard, but tirerack.com has them in stock for $32 each (select a winter package then choose "don't need tires").

 

[chefpat]

HI there, i'm from Montréal and that's the size i have for mi 3 sport 2007, it's doing perfectly well the job, no rubbing, and not to big for the transmission. these Bridgestones are amazing in lite snow, ice, packed snow and a good handling on dry, i just sold mine because i went back to studded Hankook i-pike W409. but i have to deel with the noise and handling on wet pavement.
You will notice a wisseling sond with the Bridgestone on the wet but that's all, that mean that it's biting thrue the thin water layer. GO FOR IT :klavergreg:

 

[lucaspl88]

i have dunlop wintersport 3d and i love them... chicago winter is not a challenge for me now

 

[trisweb]

Awesome, thanks for the help everyone. These are a great deal and a good seller so it should be a good package for me on the cheap. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Toolman_Johnny]

deleted

 

[condor888000]

15" wheels fit on any 3 which comes with a 2.0L engine, if you have the 2.3L you need 16" or larger. As the OP has an i model, the 15" will fit.

 

[trisweb]

So I got the tires, ditched the steel wheels that didn't fit, and got a set of 15" alloys that look nice in addition to being on sale and fairly cheap. So far the tires seem to be doing great and everything fits of course. It's snowed here today, so I may get to test them out on icy/snow conditions if I need to drive somewhere soon.

But the good news is that the tires fit and the wheels look pretty awesome. All in all a success. Thanks everyone for your help!