I am trying to justifty if its worth it to pay for the GFX package because I might want the black tail light on the GT sedan. The GFX comes with the moonroof which I could live with and wouldn't mind having. But is getting the 17' a such a good idea? Because the ride will be much rougher (according to what I've read so far) and when its time for tire replacement it will cost quite a bit more. Plus there are not as many to choose from right?
Going for 17 inch, too much inconvenience
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No, the ride isn't rough at all. It isn't necessarily the size of the rim. It depends on the width of the tire. I used to have 17's on my GTI and the width of tire was small so my ride was pretty harsh. Then those got stolen and I got 18's. I assumed the ride would be harsher but it wasn't, it was actually a whole lot better than 17's because the width of the tire was larger. The 17's on the 3 are probably just as good as the ride on smaller rims (maybe except for huge speed bumps). Plus, cars look retarded with anything smaller than 17's.
$1052 (canadian) for fac body kit, moon roof. and 17's is a good deal from a car manufacturer. it was a no brainer for me because i want leather! i'm going to use the stock 17's as winter rims. (rough ride is a myth. with stock suspension it is very smooth with 17's. i've got 18's coming.
The moonroof could be problematic in 10 years, but right now, no problems with leaking and I use a pressure washer sometimes. As for the tires and wheels, the type of tires this car deserves are always going to be available in 17 inch size (performance tires in case you were wondering). In fact, after you drive on the RS-A tires, you might want to try different ones in a year or two when they wear out. Then, you get the joy of picking out grippy performance tires. They may cost a bit more than regular All-Season tires, but they're so much more fun to drive on, and if you choose correctly, the ride may even improve from its current composure at speed.
The width of the tire does not really matter for ride comfort. I think it might actually be the only part of the tire that has no effect on ride quality. The things that have effeect on ride quality as far as the tire itself is concerned are tire sidewall height, wheel height, thickness of the sidewall of the tire, type of rubber compound used and expected life of the compound (tire life), tread thickness and design, along with a few others I am probably forgetting.
On my previous vehicle I had Firestone 40,000 mile (195/55/16) on my car stock. They had great grip in the summer and the sidewalls were think enough not to roll too much, but they were a hard ride and they had horrible winter traction. I bought new tires after about 35,000 miles, Pirelli 3000s (205/55/16). They were slightly taller, thinner sidewall, and hard enough rubber compound to get an 80,000 mile warranty. They were a very comfortable ride, handled great in the winter and summer, and looked sharp because they were wider, but they rolled on the sidewall easier and were a little bit more noisy. After all was said and done with my accident that got me my new Mazda3, the suspension and the tires combined give me a better ride than either of the tire sets and suspension I had on my last car and these tires are Goodyear RSAs (205/50/17). I am not sure of the mileage warranty on them and they don't handle that great in the snow and ice, but comfortable ride with a good grip they can handle.
If you are looking for a tire that might be a different size than the stock and want to see what the new tires will do to your speedometer, I made a program when I was shopping for tires that let me compare two tire sizes and give data on the differences, sidewall height, diameter, circumference, and effect on your speedometer. I will try and get a download link for it or something up here.
Edit: I wonder if this will work to let you download it. It is zipped and virus free.
http://home.indy.rr.com/mnemonicj/Tire Size V2-03.zip
On my previous vehicle I had Firestone 40,000 mile (195/55/16) on my car stock. They had great grip in the summer and the sidewalls were think enough not to roll too much, but they were a hard ride and they had horrible winter traction. I bought new tires after about 35,000 miles, Pirelli 3000s (205/55/16). They were slightly taller, thinner sidewall, and hard enough rubber compound to get an 80,000 mile warranty. They were a very comfortable ride, handled great in the winter and summer, and looked sharp because they were wider, but they rolled on the sidewall easier and were a little bit more noisy. After all was said and done with my accident that got me my new Mazda3, the suspension and the tires combined give me a better ride than either of the tire sets and suspension I had on my last car and these tires are Goodyear RSAs (205/50/17). I am not sure of the mileage warranty on them and they don't handle that great in the snow and ice, but comfortable ride with a good grip they can handle.
If you are looking for a tire that might be a different size than the stock and want to see what the new tires will do to your speedometer, I made a program when I was shopping for tires that let me compare two tire sizes and give data on the differences, sidewall height, diameter, circumference, and effect on your speedometer. I will try and get a download link for it or something up here.
Edit: I wonder if this will work to let you download it. It is zipped and virus free.
http://home.indy.rr.com/mnemonicj/Tire Size V2-03.zip
I was wondering about the same thing. Instead of getting two sets of tires for different seasons I think I might just get one set of high performance all season tires. Knowing that only 2-3 weeks in year that we have actual snow accumulation on roads I don't think its necessary for snow tires.
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Here is another program. I don't know who wrote it, or where it came from, but here it is:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
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Hey Finprof, Out in western Canada there's not allot of snow in the winter, way less than than Jersey ect. Yes, western canada see's less snow than allot of the US. Western Canada maintains a better year round temperature too
The 17's ride fine. For larger tires they are quite comfy and I dont mind the odd bump when my ass is planted on leather
I dont think anyone who says the 17"'s are obsurdly rough owns a 3 or has much seat time in performance cars, they are just bs'ing going by whats on thier beater. There's LOTS of that. MY special favorite is the hand drawn in dyno graphs you see around. Not just here by the way, I am talking about other boards in particular.
I own 17"s on my M3 GT live in Canada (But missed the winter this year). Next fall I am buying a set of snow tires/rims and mounting them up. In the spring I will buy a new set of rims and get the summer tires put back on the new rims keeping the stock rims/sno rig neatly tucked away in my garage. What ever I decide to do to my ride will never sacrafice the ability to bring my car right back to stock. No carving here.
AEM is sending me an intake, but it wont be shipped until April.... I can't wait to draw my own dyno and post it for everyone
I still wonder if its necessary for me to get winter rims for the winter given we have so little snow here (2-3 weeks of snow on the road). It seems like such a waste of money. I also think that you can't really avoid the pot holes because they are pretty much there all year around until the damn city decides to fill them. I only concern I have is that I might hit a curb because I can't see it when its covered by snow. I've done that once in a parking lot. lol
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187 Posts
I use winter tire Handook on my 17'' and often go drive in snow/ice/shytt and they go pretty well and when I think about it.. I think they are the best winter tire I ever had.. they grip like mad.
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Last year I strapped an old pair of 13" yokohomas on a Tcel and did burnouts and donuts until the engine threw a rod. Great tires.
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