Spacer for Miata Wheels 185/60 R14

[1990new]

Will these spacers fix my problem of tires rubbing on the spring perch on my aspire swapped Festiva?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hub-Centric-Wheel-Spacers-4x100-12X1-5-54-1mm-Corolla-Echo-MRS-MR2-5MM-3-16-/201028359974#vi-ilComp
It was doing OK with the 175/65 R14 tires but with the Miata wheels and 185/60 R14 tires, it rubs when cornering or I hit bumps.
With spacers I guess I'll have to get studs or longer bolts too.

Need some members with this experience to give me recommendations.

[Advancedynamix]

Those will help the tires not to rub the struts, but they will be more likely to hit your fenders. You'll want to roll your fenders for sure. That is a lot of tire to fit under a Festiva.

YOU NEED THESE

[Fecomatter]

Me likey those spacers. good price. Advancedynamix how do you feel about these tires :

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&cart_id=65986390.135.27009&Breite=195&Quer=40&Felge=17&Speed=&LoadRange=&kategorie=6&Marke=&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&rsmFahrzeugart=ALL&search_tool=standard&details=Ordern&typ=R-257348

(not meaning to jack thread, sorry <3)

[Advancedynamix]

Me likey those spacers. good price. Advancedynamix how do you feel about these tires :

http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&cart_id=65986390.135.27009&Breite=195&Quer=40&Felge=17&Speed=&LoadRange=&kategorie=6&Marke=&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=&x_tyre_for=&rsmFahrzeugart=ALL&search_tool=standard&details=Ordern&typ=R-257348

(not meaning to jack thread, sorry <3)

Way to big. No need for 17" wheels under a festiva. The biggest I'd go would be 15". As far as the brand goes, I haven't tried them.

[Fecomatter]

ok thanks. hehe.

[drddan]

Jess, you could maybe grind some of the spring perch away in the area where it rubs, and re-paint?

[1990new]

Those will help the tires not to rub the struts, but they will be more likely to hit your fenders. You'll want to roll your fenders for sure. That is a lot of tire to fit under a Festiva.

YOU NEED THESE

Yes, that looks like a good deal but I just bough those 4 Miata wheels with almost new tires for $70, so I need to get my moneys worth out of them :p
With the Aspire swap the rear sits up pretty high and the fenders have already been rolled a bit, so there's no problem with fender clearance.

Jess, you could maybe grind some of the spring perch away in the area where it rubs, and re-paint?

Thanks Dan.. also had that suggested by another member so I will try and shave a little off and see if it solves the problem before I go the spacer route.

[TominMO]

Those will help the tires not to rub the struts, but they will be more likely to hit your fenders. You'll want to roll your fenders for sure. That is a lot of tire to fit under a Festiva.

YOU NEED THESE

@ 1990new:
Do you have rear Festy struts or Aspire ones? On mine, I have the Aspire Monroes for the higher spring perch, and didn't need spacers when running 185/60x14 (22.74" diameter, 7.28" width). When I switched to 175/65x14s (22.96" diameter, 6.89" width), I needed a 6mm spacer on one side and two spacers, 6mm and 3mm, on the other side to prevent rubbing. Even tho the 175s were narrower, the fact that they were taller made the difference. I would strongly recommend getting 1.75" long studs, and at least 6mm of spacing per side for those 175s. Having studs is just way more convenient, and even more so with spacers. Red Loc-tite to hold 'em in.

BTW with both sets of tires, I have had no fender-rubbing issues. The narrower 175 + spacer pretty much just made it the same width as the 185s without.

Studs:

http://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Automotive-77737L-Wheel-Studs/dp/B002809YG6/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_text_z

You won't need studs this long for the front, so there I would recommend part #77737S, which are 1.5" long.

Here's the exact same tires as Advancedynamix recommended, but at tires-easy.com, $30 cheaper (assuming the shipping cost is the same to your location). I have consistently had good service from this site, buying three sets of tires.
http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&cart_id=2227009.135.3723&Breite= 165&Quer=50&Felge=14&Speed=&LoadRange=&kategorie=6 &Marke=&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=Passenger&x_tyre_for=&r smFahrzeugart=PKW&search_tool=standard&Label=F-C-70-2&details=Ordern&typ=D-117676

[Advancedynamix]

Here's the exact same tires as Advancedynamix recommended, but at tires-easy.com, $30 cheaper (assuming the shipping cost is the same to your location). I have consistently had good service from this site, buying three sets of tires.
http://www.tires-easy.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?dsco=135&cart_id=2227009.135.3723&Breite= 165&Quer=50&Felge=14&Speed=&LoadRange=&kategorie=6 &Marke=&ranzahl=4&tyre_for=Passenger&x_tyre_for=&r smFahrzeugart=PKW&search_tool=standard&Label=F-C-70-2&details=Ordern&typ=D-117676

I'm very happy to hear that Tom has had good luck with them, and I seem to be the only unhappy customer, but Tires Easy ripped me off the first time I bought from them. I posted a thread here.
The total price equals out with the eBay seller because they have free shipping. To me, the ebay seller was 1.50 more expensive for all 4 tires. But I have double protection, and don't have to deal with Tires Easy, who have horrible customer refund policies. I've gotten my tires extremely fast and they've always been exactly what I wanted every time from the eBay sellers (who mostly just drop ship from the same warehouses).

[TominMO]

Charlie, the tires-easy tires are still $30 cheaper. $181 with shipping, vs. $210 with free shipping. All my purchases with them have been after your thread, so maybe they have shaped up since then.

[Advancedynamix]

Shipping was more expensive to me on their site and they try to charge tax and other fees. That might be some AZ legislation because Discount tire is practically a monopoly here, but I never get charged extra fees from other online tire stores, so I'm not sure. Also, my problems were mostly due to the fact that they didn't have the tires they sold, and I guess the system for refunds is not as efficient as the system for taking payment. I don't trust that company after having to resolve a problem with them. Did they charge you extra fees and tax?

[TominMO]

Shipping was more expensive to me on their site and they try to charge tax and other fees. That might be some AZ legislation because Discount tire is practically a monopoly here, but I never get charged extra fees from other online tire stores, so I'm not sure. Also, my problems were mostly due to the fact that they didn't have the tires they sold, and I guess the system for refunds is not as efficient as the system for taking payment. I don't trust that company after having to resolve a problem with them. Did they charge you extra fees and tax?

No, I just paid the tire price and shipping, nothing extra. Never had to return an item, so I have no experience with them on that end.

[1990new]

Thanks every for the tire source info and your experiences with sellers. It's good to know.

One big eye opener was that I found out that the Miata wheels with the 185/60 R14 tires are backspaced 10mm more that the Kia and Escort wheels I was using with the 175/65 R14's (positive offset is greater).
So even though there was a slight decrease in tire diameter (height), in addition to the 10 mm increase in tire width, this increase in offset in effect moved the wheels even closer to the suspension.
I also read up on the Miata wheels and discovered the ones if have are the most rare semi-hollow-spoke ones that came on the 94 automatics.

So, at this point, I'm thinking I may just about be ready to put the 175/65 R14's back on Trixie and sell the Miatas.

Here is a link that I found some very helpful information about wheel offset, how to measure it and how changes in wheel size affects suspension and handling.
This is specifically talking about Honda but its relative.
http://www.superstreetonline.com/how-to/wheels-tires/htup-0807-honda-wheel-offset-guide-faq-tips-biggest-lip-wheel/

[1990new]

No Spacers Needed Now

The new tires that Advancedynamix recommended that I get for my Miata wheels (165/55 14's) arrived today (were not due to arrive until next Tuesday but came all the way from the West Coast in 4 days).
I ended up getting them thru ebay from onlinetires.com. You can order them via their web site but I got them a little cheaper by ordering them thru ebay.
Paid $206 total for 4 delivered to my house.
I got them mounted and balanced this afternoon and installed them on Trixie a little while ago. Drove about 12 miles on them reaching a top speed of 60 today.
The handling is definitely better with these than it was with the 185/60 14's and there are zero issues with rubbing anywhere. Steering seems more precise and it
remains centered better when driving straight. Cornering seems to be a little better too..and I like the looks of them.
As for the ride, I really cant tell much difference. The suspension is still stiff but it rides a little softer with a passenger in the car. Not a big deal in any case.

After looking at the picture it appears that my next project will be to paint the drums, rotors and calipers. The rust color doesn't look so good behind those great looking Miata wheels.

Thanks Charlie for steering me in the right direction ty1

[Advancedynamix]

No Spacers Needed Now

The new tires that Advancedynamix recommended that I get for my Miata wheels (165/55 14's) arrived today (were not due to arrive until next Tuesday but came all the way from the West Coast in 4 days).
Thanks Charlie for steering me in the right direction ty1

I'm glad to help Jess. Trixie looks sharp with the new shoes!