NA 14" or 15" wheels?

[ozimax]

Thanks for all for recent advice on switching wheels on my NA.

I have found several sets of OEM wheels for sale this week. I spoke to a fellow in Sydney the other day. He has a set of NB 15" wheels/tyres. He wants too much for them but I may be able to trade my 18" setup and not be too much out of pocket.

There is another set of 14" wheels/tyres for sale in Brisbane. These are old/cheap with near new tyres. Are 14" tyres OK or is it better to pay a bit extra for 15"? Thanks.

EDIT: Apologies for the dumb questions, but as they say, the dumbest thing is not to ask the question at all.

[JBT]

Original standard size was 14". NB 15" suit the car really well.

[KevGoat]

Personal opinion ... but I still reckon the original 14" daisy wheel was the best looking of all the MX5 wheels.

I don't think there'd be a great deal of difference between 14" to 15" in comfort levels, but there appears a better choice of "grippy" tyres for 15's (not to say there's none for 14's).

The NB8A 10AE chromed/polished 15's were nice, but don't come up often.

Either the 14" daisy or 15" NB8A stock wheel look great painted.

[ozimax]

Personal opinion ... but I still reckon the original 14" daisy wheel was the best looking of all the MX5 wheels.

I don't think there'd be a great deal of difference between 14" to 15" in comfort levels, but there appears a better choice of "grippy" tyres for 15's (not to say there's none for 14's).

The NB8A 10AE chromed/polished 15's were nice, but don't come up often.

Either the 14" daisy or 15" NB8A stock wheel look great painted.

Thanks Kev. The 14" wheels have some corrosion but at around $150 (incl tyres) they're cheap. How easy is it to paint them and make them look reasonable?

[marty085]

I have a set of NA8 14" wheels, like the ones in this listing:
http://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtop ... 73&t=43860

[ozimax]

I have a set of NA8 14" wheels, like the ones in this listing:
http://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtop ... 73&t=43860

For sale?

[KevGoat]

How easy is it to paint them and make them look reasonable?

I was lucky, I had access to a mate's (Supercheap) sand blasting gear, so we sandblasted them and I took them to a local bloke who specialises in small spray jobs (cheaper than a standard spray shop). All up cost including replenishing my mate's sand and some other misc items plus the 2 Pak re-spray, laquered and hardened was only $200.

This was the end result:

[Jeo]

If you're only ever seeing street duties, 14's should be fine.
But do be aware that 14" tyre choices are getting narrower.

[ozimax]

How easy is it to paint them and make them look reasonable?

I was lucky, I had access to a mate's (Supercheap) sand blasting gear, so we sandblasted them and I took them to a local bloke who specialises in small spray jobs (cheaper than a standard spray shop). All up cost including replenishing my mate's sand and some other misc items plus the 2 Pak re-spray, laquered and hardened was only $200.

This was the end result:

These look great. I'm not sure how much corrosion is on the wheels in question but a sandblast would clean them up nicely I think. I have an old mate who is a panel beater who I think would spray them for me.

[93_Clubman]

I have a set of NA8 14" wheels, like the ones in this listing

For sale?

Yeah, from another post of Marty085's:

I also have a set of solid spokes that will be listed soon, with light to medium rash.

But do be aware that 14" tyre choices are getting narrower.

+1
Yeah, 14" good tyre choice is quite narrow. I've got to replace some 14" tyres on a non-MX5 in the near future, & I'm seriously considering getting non-MX5 15" rims.

Btw, if getting an set of MX5 14" or 15" rims that come with tyres, don't be tempted to use the old tyres if they're over 5 years old (based on the date on the tyre sidewall, ie WWYY) for anything but the short term, ie a few weeks. The rubber becomes harder with time, & regardless of how much tread, the grip correspondingly becomes less, especially in the wet.

The 15" rims on my NA8 have Michelin PP2 made in 2007, & while they have plenty of tread, the grip is noticeably less the last couple of years.

[ozimax]

I have a set of NA8 14" wheels, like the ones in this listing

For sale?

Yeah, from another post of Marty085's:

I also have a set of solid spokes that will be listed soon, with light to medium rash.

But do be aware that 14" tyre choices are getting narrower.

+1
Yeah, 14" good tyre choice is quite narrow. I've got to replace some 14" tyres on a non-MX5 in the near future, & I'm seriously considering getting non-MX5 15" rims.

Btw, if getting an set of MX5 14" or 15" rims that come with tyres, don't be tempted to use the old tyres if they're over 5 years old (based on the date on the tyre sidewall, ie WWYY) for anything but the short term, ie a few weeks. The rubber becomes harder with time, & regardless of how much tread, the grip correspondingly becomes less, especially in the wet.

The 15" rims on my NA8 have Michelin PP2 made in 2007, & while they have plenty of tread, the grip is noticeably less the last couple of years.

Thanks for that. I've never thought of that angle before. I think the tyres may be very old.

[marty085]

Yep, thanks Clubman, yeah mine are for sale but would probably have more gutter rash than the daisies you're looking at. I will get them out soon and take photos, I've been meaning to anyway.

[bruce]

Go 16" NB rims. They look nice.

[ozimax]

I have found and procured a nice set of 14" NB wheels/tyres. They seem to be in very good condition but can't be collected until Monday. I plan to replace the tyres ASAP.

Any advice on decent (but not too expensive) 14" tyres currently available in Australia will be appreciated. With thanks.

[KevGoat]

14" NB wheels? Are they OEM? NB's only came with 15's (NB8A), 16's on NB8B & 17's on the SE.