Applicable to: '90 - '97
TSW VX1 16x7 Chrome. Kuhmo Ecsta 711 205x40
They are very nice and SHINY. I would love to see the silver ones on my car as a comparison,but I got the chrome for the same price as the silver thanks to TiresNParts.com. I have 205x40 Kuhmo Ecsta 771's mounted on them. I noticed a slight loss of acceleration(probably due to the larger footprint) The tires stick like glue in cornering and find every imperfection in a straight line--only bad when the road is grated getting ready for resurfacing. The ride did not change a lot from my 14" Enkei's. They are slightly heavier with little effect and they are hubcentric which is nice.
I love the looks of these wheels. They totally changed the look to a meaner one. I did not lower the car,but they look like they fill up the wheel well more(even though it is the same circumference 185x60 14" to 205x40 16").
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
15" Aftermarket Wheels
I must say that many people on Miata.net have disparaged this wheel as being too heavy...and that may be so. However, I upgraded from 18lb steel wheels so the extra pound (The TSW's weigh in at 19 lbs) dosn't really bother me, though subjectively I do notice some slightly compromised acceleration.
I believe that the 15" size has been discontinued by TSW, however, most dealers still have a large number still in stock. I really like the clean lines of the Trophy and the rounded five spoke style complements the M2 so well that they look like they could be OEM (which was my goal).
Along with Yohohama AVS Intermediates these make a nice package. Recommended only to those upgrading from heavy steel wheels (thus you shouldn't notice the extra weight), and I would definately avoid any size bigger than 15" (though this may be difficult in the near future as the 15" has been discontinued)
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
five spoke alloy wheels finished in silver paint with clear coat. Trick-looking center cap is held on by annodized nut available in several colors.
I purchased my wheels with tires mounted and balanced from Moss Motors. Wheels/tires arrived in 5 days with no damage. My mechanic checked the balance of each tire (weights installed only on backside of rim) and found each to be within tolerance. My only complaints are that locking lug nuts won't fit under the center caps, and the lug wrench fit too loosely on the nuts. Some theft deterrence is offered by the fact that you need a giant plastic spanner (provided) to remove the nut holding on the center cap.
I think these wheels look fabulous on the car. (I wouldn't have bought them otherwise!) I initially thought that the RED annodized nuts for the center caps were a little "flashy", but friends and club members say they are "right on". The 15x7 size offers a noticeable improvement in grip without sacrificing ride qualilty. I honestly didn't research the offset because I figured that Moss wouldn't have them in their Miata catalog if the offset was wrong. Hopefully I didn't get burned. The over all fit and finish of the wheels is very good, and the appearance is awesome!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.6 liter
After gawking at these wheels for a good six months, I finally decided to jump at the chance once I had the money. Although initially I had worried somewhat about the difference in offset from the original wheels, (not to mention weight) Pete at PBC assured me that negative difference is very small. Besides, these wheels are drop dead gorgeous compared to the old Ultra wheels that were on my miata. Dont get me wrong, they were cool - back in '88.
Unfortunately the wheels were on back order for nearly a month, and I was in a bit of a rush since I had planned a 500 mile road trip with my girlfriend. Not to mention, the existing tires were showing some of the belting. After requesting a three day priority rush, they arrived the day before my trip.
The wheels arrived and they were everything I had hoped for, and they include everything you need. The next day I rushed to the local Les Schwab and had them install Falken ziex 502's in the 205 40r 16 size.
Once they lowered the car off of the jack stand I realized my miata was a copletely different beast! It now has a very muscular look, which is what the miata needs. I was worried that the tires would be squeeling everywhere since they wern't very expensive, But the tires still impress me to this day. I feel that the ride has improved dramatically. It just feels like your stuck to the road, and having stiffer sidewalls means there is less "drifting" in the corners than there used to be. The onle negative aspects would be slight wandering of the wheel under certain conditions, mainly breaking while going over bumps. This might be helped with new bushings however. I must say that the positives far outweigh the negatives. There seems to be no difference in excelleration either.
Get these wheels! Not only do they ride very well, but they also turn alot of heads. They just look correct. My roomate put it best, "now THAT is a roadster!"
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
In the word of my friend, these wheels were made for the Miata. They look excellent and have worked well, I have 195-50-15 tires onn their and the ride w/ the 15 inchers is almost the same as stock.
This particular TSW design first attracted me because of its similarity to the OEM '99 14 & 15-inch alloys, but I actually spent an entire year looking at other wheel designs before returning to the Trophy design. At 22 lbs, they are not lightweight, but I wanted a robust wheel that could deal with broken-up Connecticut roads. The painted silver finish was flawless, so much so that my local garage refused to mount tires on them--to their credit, they were sure they would scratch them and make me very unhappy. I was forced to call the Tire Rack for advice, and they put me on to a local Volvo tuner who had purchased one of their state-of-the-art mounting machines. The bulging, "muscular" design of the wheels greatly complements the more "muscular" design of the M2. With a coat of wax, brake dust doesn't seem to adhere , and the design is very easy to keep clean and shiny.
Although my car is not lowered, I was still very concerned about wheelwell rubbing with 215/40R16 tires, and I am happy to say that I have experienced absolutely no problem in this regard, even though the parking garage at my office is unusually tight to manuever in. While the ride is stiffer, the 215/40s provide enough sidewall height to absorb minor bumps. The grip is thrilling. On an undulating highway above 70 mph, however, you can definetly feel the shocks and springs working overtime to try to control the heavier weight of the wheels & tires. This is a distinctly unpleasant sensation, and erodes my confidence in the car's high-speed handling. The need for constant steering correction to keep the car centered in the lane I find to be very tiring.
While this 16" combination is terrific for bombing around on secondary roads, if your daily commute includes highway travel, or you enjoy long-distance touring, I would have to recommend that you look at wheels that may be less attractive, but are lighter in weight.
Alloy wheels from TSW with a more agressive feel then stocks.
With the recommended 195x50 tires, these just fit perfectly in my wheel wells - especially after installation of FM Springs. I opted for the blue center nut to go with my rally stripes ( also in blue ). The nut comes in a number of colors besides blue. The 65mpg shimmy is gone and freeway driving is much improved over stock wheels.
Appearance wise, I think these wheels were the best choice for my white '91. They're agressive with a touch of class.
5 Spoke Alloy Wheel 15x6.5"
High quality, relatively light weight for a 15" wheel with excellent hubcentric fit and great finish.
The plus one wheel bug has made it to rural Arizona too. I took the liberty of using the CEC wheel machine, Keith Tanner's wheel machine and browsing the Tire Rack and Discount Tire on-line catalogs. The TSW's were the ones that repeatedly looked the best. Major selling points were the German TUV rating, the smooth spokes, more convex than concave and the exposed lug holes. This is real important if you AutoX and are taking these things on and off a lot. The 195/50 Yokohamas work great, and acceleration wasn't sacrified like it would be with a 205/50 tire. Also there is no obnoxious rubbing or scraping going on. If you want to see a picture of these, check out the TSW web site.
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20 March, 2002 |