Mazdaspeed wheels
 

I heard that they gunmetal Mazdaspeed wheels that can be purchased at the dealership parts department are not compatible with TPMS. Is that correct?

That is correct

So do it yourself - I had a pair of steel-look Konigs on my old civic that I really liked, but wanted gunmetal but didn't have the budget at the time.

Basically, you need aircraft paint stripper, Gunmetal Rim/Wheel Paint, Rim/Wheel Clearcoat (all from Advance Auto Parts - don't go and buy generic spray paint from WalMart) and some sandpaper.

Strip the current paint off with the stripper, sand it nice and smooth, then do a bunch of light coats with the wheel paint (heavy coats look like ass, even if they don't run). Your last 2-3 coats should be the clear coat, again very light.

Final result will be a gunmetal rim that always looks "wet" because of the high-gloss finish (on a side note, I've never seen a powdercoated rim that held the gloss like painted ones do). The best part is, if you want to return the wheels to "stock," just repeat the process with the steel paint and call it a day :)

I have some pics of the process on my mac at home. If you guys want, I'll post 'em later tonight.

Or why do you want TMPS anyway? Just be sure to check tire pressure often.

Is it just me or is it kind of messed up that the Mazdaspeed guys would design and build a wheel that would not take the TPMS? I mean, i can understand the aftermarket not taking them into account when designing new wheels, but Mazdas own performance devision, it just doesnt make sense in my head.

i think it's b/c it's Mazda's motorsport division. you really wouldn't be using TPMS in a race application. that's just what i think.

i could see that, but i dont even think they use those wheels on any of the factory race cars.

TMPS is nice, but it you are really concerned about keeping tire pressure accurate, its easier to just buy a tire gauge and check it daily. That way you are always going to know EXACTLY what you are running.

I think that MazdaSpeed wheels are actually VOLK wheels anyway. VOLK provides wheels for many manufacturer tuneshops (Mazda - MazdaSpeed, Nissan - Nismo, Toyota - ???)

You lived without TPMS for a long time, so I am sure that you can live with it again.

As for painting your wheels gunmetal. Well it depends why you want the wheels. I want the MazdaSpeed wheels for the weight. If you want gunmetal for looks, then I'd hunt around someone like TireRack and just get some cheaper rims. You can even see what they might look like on your car.

If you are like me and color is slightly less on an issue (still important enough that you will go gunmetal instead of the slightly lighter gold) then you will happily lose the TPMS if you can also lose 5lbs per wheel. Seems like a fair trade.

I think for a lot of people it has more to do with the light coming on then actually having to check tire pressure. I simply put a small piece of black electrical tape over it, but some people would find this unsightly. Looks fine on my car.

Ditto to that. Or you could just leave your OEM wheels next to your car in the garage, mine seemed to check the pressure on those, which was perfect and voila! No light!

I thought I read where the sensors could be made to fit without too many problems. Did I dream that? Gunther Mazda had a fully decked out "Mazdaspeed RX-8" on the showroom floor when I bought my car, and it was for sale. Surely they didn't just sell it with the TPMS light on?

jds

quick question...
if you buy wheels that are not tmps compatable, will the light stay on in the dash? Or will just be nonfunctional, and stay off?

the light will stay on, because it doesnt detect teh sensors

FWIW, I was just on Tirerack the other day. There are at least one set of wheels for the 8 that show up as 16lbs. for 18s (not sure how much Mazdaspeeds weigh).

How much acceleration would you stand to gain by lightweight wheels like these? Noticeable?

mazdaspeed makes a mag wheel that weighs about that, but there are stupid expensive, plus you better not EVER hit anything with those or you will destroy em

Acceleration increase will be minimal - certainly not noticable with a butt dyno. The wheels will stick better to the roads and handling will be improved. All to do with unsprung weight. There are a heap of threads you can read up on about unsprung weight.

I seem to recall somebody once mention that all wheels from TireRack can have TPMS installed on them. Obviously check with them though.

Crash - can you recall which wheels they were selling that weighed 16lbs?

Prob SSR comps

Yeah, just found them on that site. For every ones info, they are $469. You can get the MazdaSpeed wheels from Mazda Sports Parts for $457. Approx same weight, Approx same price. Its gives you a bit more choice in color and design.

Linky

These are them. 16.8 for under 500 per wheel. Still ridiculous expensive. Ya I have seen plenty of unsprung weight trhreads on Miata.net. Just wondered if the difference between the stockers and these would net different results.

If it is for track days and such, the Kosei K1 TS in 17x8 is a great 16lb wheel at a good ($239) price. Tires also cost less in 17" sizes and they will accept the TPMS sensors.

mazdaspeed didn't design these wheels, RAYS wheel company did, they do all the manufacturers race team/brand parts such as STi, RalliArt, Mazdaspeed, Nismo, TRD, etc

yer dam right!

These wheels have been out longer than the 8 has, and they fit other applications, such as the RX-7, which doesn't have TPMS, so it makes perfect sense to me. ^_^