Hi all,

Does anyone have images of the standard (OEM Mazda) 14" 4-stud alloys for a BA 323?

Thee car specs are 14x5.5 JJ w/ 185/65R14 if I remember rightly.

In particular I'm looking at 1994 just for originality, but I guess anywhere 1994-98 is fine. I've seen some online (even has a 5th rim I think) with good tyres- only thing missing appears to be one hubcap. But I don't know whether they are correct for the model hence would like images for reference/comparison.

Can post the link if necessary and will try to contact the seller.

Thanks
Patrick.

Not as simple as it sounds!
There were loads of special editions and with several different designs of alloy, I can post a pic if you let me know which one, (if I have it).

As for the standard models (BA 1994 to 1996), only the 2.0 ZXi (V6) came with alloys (205/50 R16 87W).
The GL and GLX came with wheel covers on steels 175/70 R13 82H on the 1.5
and 185/65 R14 on the 1.8.
The LXi and GXi had wheel covers on steels 185/65 R14 86H.

Hi jinglebells,
Yes I though I'd noticed several slightly differing alloy versions. Lots of specials wouldn't surprise me.

I'm in Australia and we had different vehicle specs: min 14" steelies w/ hubcaps, 185/65R14, alloys (various designs ) available. 15" 195/55R15 if I remember rightly and I think you could get them in either 4-stud or 5-stud.

And all our engines were the 1.8 petrol or the 2.0 V6.

Some of the links to check out for images...

Here (I prefer these except for the 1 missing hub cap)
here's another, too far away and wrong size tyre a possibility.
And a third

Many thanks,
Patrick

Hi again Patrick,

I think those wheels in your links are more suited to the BJ model (1998 to 2003) not the BA.
I'll post some pictures later.

Here are the BJ wheels for the new shape model (from 1998 - 2003):-


and here are the ones you might want, for the BA (1994 - 1998) although these are a dealer upgrade as far as I know:

P.S. These are not my own pictures or my own cars.

Thanks jinglebells,

The correct ones (second pic) you posted was what I thought were correct too. There are a lot of aftermarket or incorrect ones in Oz unless they came with them standard e.g. V6.

In the meantime, I'll just have to keep an eye out and poke around yards, etc.

Otherwise would the first set I linked fit- offset ok, etc? At least they have some reasonable tyres fitted (better than my current ones).

Thanks,
Patrick

Hi Patrick,

The offset should be 45mm for both BA and BJ on 5.5 wheels, but I wouldn't like to guarantee it, it's quite critical if you get it wrong!

If you were in the UK I would also say you'd need to check the final drive ratio because they made 2 different ones (the sizes quoted a few posts ago give different rolling ratios) but maybe in Australia you should be ok if you never had the 1.5 over there. Do you know for sure what size wheels your car came with when it was new?

Also the aesthetics and "originality" are compromised if you fit BJ wheels to a BA, an "F" expert will go "Noooooooo".

Maybe someone else on here is good with tekky data, like offsets?

Hi again Patrick,

I've taken advice from a friend and it seems you should be ok if you check the offset, PCD and spigot size all match:-
Offset should be stamped on your current wheels (may say something like "ET45") and you can ask the seller of those good ones for a pic of the stamping on them;
PCD is the distance across the studs circle, same again measure your own and get the measurement from the seller, see if they are the same (they should both be 4-stud wheels, and about 4 inches)
Spigot size is the hole in the middle so it sits snugly on the disk/drum boss, (about 1.5 to 2 inches?), without that all the weight of the car is on the studs/bolts/nuts, not good.

I can understand your desire to get those BJ wheels whilst they're available, you never know when some genuine BA ones will pop up.

Good luck!

Typical and time correct (and widely used) alloys for Lantis in Europe are:

- MiM Type 1380 (1994 - 1996)
- MiM M1 (1996)

On BJ models Mazda switched to Enkei made alloys.

Do the following look correct- if so I'll ask for more info (e.g. PCD, offset, rim dia/width) just to confirm. Although they say they're off a protege, I assume Mazda were using similar/same rims across the models?



http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/geelong/wheels-tyres-rims/mazda-323-protege-tyres-and-rims-/1114322236

Thanks,

Patrick

These ugly buggers seem to be "Factory" as there's lots of them fitted !

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=1996+astina+dealer+photo&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj40KWAyIjNAhWiFqYKHaY2AeAQ_AUIBygB&biw=1120&bih=732#imgrc=_



_________________________________________________________________
Speed is subjective to only how far you keep your right foot down..

Hi all,

Firstly i should say thanks to all for their opinions and advice, especially to Rumpel for his detailed PEM period knowledge/correctness and jinglebells for the dimensions.

I have some queries below.

It's been a while, I've been doing quite a bit learning through internet searching! PCD, offset, centre bore, good brands, etc, etc. I'm rather new to this searching for car parts so my targeting is not that good yet. And always something's wrong- the offset, or PCD or etc...

But I've learnt the stats are: PCD is 4x100, the centre bore small at 54mm, offset +45, rims 14x5.5 w/ 185/65R14 or 15/6 w/ 195/55R15.

At least OEMs will fit properly. Missed the ones listed above chasing another car. None on internet recently. But today I went searching some wreckers online, and bingo! 2 in Sydney at the same site. Some from a 1994 (series one), the others from a 1995/6, series 2 listed today but mags possibly gone already (or at least one from the pics) which also has a white spoiler and possibly some floor mats. Links are below.
So my queries are:
1) Are the Series 1 and 2 mags identical? They look slightly different. Hard to tell from the photos I know.
2) Are the spoilers the same across series? In which case I might pick up the spoiler... or does it just block the rear view more?

Links are here, and as you can see, what writes a car off in Oz can be quite superficial by your standards:
Series 1 green
Series 2 white

Sometimes wish I cauld save 'em and ship 'em to you in UK/Europe... or better ship you out here, that way they remain rust free

Thanks,

Patrick

Same spoiler throughout & to save complications just put the whole hatch on rather than retrofit the spoiler !

_________________________________________________________________
Speed is subjective to only how far you keep your right foot down..

I have a set of 5 spokes as per the second picture. The last pic shows them with a different centre cap, but the wheel looks the same

Gordon, thanks that's a sensible suggestion.

Marc, thanks for the advice on the rims. I'll have to look closer when I get there. Unfortunately at least one rim is already missing from that vehicle. What I'm hoping is the ones on the series 1 (like mine) are correct and in good condition and with good tyres and still there come the weekend. Well I can hope, can't I?!!

Patrick

So I've been quietly looking for alloys for my BA. Unfortunately for omne reason (work) or another (also work) I've missed 3 or 4 sets; at least 2 have gone the same day (or with a couple of days) of listing. For some reason they're in demand, not I think for others' BAs, nor surely for recycling, but I assume 'cos they fit smaller cars and had roadworthy tyres.

Now some older MX-5 alloys have turned up locally. They're 4 stud (so is my BA), 15" like I want. I note the older MX-5 have 15x6", centrebore 54mm, PCD100, 4 stud, ET45... just like the BA I believe. Anything to be wary of?

I do note they have 195/50R15 whereas the BA specs 195/55R15... I'll deal with it (one way or another)!

I realise they may not be exactly period-correct for the pedants, but they're a start in the right direction- they're Mazda, they're close and they should be the same dimensions. And I'm sure they could be onsold afterwards if I find the right 'uns.

Here the link (& pic below) to have a look, what do people think?



Thanks,

Patrick

A good score!
Enkei wheels are the lightest stock rims in 15" size i believe.Correct me if i'm wrong.And they fit the Ba nicely.The size is not that big of a deal.Any tyre calculator on the internet will say that they are so close that there is no problem to use them.

Look good to me!
I haven't ever fitted MX5 wheels to my BA, but from the descriptions I'd say give it a try.
Enjoy.

Thanks guys. Had a reply back from the owner to some queries I posited and all seems OK...I'll let you know how it goes.

Patrick

I sometimes get the impression Someone (yes with a capital "S") is laughing at me...

When else will you find a correct spec OEM wheel (if not exact period pattern) in the suburb next to your vehicle at a reasonable price? The week your wife is away on a course and you have to go to work +look after your 5 y. o. so you can't go and inspect/buy them ASAP of course!

Well, Grrrr! I did the 3-hr drive to Sydney to find the wheels listed as sold when I got here. Nothing I can do, I can't just abandon work or my daughter.

I may have to can this, it takes too much time searching every night and that's several sets I've missed due to other commitments.

However, some light: there's another set on Ebay a bit further afield (Central coast: that's another hour up the road) that I may make a bid on. And have to do it without inspection. Last chance saloon, I reckon...

At least my daughter and I got to visit the relloes on the trip.

Patrick

Well, I won the Ebay auction...and at what I think is a good price too. See them here.

From the info on this miata.net page it seems they are MX5 '99-2002 Sport 5-spoke alloy 15x6" 40 offset 13.1 lb alloys.

Now all I have to do is organise payment and go collect 'em...at least to begin with! The tyres'll cost more than the rims...

Patrick

Well I got 'em! AUD$227.50 (about GBP142 or EUR158)

What a day- Took a trip from Canberra to Central Coast & back- ~4-4.5hrs each way. Even stopped at my parents' (where the 323 is stored) in Sydney on the way back to test a rim on the car- front wheel, on the ground and turned back and forth- it fits fine, no clearance issues! And that was all after after turning up to work in the morning. Got back ~1:30am, but needed a kip for at least 30 mins on the way, mgetting old! Though there was a pay-off during the trip apart from the wheels (see end)...

Alloys conditions
The alloys are in good condition- there's less rim rash on 'em than on my current vehicles. In fact they seem well looked after, came with all 4 hub caps (although one has broken plastic retainer bits). No dents and the only defect I can see is a possible 'flat spot' on one of the rims- yet no 'hit' mark so a bit strange.

Tyres fitted
They are also shod with semi-slicks, Federal FZ-201, which have been well used! There was melted rubber globs on the inner rims and also melted rubber pushed towards the outer edge on one or two. They are in reasonable condition, could be used for another session or two and would try use them on-road if they were legal.

Treadwear rating of 60 is quite funny...

Cleaning
So of course I set to cleaning them. I used Chemtech CT-18 to begin with which did a pretty good job. The inside rim areas are rather embedded with grime and/or weathering and didn't clean so well.

Next try was with Chemtech Mag wheel cleaner which is Oxalic Acid based. This didn't do much for the fronts as they were already clean, some small effect on the inners. This cleaner however performed wonders on grimed Mazda 3 followed by *really* grimed Forester wheels.

Then under the wings of a thunderstorm I tried CT18 again with a pressure cleaner to assist. Not much help again, the inners will need a better clean than that due to the weathering.

But at least I could see on the spoke inner recess, at least on one alloy, the "Enkei" and 15x6.5JJ ET40 marks.

Next stages
The next cleaning attempts may be some CLR on the inner, just to see if I can clean them. Also some tar/spot remover to see if I can get rid of the rubber marks.

And of course: pursue some good tyres at a good price!

Pics
The Federal FZ-201 semi-slicks...


A before and after cleaning (CT-18) alloy. The spoke surface marks are presumably rubber from where they were staked upon one another and/or transported in the back of the Forester.


Rim inner showing weathering


And all 4 cleaned up rather nicely!



Pay-off
Well I said I'd get back to it. the pay-off was I was able to pick up the wheels almost as soon as arriveing at the Central Coast at 4:30pm. Even better, West Gosford...at the turnoff to Ettalong Beach (you may remember my other beach photos with the 323). That left me time to get back down the beach on a balmy, still and cloudy (so no sunburn risk) afternoon for a swim, jog along the beach, another swim and dinner at the club overlooking the beach. Topped off by the sun coming around the clouds near sunset...


Excellent day!

Patrick

(P. S. Updated 19-02-17: Incorrectly named tyres, changed Falken to Federal. Oops! )

Done...finally fitted to the car!

Patrick

Well done Patrick, that looks perfect!

Thanks jinglebells!

Of course they're not quite perfect but it looks to me like these MX-5 wheels are a viable alternative. Good-old Mazda keep their parts consistent, using the same centre bores/PCDs/offsets (but +40 instead of ~+45 I think) across models made things easy. AS mentioned to maZZda elsewhere, they look better "in the flesh" at filling those large wheel arches.

The photo was taken in the semi-gloom; the changeover was a bit of a rush job as I was due for a BBQ and racing an incoming storm. I didn't even get time to clean 'em of the dirt smudges from the changeover.

The one caveat I have to fitting them is the wheel nut holes are quite deeply recessed so you can't reasonably put on the wheel nuts wearing work or gardening gloves. You need to use fingers or nitrile examination gloves.

Patrick