Hey guys,

I've finally decided it's time to get some nice rims on my magna. (AMC members in WA might be breathing a sigh of relief because it means my chrome hubcaps will no longer disgrace the club :P)

I've been trawling through various rim websites, and visited a few places (Ian Diffen, Bob Jane and Tyrepower) who all told me conflicting things about legalities and tyre quality etc, so I was hoping you guys could help me figure out what is correct.

These are the rims I'm 99% sure I want:
ANZ Nitro's http://www.ttf.com.au/wheels/old/wheels135.html

I was leaning towards 17's but Harty has since persuaded me to consider 18's. The 17x7 nitro's have an offset of +48 (a stock magna has an offset of +46?) which I've been told is ok by a guy at Ian Diffen but not ok by the people at Bob Jane. Would the offset of the 18x8 nitro's be the same?

Some other rims I was considering are:

ANZ Predator's http://www.ttf.com.au/wheels/old/wheels061.html (17x7, 18x7.5 and 18x8.5)
ANZ Renegade http://www.ttf.com.au/wheels/old/wheels062.html (but they only come in 19's)
ANZ Taser's http://www.ttf.com.au/wheels/old/wheels063.html (17x7, 18x8)
RJR Vouge's http://www.bobjane.com.au/Wheels/PublicImages/wg8032527.jpg
RJR Tremor's (similar to the Taser's) http://www.bobjane.com.au/Wheels/PublicImages/ence861.jpg

So... any opinions on whether the Nitro's would suit my car? I have a 96 Madeira Red (burgandy) sedan (in the pic below mine is the car in the front... that's Hlucin8's ride behind mine)
http://profile.imageshack.us/user/benners/images/detail/#407/p1020472jv8.jpg

Apart from wheel offset, what other wheel or tyre specs should I find out before I buy them? Does anyone know if Accelera brand tyres are any good? I was given a quote of $149 per 225/45/17 Accelera's to go on the 17" Nitros from Ian Diffen.

Any suggestions and comments are appreciated :D

i would go the ANZ nitro's :)
i reckon they'll wuit your car nicely
then once lowered it would set it off completely
and it'll look much better then the chrome hubcaps you have :P
if your gonna go 18x8 the offset would need to be around +38 or there abouts
i would show you mine but then that means i wont be the only one with them on a magna in WA :P

this site will tell you what size tyre you need: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
and you need to make sure you can get that tyre with a 94 or above load rating

i like the Regegades, the 5 spokers never look bad, but the bigger you go the better they get ! :D

I like the Nitros and then the Tasers :cool:

Regarding the offset, on my old TH I had ROH wheels 17x8 with an offset of either 35 or 38 & I had no troubles with them. The car was involved in a minor accident whilst I had those rims which was claimed thru my insurance which was no problem either.

Just a question mate.
Why are you sticking to 17"s? On 3rd gens they look like 16"s really..
If its the whole $$ thing which is tieing you up you can find 2nd hand 19"s with rubber for under $1000, a cheap way to pimp your ride even if they wont be THEE rims you want, just a suggestion

Thanks for the replies so far guys. It's hard to find tyres with load ratings of over 95 (it says 95 on my tyre placard). After rims, I'm definately getting it lowered... thinking just Lows atm but I'll probably change my mind.

tufftr - it's not really the $$$, I was originally worried about keeping it legal, but now I don't mind the idea of getting 18's. I've heard that the larger you go, the worse the handling/driving gets so I don't think I'll get anything bigger than 18's. Just gotta wait for my tax return :D Oh, and where can I find second hand rims?

for second hand rims try mr mag
www.mrmag.com.au

ive got 18 by 7.5 with 235s the ride is comfortable my ins. companys happy.17s look a bit small on 3rd gens

Didn't you know, rims have been added to the list of thing to NOT put on a magna lol

I'd go to 18's if you can, after that though, you pay a lot more, doesnt look all that much better and the ride gets bumpier.

I like the wheels on that Calibra though. I'd try and negotiate to maybe pay a lil extra and get tyres of your choice, the tyres that come with wheel and tyre choices are pretty much always very crappy quality tyres with a brand most people have never heard of. I also bet that if you rang to get some new tyres they would be talking you out of getting the tyres that come with their wheel packages...

Also good to see you got lowering planned, once you get bigger wheels on it always make the wheelarch gaps look bigger. :doubt:

Ollie

this site will tell you what size tyre you need: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html


I was just playing with this.. my stock tyres are 205/65/15, but in comparison to say 225/45/17's the circumferences are different. How will this effect my speedo? And is it possible to change rim size and keep tyre circumference exactly the same?

the tyre size that'll best suit your car would be 235/45/R17
which is better for you because these are a common size so you should be able to get some cheap :)
thats if your going for 17's ;)

but if your going for 18's then you'll need 235/40/R18

the tyre size that'll best suit your car would be 235/45/R17
which is better for you because these are a common size so you should be able to get some cheap :)
thats if your going for 17's ;)

but if your going for 18's then you'll need 235/40/R18

thanks for that information... some of the "tyre experts" i went and talked to couldn't even tell me that :nuts: perhaps they didnt think i would care about proper tyres coz im a chick *shakes head* hehe as you can tell i wasnt very impressed with the service i got

can anyone recommend a good tyre/wheels shop in perth wa?

hay ciper i just got a set of 18x7 jet blacks from the tyre factory in melbourne
they look great not to many around with these they were $1400 with new tyres.
i'll get a photo on here soon. dare to be diffrent! noddy.

hay ciper i just got a set of 18x7 jet blacks from the tyre factory in melbourne
they look great not to many around with these they were $1400 with new tyres.
i'll get a photo on here soon. dare to be diffrent! noddy.

hi noddy, sounds good. initially i was only looking at black rims, but there aren't that many to choose from, and im not a fan of full chrome (ROH flares in chrome might be the exception ;)) the nitros are mainly black with chrome/silver accents. can't wait to see the pic of your new ones :D

thanks for that information... some of the "tyre experts" i went and talked to couldn't even tell me that :nuts: perhaps they didnt think i would care about proper tyres coz im a chick *shakes head* hehe as you can tell i wasnt very impressed with the service i got

can anyone recommend a good tyre/wheels shop in perth wa?

haha some of the tyre guys have no idea
all they know what to do is change a tyre
that program helps alot, lets you know if the tyre guys know what they are talking about
when i got my rims i knew what size tyres i needed, went to my local tyre shop said what i wanted, went back the next day and they were spot on
i always go to these guys as they are very helpful and cheap
but they might be abit far seeing as your NOR

muahaha i know how to change a tyre... did it myself a couple of weeks ago, but geez they are deceptively heavy!!

hmm i wouldnt mind driving SOR for good quality service, where abouts are they?

hi ciper the jet blacks are manley black but with a machine face they look pretty cool
cheers noddy.

they are in spearwood
a stones throw away from me
probuley one massive hike for you
if you like i can get some prices for you to save you the drive?

they are in spearwood
a stones throw away from me
probuley one massive hike for you
if you like i can get some prices for you to save you the drive?

Hmm spearwood ay, well I'll decide on the rims first and then if I need a second opinion on the tyres I'll give you a shout. Thanks for the offer :D

oh they do rims too
main brands they recommend are speedy, ROH and CSA
but im pretty sure they do others

Hmm spearwood ay, well I'll decide on the rims first and then if I need a second opinion on the tyres I'll give you a shout. Thanks for the offer :D
Throw up a wanted to see what offers you can get.
I scored my 19" rims with tyres for $900.
M4DDOG only paid like $600 for his 19"s with tyres, I guess i think of it as, If I save money here, I can then spend money there etc.

ahhhhh good news!! i'm getting the 18" nitros put on my car tomorrow :D

ok, ive got a couple of questions - the tyres im getting in the package are called "forenza's" (or something that sounds like that) they are 235/40/18's. has anyone heard of them?? im slightly worried about the load rating on these because the guy from the tyre place was being a bit elusive about telling me "oh dont worry, you wont be carrying extra weight anyway" hmmmm dodgy

EDIT: I just had the guy call me back - the tyres have a load rating of 95 SWEET!! And I'm all booked in for tomorrow morning :D :D (its normal to be insanely excited about getting rims, right? :P)

the offset for the 18's is apparently +48 also so that should be alright on a magna (stock offset is +46 right?)

the total package costs $1500 from ian diffen... does this sound alright for 18's? i got my tax return back last week so i can finally afford them :D yay

ahhhhh good news!! i'm getting the 18" nitros put on my car tomorrow :D

ok, ive got a couple of questions - the tyres im getting in the package are called "forenza's" (or something that sounds like that) they are 235/40/18's. has anyone heard of them?? im slightly worried about the load rating on these because the guy from the tyre place was being a bit elusive about telling me "oh dont worry, you wont be carrying extra weight anyway" hmmmm dodgy

EDIT: I just had the guy call me back - the tyres have a load rating of 95 SWEET!! And I'm all booked in for tomorrow morning :D :D (its normal to be insanely excited about getting rims, right? :P)

the offset for the 18's is apparently +48 also so that should be alright on a magna (stock offset is +46 right?)

the total package costs $1500 from ian diffen... does this sound alright for 18's? i got my tax return back last week so i can finally afford them yay

i haven't heard of the tyres i got my 19" XHP jet blacks for $1850 with tyres :D

It took all morning but the rims are finally on :D

Here are a couple of pics:

nice,wheels suit the car

now it really needs lowering badly

hehe i know... the guy at the tyre shop was like "puhleeeeease lower it!!"

rims look the goods :)
is that gutter rash i can see? :P haha jk's

hehe i know... the guy at the tyre shop was like "puhleeeeease lower it!!"

so it's booked in for lowering?...

rims look the goods :)
is that gutter rash i can see? :P haha jk's

:roll: i gave curbs a wide berth today (much to the annoyance of people driving in the other lane... hehe jk) but one of the rims has what looks like a bit of chipping on it which i just noticed when i washed the car, perhaps it happened when they fitted the rims? dunno :doubt:


so it's booked in for lowering?...

nah not yet... one thing at a time :P

call now and tell them,it probably did happen when the tyre was installed.

nah its barely noticable... only if your right up close (like when buffing the rims) would you notice it

call now and tell them,it probably did happen when the tyre was installed.

its probuley abit late now that she has driven the car home
and also since she got them done this morning
if there nice they'll amit fault but they can turn it around and say its your fault

very nice job there nat, you have done quite a good job in choosing them. so whats next on the cards, oh and i thought you said you werent going to modify your car, lol. door trims, mags, i think you lied :)

mike

yer that's why i said call them straight away because the longer you leave it the less chance you have of them fixing it,but if it dosn't bother you then don't worry about it.

so nat have you noticed the diffrence in handling?

nope, no difference whatsoever! i was really suprised since i was expecting a big difference in ride and handling.


very nice job there nat, you have done quite a good job in choosing them. so whats next on the cards, oh and i thought you said you werent going to modify your car, lol. door trims, mags, i think you lied :)

mike

well harty kinda covinced me otherwise by putting the new door trims in my car. its amazing, once you change one thing it makes you wanna change everything :D

next up is just a few small things like removing the tow bar, tinting the side indicarors, debadging, chrome exhaust pipes etc... i should be looking at lowering in a month or so, and colour coding the skirts/stripes and mirrors

nice choice of rims.now like me you need some kings lows or similar.

and so it begins :badgrin:

nice choice of rims.now like me you need some kings lows or similar.

thanks :D at the moment i only want to go down to lows all round (not superlows) but knowing me i'll probably change my mind

you wouldnt really notice any difference because your still on stock suspension
wait until you lower it then you'll notice the difference ;)

good call kid

and so it begins :badgrin:

hehehehe yup :D


you wouldnt really notice any difference because your still on stock suspension
wait until you lower it then you'll notice the difference ;)

perhaps its coz they felt the need to do wheel alignments for the front and rear wheels. i didnt really know if it was necessary but they offered me a discount so i just went along with it lol

it was kinda embarassing when i was trying to pay for it all on my eftpos card - it kept declining even though i had checked that there was enough in my account. turns out you can only withdraw $800 a day with an eftpos card :nuts: but the tyre guys were nice enough to let me take the car to the nearest bank to withdraw cash (zomg i had to paralell park infront of the bank... i think i left about half a metre clearance between my rims and the curb hehehe)

i didnt end up getting the lock nuts (they were an extra $50) coz the nuts on the nitros are quite deeply set which apparently makes it hard to get at normally, let alone with a lock nut key.

it was kinda embarassing when i was trying to pay for it all on my eftpos card - it kept declining even though i had checked that there was enough in my account. turns out you can only withdraw $800 a day with an eftpos card

limit is 1000 isnt it. though if you go to your bank you can change it. which is what i did since i dont have (and dont plan to have) a credit card and carrying large amounts of cash is not wise.
so what did you spend the other 200 on:P

err i spent the other $772 on the rest of the rims/tyres and two wheel alignments :P
it came to $1572 all together

what i meant was. as most of the time you allowed 1000 on eftpos means you must have already spent 200 before you went. unless your limit is actually only 800 which i havent heard of before
... surprise for you tomorrow also.
if i get round to going

oh right, i dont think i spent $200 at the shops while i was waiting for them to finish... they took 4 hours in the end :doubt:

hang on... did you say suprise?? :D youre actually comin to a cruise again??!

it's only a few banks that let you take out 800 bucks at a time
i think im only alloud to take out $800

wait, they took 4 hours to put on your rims? :confused:
shouldnt take that long,
when i got mine they were sitting in the workshop waiting to be fitted to my car
pretty much drive in, drive out
maybe there for 30mins or so

well i was expecting maybe two hours at the most. i dropped the car off at 8.30 and they said theyde call me in a couple of hours so i wandered over to lakeside (in joondalup) to pass the time in the shops. by 12.30 ide gotten sick of waiting (and had probably spent enough on shopping) so i called them and the guy was like "oh yep, all ready" :doubt:

Looking sweeeeet :D:D:D

I'll lower it for you...just give me an hour and a hacksaw hahahahahahaha


(Paulie takes no responsibility for any damages that WILL occur after this proceedure.):cool: :cool:

I'll lower it for you...just give me an hour and a hacksaw hahahahahahaha


(Paulie takes no responsibility for any damages that WILL occur after this proceedure.):cool: :cool:

>rolls eyes< ive already had a very nice offers from harty and reup gang to help me lower it properly, but ill keep you in mind ofcourse :P

in the meantime... i know it needs lowering guys, stop reminding me!!!



couldn't resist adding a couple more pics. please pretend that HUGE dent in the guard isnt there ;)

lookin flash nat. good choice on wheels

Nice wheels, they suit the curves of the 3rd gen's nicely :P

Cmon though, you can't tell us you don't want it sitting this low:
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r161/rhys_fairall/AMC/attachment.jpg
:D

hehehe thanks for the chop lugo :D

im thinkin of getting loowering done next week :shock: :D

hehehe thanks for the chop lugo :D

im thinkin of getting loowering done next week :shock: :D

OMG the influence this club has on you is over welming lol

snaps please lol

mike

Lower it for sure!!!!!!

they remind me of the ones adrian has (magnatron)

still not good as mine :P

and yes, lowering needed badly! or r u planning on going offroad? :P

Adrian isnt signed up on AMC as far as im aware.. so most people wont know him, unless they seen it on a Carnal Cruise

hehehe thanks for the chop lugo :D

im thinkin of getting loowering done next week :shock: :D

where? dnt pay for installation we got you covered kid lol

where? dnt pay for installation we got you covered kid lol


thanks jesse :D i didnt end up getting it lowered this week. i rang a few places that do suspension stuff like pedders suspensions. they quoted me $650! :shock: the cheapest place i found was ian diffen/tyrepower for $500 but i dont think ide trust them

where should i buy the springs from?

send a email to phillcom rally
unless you know someone that works for repco or something?
also may be worth getting some new shocks too
you would be better off replacing the shocks when you get the springs done because it'll save you doing the job twice

send a email to phillcom rally
unless you know someone that works for repco or something?
also may be worth getting some new shocks too
you would be better off replacing the shocks when you get the springs done because it'll save you doing the job twice

Unless theres a budget to be worked with.. The stock shocks will do OK for another few months.

I have had stage 2 sportsryder suspension springs and stage 1's now for a couple of years with standard shocks with no problems.

i'd get the shocks changed as well
expect around $1000, fitted, for springs and shocks, plus u need a wheel alignment ($60ish)

She is slooowly getting sucked into the endless car modifying money pit lol

I'd go for some King 'low' springs, give you a nice drop, but will still be pretty comfy and and will be your best bet for handling, and you shouldnt have too many bottoming out / clearance / scrubbing issues. Its good to get some new shocks too, but you can probably live without them, and you can change them later if the budget doesnt strech. Go for KYB shocks if your going to change them, anything else is pretty rubbish except for Koni, but they are $$$

I put off lowering for a while, but once I got it done, wow it just looks wayyy better. Everytime I see old pics of my car un lowered im like :sick:

Ollie

plus u need a wheel alignment ($60ish)

gah! i just got all four realigned when the wheels were put on! ill probably just stick to stock shocks for the moment

I finally got around to contacting phillcom rally, and got a quote for $235 for kings or lovells (plus postage)... then I rang RPW in perth and the guy told me he can supply and install Lovells superlows on the front, lovells lows on the rear plus new KYB shock absorbers all round for $850.... I think im gonna go with RPW on this. Does that sound like a decent deal?

And does anyone have a pic of their car with this combo handy?

I dont know if your putting flares on in the future, but if you are dont go superlows, because im hitting my flares because of the width of the tyre over large bumps. when you speak to him next can you ask him how much for just the shocks?

thanks mike

That sounds like a pretty cheap price to me, I got a whiteline rear sway bar, camber bolts and some wheel balancing done as well at a pretty good workshop, but it was about $1500, so sounds like a deal.

Ollie

I dont know if your putting flares on in the future, but if you are dont go superlows, because im hitting my flares because of the width of the tyre over large bumps. when you speak to him next can you ask him how much for just the shocks?

thanks mike

thanks for the opinions guys, im pretty sure ill get them done through rpw now.

rpw or phillcom rally mike? and did you want installation too? how bout i just give you the number/email? :P

I put off lowering for a while, but once I got it done, wow it just looks wayyy better. Everytime I see old pics of my car un lowered im like :sick:

Ollie
ditto, best thing ive spent money on.

And does anyone have a pic of their car with this combo handy?

have a look at any ones car that has been lowered
will look roughly the same as that if they dont have flares
the shocks will just make the ride abit firmer

wotever you do, lower it or rent the space :bowrofl:

shush army guy, you have stock suspension too!

why is he puttin lovell sl in the front and low in the rear? that will look terrible, lovells make a sl for the rear. The king sl/l combo looks wedgy enough and the height difference between lovells is more isn't it?

umm i dunno, thats what he told me he would do...... is it not a valid combination?

As the front sits higher. if you go sl and l your car will sit flat. if you put sl all round the rear will be lower. my choice would be sl and l. thats what i used to have but with pedders springs.

thanks for the clarification mike

As the front sits higher. if you go sl and l your car will sit flat. if you put sl all round the rear will be lower. my choice would be sl and l. thats what i used to have but with pedders springs.

the car sit roughly flat stock
so if you were to lower it the same amount all round then it should stay flat yeah?
you'll be getting that combo because its what most people get
its also mainly to do with the superlow spring in the rear not sitting right when the shock is at full travel (rear of car jacked up)
the superlow/low combo will give you the wedge effect
if you want it even then compress the springs or go superlows ;)

the car suts flat stock, but the gap in the front wheel arch is bigger than the one in the back. people put sl/l combo in to even the wheel arch gap out, but then make it look like the back of their car is raised. nat just buy the springs and we'll put em in

sorry guys, i should of made myself more clear. by flat i ment the gaps between the tyres and the guards. equal all round. ill go back in my corner now. my bad.

jesse, i think ill get it done at rpw coz theyre including shocks in that deal and my shocks are almost dead.

ok so now you guys have just confused me more about the height of the sl/l combo. ill just get it done and see how it goes lol

ok if you get sl/l. the gapo between the tyre and the guard will be approximately the same. if you get sl/sl all round then the rear tyres will sit closer to the guard and a harder ride, although the car will sit flat. hope that clears it up.

when is all this happening??

not during september atleast! need to save enough first. i might get a comparison quote from WA suspensions first as ive heard that RPW can be kinda dodgy... has anyone had bad/good experiences with either?

you know my stories but the end result for me was good. so if your patient its all good.

if you wanna pay heaps then yeah go for WA suspensions
you could also try wilkensons suspension

or pedders!!!

hmm i dont think ill go with pedders... they gave me a quote of $650 for just the suspension. and thats with their own brand springs :confused:

... they gave me a quote of $650 for just the suspension. and thats with their own brand springs :confused:

Not much wrong with Pedders springs. They'll sit as low as Kings but the ride won't be as firm. Just depends if handling/looks or comfort/looks are what you're aiming for.

i have heard mainly good things about rpw, but apparently there is a long wait?

I just put Pedders SL's in the front of my car and I am a bit dissapointed as they don't feel as firm as other cars I have had with SL's in them.

i have heard mainly good things about rpw, but apparently there is a long wait?

the guy said it was atleast a week's wait once im ready to get them done

hmmmmm i just got two more quotes on lowering....

WA suspensions = lovells springs (super lows at front and sports lows on rear) plus KYB shocks = $1200

Pedders suspensions = pedders springs all round, plus new shocks all round = $1700 (700 for the springs and a grand for the shocks :shock:)

They all seem so overpriced compared to RPW which was $850 for lovells and kyb's :confused:

Do I need to replace the rear shock absorbers too or just the front ones?

hmmmmm i just got two more quotes on lowering....

WA suspensions = lovells springs (super lows at front and sports lows on rear) plus KYB shocks = $1200

Pedders suspensions = pedders springs all round, plus new shocks all round = $1700 (700 for the springs and a grand for the shocks :shock:)

They all seem so overpriced compared to RPW which was $850 for lovells and kyb's :confused:

Do I need to replace the rear shock absorbers too or just the front ones?

that pedders quote is the biggest rip of ive seen!

that quote is was too expensive i didn't pay a thing for my springs and shocks. but the guy that got them for me his dad works at a suspension place and the springs are worth $250 (king lows) and the shocks are $415 (kyb). there not that had to do your self either.

hmmmmm i just got two more quotes on lowering....

WA suspensions = lovells springs (super lows at front and sports lows on rear) plus KYB shocks = $1200

Pedders suspensions = pedders springs all round, plus new shocks all round = $1700 (700 for the springs and a grand for the shocks :shock:)

They all seem so overpriced compared to RPW which was $850 for lovells and kyb's :confused:

Do I need to replace the rear shock absorbers too or just the front ones?

RPW will just be replacing those items + wheel alignment. Pedders products are more expensive, not necessarily better. However, Pedders usually factor in bushes, bumpstops etc which most places won't do unless asked to.

It's worth asking RPW to do the same.

hmmmmm i just got two more quotes on lowering....

WA suspensions = lovells springs (super lows at front and sports lows on rear) plus KYB shocks = $1200

Pedders suspensions = pedders springs all round, plus new shocks all round = $1700 (700 for the springs and a grand for the shocks :shock:)

They all seem so overpriced compared to RPW which was $850 for lovells and kyb's :confused:

Do I need to replace the rear shock absorbers too or just the front ones?

WA suspensions love to charge, asked them a price to fit springs and it was about 400 bucks
you could try wilkensons suspension in bayswater, but there price may be similar to WA suspensions
pedders, wouldnt know much about them but they seem pricey
best bet would be RPW, or buy the springs and shocks off philcom rally and get one of the boys to help you fit them and go to a tyre place for an alignment
would be much cheaper
as for the shocks it either you replace all of them at once or leave them, no point doing the fronts just to only do the backs acouple or months later
but its up to you whether you replace them or not, but it would be better if you do ;)