mx5cartalk.com

MSM/SE Racing Harts on an ND

http://www.mazda-speed.com/forum2/index.php/topic,32215.msg355142.html#msg355142

Ride height makes it look set to win the Paris-Dakar.



While the ND has grown on me visually, the wheel arches still havent.
They seem to dwarf whatever wheels are fitted and make the car look bulky.

I think these do look nice on the ND though, better than the OEM ones.
But I still think it looks like it's about to start bounding across the sand dunes.

Why does Mazda insist on making the MX-5 a 4WD and photoshopping the brochure pics so it looks the way it should?
The Racing Harts would look really good if it was lower.

hks_kansei wrote:While the ND has grown on me visually, the wheel arches still havent.
They seem to dwarf whatever wheels are fitted and make the car look bulky.

That's because it IS bulky...it's the widest MX-5 ever.

They look better on the ND than they do on the NB SE (my thoughts anyway)

JBT wrote:

hks_kansei wrote:While the ND has grown on me visually, the wheel arches still havent.
They seem to dwarf whatever wheels are fitted and make the car look bulky.

That's because it IS bulky...it's the widest MX-5 ever.

Not so much the width for me, more that the gap from the top of the arch to the top of the guard looks to have grown.
Combined with the flare for the arch starting at the very top of the guard it gives it a look of a long cone funneled down to a tiny little wheel arch.

charcoal wrote:They look better on the ND than they do on the NB SE (my thoughts anyway)

I'd agree. The NB bodywork was all curves and the straight spokes never suited it.

The ND like most modern cars are a mixture of curves and straight lines. Hence the SE wheel suiting more.

project.r.racing wrote:

charcoal wrote:They look better on the ND than they do on the NB SE (my thoughts anyway)

I'd agree. The NB bodywork was all curves and the straight spokes never suited it.

The ND like most modern cars are a mixture of curves and straight lines. Hence the SE wheel suiting more.

But what if...

Yeah! Finally someone has actually done it, I've seen photochops before but not a real fitment.

It actually looks better than I was expecting and the rims really suit the car.
The fender gap is the same with all wheels, and like previous generations, is frequently one of the first things changed......

In styling terms there has always appeared to be a sweet spot for rim size with different generations.
NA = 15"
NB = 16"
NC/ND = 17"

Interestingly there has so far really only been 17" rims offered for the ND in quantity for racing applications.
I've seen pictures of 15" rims fitted to the ND and, well..... It just looks plain silly!

Nevyn72 wrote:Interestingly there has so far really only been 17" rims offered for the ND in quantity for racing applications.
l:

Probably more to do with the 17inch tyre selection being better than 18inch
Especially in the relatively narrow sizing for the MX5

It looks good.
Lokiel, you know have a chance to offload your old rims to ND owners.

bruce wrote:It looks good.
Lokiel, you know have a chance to offload your old rims to ND owners.

Mine are LONG gone, sold them with virtually brand new Falken ZIEX 912 tyres for less than the cost of the tyres - absolutely NO regrets.

Works for me. Ride height is just a matter of personal preference.