The first modification I made to my miata, was a new set of wheels and tires. The stock 14″ daisy wheels, with worn out tires, made the car exciting to drive (read, 4 wheel drifting every corner).
Stock Miata Wheels
Here is a great resource for the different stock Miata wheels, with size and weight information.
https://www.miata.net/faq/wheel_weights.html
TL;DR: The main limiting factors will be the width of tire you can fit onto 5.5-6″ wide wheels and what brakes you can clear. Other than that, the wheel weights aren’t terrible for OEM wheels.
Factory OEM BBS Miata Wheels
BBS made two sets of forged wheels that came on limited edition and M edition Miatas in 1992, 1993, and 1995.
1992 & 1993 LE
1995 M
Best Wheels for your Miata
Which Size should you go for?
The NA and NB Miatas are all 4×100 bolt pattern wheels. The offset will depend on the wheel width. Good-Win Racing has excellent size recommendations.
15″ Miata Wheels
These will be the best overall size wheel for autocross / track days and racing in general. Most aftermarket 15″ wheels are designed to clear big brakes and you will have the largest selection of tires. You can typically find these in a range of widths from 7″ to 11″.
Anything over 9″ wide will likely require fender flares and/or other clearance modifications.
16″ Miata Wheels
16’s are great for aesthetic reasons, but will be slightly heavier and more expensive than the typical 15″ wheel. There are fewer tires available in the 16″ sizes, making track day rubber harder to find.
17″ Miata Wheels
Outside of fringe cases, these are not going to be used on most Miatas that are performance minded. They can look dang cool though!
Konig Miata Wheels
My first set of wheels were the Konig Hexaforms in 15×8 with a +25 offset. I went for the Matte Bronze color and couldn’t have been happier. These wheels, with 205/50-15 Continental Extremecontact Sport SL tires, did require some rolling of my fenders (I used this Eastwood tool).
My thoughts on this setup
These were a great street setup. I took the car to a few track days on this tire and found them to be a bit slower than other tires. They seemed to get quite greasy at the limit.
I played with tire pressures and suspension setup, but was always jealous of friends with more aggressive rubber.
These wheels were great for clearing my Wilwood big brake kit.
My wheels/tires were stolen one night, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to upgrade.
Will 15×9 fit on NA Miata with stock fenders?
To replace my wheel setup, I stayed with the same wheel model, but went to 15×9 with a +35 offset. This would allow me to go significantly wider with the tire and really maximize the chassis.
These have so far fit, without significant additional fender rolling.
For tires, I went with 225/45-15 Falken Azenis RT660 SL’s. The Falken tires are far more aggressive than the previous Continentals. I can’t wait to get them out on the track.
Wider Tires on a Miata
I was able to fit 225 wide tires on my miata without adding fender flares.. I don’t think I can go much wider without some sort of cutting / modification. For more options on fender flares / widebody, check out this post.
Enkei Miata Wheels
The RPF1 is a classic wheel in the import world and they look stunning on the Miata. Here is a setup from the Enkei blog: https://enkei.com/1994-mazda-miata-on-enkei-rpf1/
Like Wheels (personal favorite)
I first saw these on HalfPast3hree’s incredible Miata. I really love the look of these wheels that are designed specifically for the Miata.
RS Watanabe Miata Wheels
These are legendary Japanese racing wheels. The deep dish and beautiful spokes create an understated and refined look.
Work Miata Wheels
Work offers a selection of classic Japanese designs for Miatas.
Jongbloed Racing (spec miata) Wheels
Jongbloed makes strong and light racing wheels for Miatas. They also make wider wheels for non-spec classes (as wide as 15×11). Available from Good-Win Racing.
“Every day that I can work on my Miata, drive my Miata, or even think about my Miata is a good day.”
— Dylan Howell, Only Miata
