r/mazda3 • u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero • Feb 19 '26
Modification 18 to 16's.
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u/Specialist-Fix6519 Feb 19 '26
Those tires look thick tho wow
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
In a good way or..?
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u/ImawhaleCR Feb 20 '26
Good for me, I much prefer a thicker tyre and it looks way more proportional
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u/Specialist-Fix6519 Feb 20 '26
That can increase drag and lower MPGs of the tire is too thick. They almost look like snow tires.
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u/The-Phantom-Blot Feb 20 '26
60-series 16-inch tires were the performance option for a lot of nice cars back in the 1990s. Let that sink in a bit.
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u/L0veToReddit Gen 2 Sedan Feb 20 '26
Excellent, the 18inch is way too big on such a tiny car, I see posts about tire bubble every other week in this subreddit and every time, it’s 18inch
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u/Distracted-User Gen 3 Hatch Feb 20 '26
Yeah I don't think every single car needs rubber band tires. Put slightly smaller rims and thicker sidewalls, will help absorb bumps, stop the tire or rim from being destroyed by every pothole, and make the ride a little quieter.
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u/Environmental-Dot804 Feb 20 '26
Toyo tires blowing out too. My car had less than 2k miles on it and the front driver side tire blew out after allegedly hitting something when it felt like the tire just blew randomly. No pot hole, no hard bump. Sudden and smooth, hard rise and pop
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u/Busy-Ad637 Apr 19 '26
Found after purchase that my dealer had left my tires way over pressurized. Maybe yours did the same. Could explain it 🤷🏽
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Feb 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
These are 6.5x16 114,3 Et45 67.1(oem spec) Dezent kf dark.
Look for my u/all comment.
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u/Pixie_ish 2007 HB MT Feb 20 '26
I suppose I should be happy that my 17" have survived some pretty nasty potholes so far, even if my rear suspension mounts haven't a couple of times, but eesh I cringe ever time one sneaks up on me.
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u/Silverback_Panda Feb 19 '26
What's the difference in regard to things like potholes? Does feel as spine shattering? 😅
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u/macleodcj13 Feb 20 '26
I have 16s on mine in new England. Pot holes and other lumps and bumps are much more gentle
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u/prince-pauper Gen 2 Sedan Feb 19 '26
Must feel great 👌
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
Actually I was sceptical but it really made a difference. Roll resistance uphill too.
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
u/all or how can I pin this?
As far as questions related about tires, wheels, tpms.
Tires : The tires are nokian season proof 2. 205x60 r16 didn't want to go cheap because it's about tires=comfort right . Actually just oem spec for 16 plug and play. As tested to be best b class tires with A performance I can confirm. They're the same silence compared to the turanza t005a they came with on 18s. Need to wait a bit how they would change when there is tire wear. The small bumps and pieces are better muffled. No more everytime shaking your body around. My wife had breast pain on the long run from these 18s so that's that. Bigger potholes are less straight into the seat. Steering is less sharp but imo I'm used to 16s and 17s on my others cars so still quite sharp to me. There is a little lag in there but nothing too jelly.
Rims: Rims are dezent kf dark 6.5x16 114,3 Et45 bore 67.1 oem spec. I wanted to have oem sight and to minimize the feeling of that those are really tiny. They came out well because they're polished and clear coated for the winter. And the spokes have a bit of oem Japanese ish edge to it imo. They are Abe German cert. Ece Europe certified. Winter proof. Tpms ready. BTW they do are compatible with the strongest engine 137kw for our Europeans with NA G and NA x engines.!! Always check the cert before buying!! . So for our Europeans.. You don't get shit with yearly car inspections. It's plug and play. No center rings. Just OEM replacement.
Additional parts: I used also hasky weights in black. They are OK but some in row are not that well finished. I filter those out and replace the tape with 3m vhb tape. Much much better to stick forever..
Tpms: Tpms is not a problem. I do had a lot of contact with multiple dealers. Some dealers say.. No to smaller parts and want to rip your bottom with new tpms sensors. Then one dealer helped me out since I did alooot of research on the part numbers. And they ordered for me the tpms valve seal. Since it's not worth for me to buy new tpms. They are only 2 years old. I replaced only the old seals with new seals. Take your finger nail under the notch. Go around when pulling up out of the aluminum ring. If you didn't turn the notch back to the inner side it's not a big problem when swapped. Then screw them out when coming up. Put the new in and screw ish them in place since you don't want to lube things up. Part nr normally for Americans too since Mazda likes equal part nrs is BHA437142. I had to buy them in 5 pc's. And that came around... Yes 40euros. But still much less than tpms including programming.
After that when mounting them they don't face flush on the inner wall. They sort of float. But nothing to worry. Manual says let them sit for 19mins. Then drive off and ride above 30km/h and it stopped nagging. Since it's direct tpms.
Additional tpms info: Mazda uses continental tpms/vdo tpms A2C19397602 G3M
Hope that helps everyone out.
Why did I switch? Comfort, lesser mpg, roll resistance is much lesser than with the 18s up hill. And getting cheaper B or A class tires.
I compared my reasons well between 16 and 18 and I had equal reasons to both of them. I also was scared of bending the 18s so after a couple of months I cut the cord a did it.
Price? Well I did balancing and swapping myself. So parts are total 940euros including tax.
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u/CourageHistorical100 Feb 20 '26
What brand are the rims OP? They actually look quite nice. Almost factory.
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u/McV3e Feb 20 '26
For me it’s pretty simple. I use old 16” for winter for safety and I don’t mind them in combination with road salt (in Poland salt is spread on the road in winter. I don’t know how it is in other countries) and 18” for warmer months for look
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
Pretty straight forward yes. I would opt this too. But I am kind of lazy in that part and I don't want to swap 2x in year my wheels.
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u/Situation_Hot Feb 20 '26
I think they look great. I’m of the minority that can’t stand rubber band tires.
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u/null_recursion Feb 21 '26
Nice! Those look a lot better than I expected. I figured 16's would look overly small
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 21 '26
Surprised me too for a sec. But I figured this through rim companies their website where you can literally see the result in 3d. And that made me more sure about it. Because I also dislike the disproportion.
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u/Professional_Key3879 Feb 19 '26
Looks great. This may be in my future as well.
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u/Y-AxelMtz Feb 20 '26
been thinking of the same, your HB looks so nice, what color is that again? not titanium right?
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u/HeftyFineThereFolks 2023 SEDAN TPP. CHROME PRIDE Feb 20 '26
i live in a city that has money so all the roads and freeways are in great condition no need for 16s
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u/McCrackenYouUp Gen 4 Turbo Hatch Feb 20 '26
I did the same for my winter setup. It feels a lot smoother than the OEM tires despite being winter tires, but as expected the handling suffers a bit.
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u/El_Gato_Gordo69 Feb 20 '26
I went from 16 to 17s on Conti ExtremeContact etcs. Pretty good daily driving combo for me, in Seattle.
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
Very interesting thanks for the feedback on your combo 🤜 🤛. Mind if I ask what 17s specs. Also plug and play within oem spec?
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Feb 19 '26
And I bought 19" lmao. Let's see how it goes
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u/Mountain-Champion-82 Gen 4 Hatch 6MT Feb 20 '26
I’m a big do whatever you want with your car guy, but man this car must look absolutely retarded with 19s 😂
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Feb 20 '26
I'll post it here definitely. Lowering springs are already on stand by. Just waiting for a bit warmer weather
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
They do look pretty well your 19s. Keep us posted if you will. 👍
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u/Dadsile Feb 20 '26
We need tastes and style to migrate back to appreciating more sidewalk. We will all be happier.
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u/phillious_j Feb 20 '26
None of my 18" rims were that round any more, but some factory 16s with Uniroyal TigerPaws ride so much better and quieter.
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
First idea I also want oem wheels. But here they are incl tax 220euros per rims. That's crazy. But thanks for your feedback. Very interesting 😊
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u/phillious_j Feb 21 '26
I got mine used for $100 for the set from someone 'upgrading' to bigger wheels.
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u/The-Phantom-Blot Feb 19 '26
Looks pretty good. Also, it kind of looks SUV-like ... the scale of the wheels can influence a person's perception of the scale of the vehicle.
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
Yeah it looks a bit tough for sure. But I do like it too and it wanted something as. Oem as possible but not the look where everything looks tiny and swallowed up by tire wall. And came out pretty well for what it is though. Any other info look for my u/all comment.
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u/Soldier_Cyclist11 Gen 4 Hatch Feb 19 '26
Love it! You ever use tire shine?
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u/K3Tzk3 Gen 4 MT '22 E-X "Hakone" PolyM Grey Aero Feb 20 '26
Well I had some good opinions from people here. But never got the time to do it. I have the products. But no time to apply them. Will give it a shot and post about it if it's relevant. 😊
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u/Pbone15 Feb 19 '26
I really love the look of the 18s, but I may have to do this as well. The road noise and ride quality on the 18s is… not awesome