So, I've always felt the Catfish wheel/tire package was a little small. Not so much the wheel diameter, but the tire diameter. Thanks to the new ND Miata, we now have some rolling stock sitting around that's a bit taller. What do you think? Too big? What it needed all along?
Original street tire setup (225/45-15 on a 15x9)
Race rubber in the same size, but badly worn race rubber on the blue car.
ND wheels and tires (245/40-17 Rivals on a 17x9, in case you're wondering). And yes, they're shiny.
Ross413 wrote:
Yup. That works.
+1 I didn't care much for the Catfish - until now. Never realized it was the undersized wheels/tires that threw its whole proportions off.
Much better. Looks more "finished" now.
Shaun
HalfDork
3/15/16 7:15 p.m.
That bump in size really worked wonders on the wheel well lines and tire/body integration.
hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng
petegossett wrote:
Ross413 wrote:
Yup. That works.
+1 I didn't care much for the Catfish - until now. Never realized it was the undersized wheels/tires that threw its whole proportions off.
It's been bugging me for a while but I don't think anyone here else saw it. Glad you guys agree.
I agree, it looks better with the larger wheels.
The 17's look a little to big to me, but I see what you are saying about the 15's being too small. Maybe try a set of 16's? Also, I prefer the concave spoke shape of the wheels in the top picture.
NOW it has a proper race car look to it (and likely a little more forgiving at the limit).
Rodan
New Reader
3/16/16 1:04 a.m.
Keith Tanner wrote:
petegossett wrote:
Ross413 wrote:
Yup. That works.
+1 I didn't care much for the Catfish - until now. Never realized it was the undersized wheels/tires that threw its whole proportions off.
It's been bugging me for a while but I don't think anyone here else saw it. Glad you guys agree.
Definitely not just you...
The 17s look great. Big improvement, and looks perfect. 15s always looked wrong for the size of the wheel arches.
Gotta be honest, I thought we would be talking about getting "catfish'd" when buying rims/tires. Came for hours of laughs, left feeling stupid.
It looks great with the taller tire!
Man, that's a good looking car. Maybe someday I'll build one. When I stop being so cheap with my cars.
I'm still not a huge fan of its looks, but that is a huge improvement. In my eye it's gone from "basement build hideous" to merely "looks a little off."
I think part of it is that they look wider, better matching the outside edge of the wheel well. I hate the look of cars with fenders that hang out way over the tires on the sides.
Definitely an improvement, you should see if you can fit 18s on it with lower profile tires, that's the diameter with the best selection of performance tires after all.
I still think those Bangle sides spoil the look of the Catfish BTW...
This thing gets more interesting all the time.
