FB Marketplace is teasing me with an "almost" free set of Miata steelies. I think they are 14 inches, right? My NA would look kind of sweet on them after I cleaned them up, and powdercoated them a hyper silver or something. The question is what size tire should I run?
Just for the street . . I don't think the wheel is very wide at all.
Yup, NA miata steelies are 14" Typically they run 185/60 14 tires. Good luck though, you'll likely only have one or two tires options in that size.
Reason you wouldn't run them is because there is a gigantic aftermarket of Honda wheels with the same bolt pattern, that are better looking, lighter, and potentially wider. Also moving up to 15" wheels allows access to a much larger tire selection, as well as clearing most big brake kits
In the "pro" column, narrow all season tires make the miata fun in the same way the BRZ/FRS are fun
Put OEM sized tires on it so that you can enjoy the "limits" at normal speeds. (I honestly can't remember what that size is)
And I still have the steelies from my '95 I got LONG time ago. Rusty, as they have been winter tires from 1997 to 2014.
I'll throw my opinion in: steelies suck and don't belong on any vehicle, ever, if you even remotely care about a hint of performance.
Falken RT615K in 195/60 14 should be able to fit on a 5.5" wheel.
rslifkin said:I'll throw my opinion in: steelies suck and don't belong on any vehicle, ever, if you even remotely care about a hint of performance.
I absolutely hated the steelies that came with my 1990 Miata. I put on some 14" stock alloys from a '95 and everything got better. 5 lbs per corner makes a big difference.
In reply to rslifkin :
This is for Rad cred . . . I have plenty of performance options in the garage :)
I'm a bit of a steel wheel enthusiast/compulsive bander. I was just looking at a set of Miata steelies on marketplace last night thinking they would be pretty sweet widend out to 7.5 or 8 inches.
These are VW steelies I banded from 6" to 7.5"
Yeah, they are a bit heavy, but not every wheel needs to be an RPF1
Yep, I was right. They look pretty awesome at 8"
One other thought: That car was designed around a 185/60R14 tire.
Put them in attic for 20 years. They'll sell them. People are paying big dollars for original 240Z hubcaps.
Shoot - a dude gave me $25 for a '72 240Z spare tire rim.
Check out page 5 of Builds and Project Cars,
" Jerry's finally found the Answer. 1990 Miata". Check out his 10/7/2020 post. Those 3D Center caps look good on daisies, would look equally good on steelies.
RustBeltSherpa said:Check out page 5 of Builds and Project Cars,
" Jerry's finally found the Answer. 1990 Miata". Check out his 10/7/2020 post. Those 3D Center caps look good on daisies, would look equally good on steelies.
Ninja edit - the guy who made those 3D Center caps:
julius-woo@hotmail.com
I believe he lives in Columbus, Ohio.
rslifkin said:I'll throw my opinion in: steelies suck and don't belong on any vehicle, ever, if you even remotely care about a hint of performance.
Right... Because nothing fast has ever run steel wheels. 
Trent said:I'm a bit of a steel wheel enthusiast/compulsive bander. I was just looking at a set of Miata steelies on marketplace last night thinking they would be pretty sweet widend out to 7.5 or 8 inches.
These are VW steelies I banded from 6" to 7.5"
Yeah, they are a bit heavy, but not every wheel needs to be an RPF1
Yep, I was right. They look pretty awesome at 8"
That does look pretty awesome. What size tire is that?
(And you're going to make me put steelies on the Miata, aren't you?)
In reply to David S. Wallens :
The trucklet is sporting 185/55-14's.
No idea what the miata is rolling on. Just a random pic while searching "miata banded steels"
Is this banding of steel wheels a relatively easy skill to find? I hadn't considered widening them . . . but damn they look hot.
My NA is a bit like the old flat head hot rods. It represents what the "hot setup" was in early 2000 -- FM springs on KYBs, with FM sway bars, running a 15x7.5 wheel with 205/50/15s. 1.8 swap. Torsen. It's not what people do now. But, it also has 325000k on it, and has been the introductory track car for all of my children, and many of my friends.
Wide steelies would be a fun aesthetic.
My dad (hi, Dad!) read this thread, called, and told me he has 15 inch steelies in the garage for his Miata. I guess I'll need to take a look.
Back in the "olden days" I'd cut the centers out of Chrysler K-car wheels and weld them into RWD GM 7" wide rims to make a 15x7 or 14x7 steelie with a 4x100 bolt circle. I could buy rims for $5 each at a junkyard a mile from home. It was a straight forward operation to do, simpler and less welding required than banding them.
Edit: I have a set of 15x10 Bassetts for the Challenge car. I could see them on my NB Miata after the Challenge. 
For endurance racing we used steel rims as they bent a lot more before cracking/breaking than aluminum did. You can also "fix" them with a hammer and a torch to get back on track. Aluminum not so much.
The base steel wheel for a Chevy Cobalt is a decent looking steelie and comes in a 15x6 size. I've seen a set of those, powder coated silver, on a VW Rabbit. They looked pretty good.
Once you start looking at steel wheels, you start counting the holes in the face and trying to come up with something that looks like an old Alfa alloy :)
Stock Miata tire size was 185/60-14. Bonus points if you have the trim rings for the wheels.
In case we've all forgotten, here's a stock 1990 base model with a set of optional rear mud flaps. Picture from one of my books...
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Luv dem Alfa rims......
Trent said:I'm a bit of a steel wheel enthusiast/compulsive bander. I was just looking at a set of Miata steelies on marketplace last night thinking they would be pretty sweet widend out to 7.5 or 8 inches.
Yeah, they are a bit heavy, but not every wheel needs to be an RPF1
Yep, I was right. They look pretty awesome at 8"
First thing I thought, too, thanks for the confirmation!
It's a shame 14" tires are so limited....
Keith Tanner said:Once you start looking at steel wheels, you start counting the holes in the face and trying to come up with something that looks like an old Alfa alloy :)
Stock Miata tire size was 185/60-14. Bonus points if you have the trim rings for the wheels.
In case we've all forgotten, here's a stock 1990 base model with a set of optional rear mud flaps. Picture from one of my books...
If you are talking about the GTA magnesium rim, they were designed that way to look like the steel wheels.
And I mean these-
All of the subsequent designs of those were based off of this- looking less and less like steel. But I always found it funny that Alfa put so much effort into cast magnesium wheels to look like simple stamped/welded steel wheels.
Another Alfa related note- looking close at those Miata wheels, they have non circular holes- which is another Alfa thing- the Giuletta had two sets of steel wheels, one with a round hole, one with a non round hole. I've been told that the stronger of the two were the non round hole version.
Lots of ties between the NA and the Spider and older Alfas. Which is pretty cool.
In reply to alfadriver :
Ya know........if you were to take a set of dimple dies to a Cobalt steel wheel you could have a reasonable facsimile of the Alfa alloy rim......
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