Hey everyone! I'm new the RX8 family and i have a question that i searched but couldn"t find an answer to. Since the RX8's dont come with a spare tire other then the kit and you can't buy just the tire. Does anyone know if there is another brand of vehicle or different model mazda that shares the same bolt pattern?

 

check for sale, I bought my kit including tire for $150 shipped.

 

A full size mounted tire will also fit in the trunk. It will consume most of the space but you can find singled out ones with curb rash here frequently.

 

I just went with an extra can of goo. Every one I looked at was too small. If you catch it before the tire goes too low, goo will work. (I have a can of SUV Fix a Flat, it is supposedly less messy). The TPMS will tell you before you get too low.

 

Zero Pressure Tires from Michelin, they are 20 dollars more a tire than regular and can get you a good 50+ miles.

 

To answer the original question:

All of the recent 5 bolt Mazda cars have the same bolt pattern (5x114.3) and centerbore (67.0mm). So to keep things simple, go ahead and buy a 17" or larger wheel from ANY 5 bolt Mazda (except B series trucks) built this century and you'll be fine. You should also try to match the outer diameter of the tire as closely as possible. Some background info if you're interested:

The centerbore on is bigger than most other car companies, so even if you find a wheel with the same bolt pattern it may not fit over your hub.

16" wheels will fit on the rear , but not the front on cars with sport suspension*. In front you need 17" wheel mininum to clear sport suspension brakes.

The reason I suggest to try to match the outer diameter of the original tire size as closely as possible is because it could hurt your LSD if you put mismatched sized tires on your rear axle (again assuming you have a sport suspension car).

*If you're not sure whether or not you have sport suspension, you should assume you do, since most RX-8s in North America do have it. All M/T cars have sport suspension and many of the A/T cars have it as well.