Want 05+ STi wheels for your Mazda?

[dbrier]

Who doesn't love forged BBS wheels? I got a good deal on a set of 2005 STi wheels in excellent shape. Sold the OEM tires and it made the wheels pretty cheap.
05+ STi and most Mazda's share the 5X114 bolt pattern, and the Mazda's have high offset as well. In this case, STi offset is +53, the Mazdaspeed3 is +52.5. I'd say that's close enough.
The problem is the center bore, Subaru has a 56.1 mm bore, Mazda uses a 67.1

I know a guy with skills and access to a machine shop.

It wasn't cheap to have Jim machine them, but because I got a good deal on the BBS wheels, I'm only into the wheels for less than the price of some Rotas after paying him.

Here is the stock STi wheel


Putting it on the machine


Clamp it down. Jim custom made nylon blocks for the clamps and wheel is setting on 4 as well. No scratching going on here.


Make sure it is centered


Set the cutting depth


Start cutting


Cut some more


Keep cutting


The shavings are starting to pile up

[dbrier]

Check the work


Everything is still centered


A little more cutting to get to the final diameter


Final checks


Adding the 45 deg angle bit


Cutting the bevel


Taking the edge off the lower surface


All machined, look at the difference


A little touch up with a die grinder


Dusted off with the air hose and they are ready to go.

[stevessvt]

Aaaaannnnnnd a pic of them on please.....

[802MS3]

Yes need pictures plz

[SPD6Tuner]

Lets see what they look like.

[doubleflusher]

pics or you're telling someone else's story.

[glocK23]

Originally Posted by doubleflusher pics or you're telling someone else's story.

pics or im gonna make doubleflusher my little bo peep

[dbrier]

They'll look silly on my car with no tires.
I still have two sets of WRX wheels to sell before I can afford to buy tires.

Believe me - I want them on my car!

[killa cam]

pics now! i can throw this on the CNC and have them all done in 30 min lol. might be interesting to do...

[speedtown]

man you should have waited to get the tires first before posting this! YOU FUCKER! haha oh well we'll just all have to wait

[phillyb]

post dyno sheets

[ThEsHoCkEr]

pics or ban

[Kdawg207]

I sure hope they come as good as you want

good luck on the finished product

[08BLKMS3]

Maybe at least show a pic of the front?

[bnoon]

OK, sooo how much was it for the machine work? Did he save the programs for his machine??? That could make some cheap track wheels...

[killa cam]

you more or less have to set it up every time. pointless to make a jig to hold the wheel for only a couple wheels... just indicate every wheel. the program is a couple lines, G02 and G03 for rough and finish cuts.

[dbrier]

It was done on a Bridgeport, not a CNC. I don't know much about CNC machines.


For all you impatient bastards who are demanding pics...

[killa cam]

i'd kill myself if i had to use a bridgeport to do this... cnc ftmfw

good work tho, not many people actually know how to use bridgeports and make good cuts. im surprised you didn't get a lot of chatter on that bore, seeing that your quill was down real far.

[serium]

you can go ice drifting now

[fhaze]

Dude, find some railroads tracks and go for a rip!

[dbrier]

I should find some railroad tracks to run down.

Originally Posted by killa cam i'd kill myself if i had to use a bridgeport to do this... cnc ftmfw good work tho, not many people actually know how to use bridgeports and make good cuts. im surprised you didn't get a lot of chatter on that bore, seeing that your quill was down real far.

He went pretty slow and took about 3 or 4 passes to bore it out.
They have a small CNC in his shop, but he said it would be more trouble that it was worth to set it up. I don't know if he doens't know how to use it properly or just felt more comfortable being in control. If something went wrong, there was no do-over.
I put my trust in him and it worked out great.

[Buildabong]

all that work to almost get close to looking like a sti.... all u need is a hood scoop and dual exhaust then throw some sti badges on there

[killa cam]

i thought about it for a second, and i decided that i would make a fixture. i would machine the attached fixture, and i would leave it there. because i just machined it and i didn't move it anywhere, i know the exact center of that little pattern. therefore i would lay the wheel onto the fixture and bolt it down, and just start cutting. it would probably take about 1.5 hours from start to finish for 4 wheels, and after that i can bore a set of wheels in about 20 minutes. if i wanted to be real fancy and shoot for ±.0005 or better i'd buy a boring bar for the job.

i suspect that he didn't use CNC because he is not experienced with it. or, it's a low power non-rigid piece of shit. there is a reason why nobody uses bridgeports anymore.... they have their place tho, and this guy knew what he was doing. good work!

out of curiousity, how much you buy these wheels for? what are the specs of them? if they are 8" wide, i might have to get a set...

also, if he did fuck up, you can just lay some weld in there and re-machine it... its ghetto but it works.

[dbrier]

STi wheels are:
Forged wheels made by BBS
17" X 8.0", +53 offset, 56.1mm center bore, about 18.5 lbs (some claim 18.0)

I picked up the set locally on Craigslist for dirt cheap, so cheap my Subaru friends couldn't believe it. - $400 with good tires. I sold the tires for $200.
A good friend of mine bought a set for $500 a few months ago with really nice snow tires that he can easily sell for $200 as well.

Great deals on these wheels can be had if you're patient and look around. The 5X114 bolt pattern won't work with any other Impreza or Legacy, so they have limited value to WRX or Impreza owners. The smaller center bore and high offset make them tough to use on other cars too.
The stock offset of the MS3 (+52.5) makes the STi wheel perfect for our cars.

[killa cam]

wtf why did i get groaned for my post?

thats an awesome deal tho, i think i'm going to scout out some of these wheels... throw some 245's on them and call it a day!

[dbrier]

Not sure why you got the groan, there wasn't anything mean in your post.

I'm worried that 245 will rub the struts. The wheel was pretty close to the stut in the front, I couldn't even get my finger between the wheels and strut.
I would love 245/45/17 tires, but I probably go with the safer 235/45/17.

I own my own fender roller and heat gun, so I'm not worried about the fender side. I don't want to mess with spacers.

[phillyb]

Originally Posted by killa cam wtf why did i get groaned for my post? thats an awesome deal tho, i think i'm going to scout out some of these wheels... throw some 245's on them and call it a day!

Originally Posted by dbrier Not sure why you got the groan, there wasn't anything mean in your post. I'm worried that 245 will rub the struts. The wheel was pretty close to the stut in the front, I couldn't even get my finger between the wheels and strut. I would love 245/45/17 tires, but I probably go with the safer 235/45/17. I own my own fender roller and heat gun, so I'm not worried about the fender side. I don't want to mess with spacers.

i groaned cause you mentioned it. i know glock has his own twisted rules about groaning as well.

now back on topic...this is awesome if they're 17x8 and that lightweight and all that...this is actually dope.
lemme ask this, cam...how much would you charge to have this bored out to the correct size?

[Cornerfreak]

Haha fag I was gonna ask to see if you may want to look at a set $600 obo. This is an awesome idea. Good Job! I'm surprised no one tried it before but I want to see pics with tires should look really good.

[dbrier]

I got the idea from a couple other Mazda3 cars that have done this already. I think I'm the third to do this, but the first to document and post details, and the first Speed3 to try it.

Cam could probably make a little $ if he could set this up to be repeatable and cheap.
Shipping wheels back and forth would be the expensive part.

[myspeedy07]

those will look hot with tires

[phillyb]

i would never consider shipping them. i'd like to know what a reasonable (assuming cam is reasonable) person would charge before i go look for shit to get done locally...i wouldn't send wheels across the country to have them bored out

[BlackMS3]

Walmart Dremel.... LMAO!!

Looks good though! I'd like to find some now that I see them

[Deadman]

simple to do. I run a Mazak V-550 CNC, and ya this would take all but 30 mins to do

Make nice fixture off the lug pattern, run a boring cycle (few lines) done! Nice job though i like the wheels.

[dbrier]

Originally Posted by BlackMS3 Walmart Dremel.... LMAO!! Looks good though! I'd like to find some now that I see them

You laugh, but I as researched this, I read about guys boring wheels to larger hubs with dremels and hole saws. Yes - hole saws in their garage.

[Cornerfreak]

holesaws awesome. haha Im just glad I wont have to walk far to find some mills if I choose this route.


philly this wont be free for you so dont ask haha.

[killa cam]

Originally Posted by phaillyb i groaned cause you mentioned it. i know glock has his own twisted rules about groaning as well. now back on topic...this is awesome if they're 17x8 and that lightweight and all that...this is actually dope. lemme ask this, cam...how much would you charge to have this bored out to the correct size?

well its good to know the groan/thank function bears no meaning... i think im gonna start groaning the hell out of people now just cause i think they suck

ot, i would probably charge the first guy like 200 (he pays for fixture haha) but after that, prolly $50/set.

i'm curious as to the accuracy required for this bore. i have done tight bores before (giggidy) like plus/minus .0005 on position and .0002 on diameter, but i cant see a bridgeport getting anywhere close to that. i would assume this bore to be plus\minus .002 on position and .005 on the bore. i dunno.

mazaks are ftw btw. put a renishaw probe on there and you can do it in about 30 min, using mazatrol haha

i cant see why people still use bridgeports. they arent even cheaper than a good used cnc machine of equal size and capability. a mori seiki mv junior can be had used for about 5 grand, and even if you don't know how to program yet you can use it like a manual machine, with better control and rigidity. bridgeports had their time

[phillyb]

brian, you and i will talk.
cam, i'm happy you now understand the thanks/groan function...lol

[ThEsHoCkEr]

[94jedi]

wow...I really like that look. keep us posted once you get it all done.

[retrobmx63]

It's been almost a month. Where are the finalized pics. I'm horny for them.

This is going to turn into the epic badge saga.

Cept to melt your wheels you'd need a pretty big oven...