What size wheels and offset should i go with on my 99 mazda protege ES

Hey guys 
I new to vip style but it think it looks badass with the big deep dish rims i have seen on some of the cars on here the all look awesome. but i have a 99 mazda protege sedan that i wanted to go a different route with i like the style and was just wondering what to go with or if anyone has a FWD sedan that i can take a look at for some ideas on rims and offsets and radiusing my fenders to accomadate the big rims and if airride i a good way to go. thanks guys and keep up the good work

I know of an RSX and a couple of legends on here that are running some really nice offsets just do a serch and youll find them

thanks man i will check that out

Welcome. I would say if you want to go VIP you should just start off with a better platform. I think you will find it hard to get aggressive wheels like you see on big body V8 sedans on that small car.
If this is what you got to work with and that's that then , look for firelizard as he is modding his up as well. He probably has a lot of info on what will fit and what wont and he has been here long enough to were he will most likely pull of the first Mazda protege VIP styled car in the US....

Only if I can find some wheels! haha
 
OP, you're lucky with the BJ, you have lots of choices for coilovers, which means your stance is pretty much unlimited.
 
For bolt pattern and fitment though, we're in the same boat (I have a 98). Medium deep wheels from 16-18" and 4x100 are not common at all it seems, because most 4x100 are FWD tuners.
 
The wheels that I ordered from BippuTen were 18"x8 with a +25mm offset. According to my calculations, they'd be a tough fit, but doable with a fender roll, and some camber. Maybe a little pull.
These days though, people have started putting 15x8 0 offset Sportmaxes on Civics, and tucking tire, so presumably, that kind of sizing is doable.
 
[i]My[/i] ideal size is something like 7x7.5 with a +20mm offset, and a super-low disk.

Thanks firelizard i will take this info and look into some nice wheels and coilovers did you ever think about putting airride on your car or if it would be ok on mine or just stick with the coilovers.

Good luck! Looks like Firelizard gave you some good advice. IMO would be interesting to see.

[quote=JDM/VIP 99 ES;80336]Thanks firelizard i will take this info and look into some nice wheels and coilovers did you ever think about putting airride on your car or if it would be ok on mine or just stick with the coilovers.[/quote]

I'm torn between doing a Universal Air Suspension setup, locating a set of used JICs, and getting a new set of K-Sports.

My concern with UAS is the complex and potentially expensive installation and maintenance, and losing trunk space, as well as having to remove the bags for winter (it gets really, really cold sometimes).

JICs are rare as they are discontinued. They are also the entry-level JIC coilover, so nothing really special. They'd have to come all the way from Japan. The plus side is that they're a well known and generally good quality brand, whose higher end coilovers are often used on Vip cars.

K-Sports are considered a lower end coilover because of inconsistent valving, making them not ideal for regular track use. However, their most notable feature is that the strut body is adjustable so that the car can be lowered without losing travel or messing the spring rate. They're also very affordable.

Air would be good because you can rise to clear obstacles that would damage the car, and you can park really really low.
With coilovers, you have to pick your ride height and stick with it, so if you go really low, you may not make it over speed bumps or driveways, and if you go high, you're stuck that way, might as well have gone with springs almost. It requires more careful tuning of the suspension because you can't adjust on the fly.

thanks again firelizard i was looking at the easystreet kit for the P5 it said 99-03 Protege 5 and i wonder if the suspension is any different than mine. but i will get that i compatible.

My gut says yes, I think the P5 and Protege share the same suspension as they're both on the BJ platform.

But I'm not sure, I need a second opinion.

Im also seeing more and more Sportmax wheels on FW cars.I noticed a 99 Lude wih some red 15s and I admit they were nice...

Unfortunately, SportMAX has nothing to do with Vip cars or any high-end style.

i got a protege5 and plan on going VIP style. as for the suspension for the sedan its the same as the protege5. im on TeinSS right now and was planning on going bags, but the space for me is a problem too.

cool than i think i am goin to do the airride and some works wheel 18x8 with a +20 offset in the front and with fender flares molded to the rear possibly 18x9 and +10 offset for the rear. i think that would be cool but let me know what you think.

Pretty big difference in lip front to rear.any particular reason for it, or just an aesthetic decision?

18x8 +20 watch for strut clearance. If the BJ is similar to the BH, you *might* run into this and need spacers anyways:
[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/firelizard2/IMG_07302.jpg[/IMG]
this 16x8 +15 was only a few mm away from the strut

pretty much just for looks and to be different i think i will need spacers but what the hell

Wouldn't the VIP-styled wheels that are available for the xB work on a Protege? (assuming the Protege is 4x100)

I tend to agree that big wheels work best on a big car.  On a small car they look disproportionate.  Even 18's on a Protege is starting to push it.   Dished 17's might look nice, but finding them is another story.

[quote=gamby;82270]Wouldn't the VIP-styled wheels that are available for the xB work on a Protege? (assuming the Protege is 4x100)
 
I tend to agree that big wheels work best on a big car. On a small car they look disproportionate. Even 18's on a Protege is starting to push it. Dished 17's might look nice, but finding them is another story.[/quote]
 
xB has quite a bit more room, but in general xB sized wheels are a good place to start.
 
99 Protege is 4x100, but worst case scenario, you could swap to the '01+ 5 bolt setup like people do on their 240SXs

I have a set of 2G Mazdaspeed rims in my garage. Still don;t know what to do with them. things are mint too tires and all. I thought I saw the offset of those on the back @ +55. Am I wrong.?