Mar 12th 2025
Guide to perfect fitment on your NC Miata
Today we’re looking at the largest of the Miatas — the NC. This is the generation where Mazda seemed to hint they were going in the direction of every other car maker ever ‘bigger = better’, but instead did a U-turn and went straight back to making golf carts for the ND. Let’s face it this generation looks a bit like a soap bar on wheels, especially the NC1. The good thing is there are a lot of ways we can address this: a Mazdaspeed bumper, wider fender flares, and one of the best performance and visual enhancers, new wheels…. Wheels and tires happen to be our specialty and this guide is going to teach you all about wheel fitment for your NC.
- This guide is specifically for the Miata MX-5, 2005 to 2015.
This is a wide range of years and as you probably know, there are a few sub-generations including the NC1, NC2, and NC3 - so far the longest run of any Miata generation. The cool thing is that all of these share the same wheel fitment.
Quick links
Basic fitment info
- Lug pattern: 5x114.3
- Lug thread: m12x1.5
- Center bore: 66.1 mm
- Lug torque: 80-90 ft/lbs
Be careful with the lug pattern. If you're coming from a different generation of Miata, you’re probably familiar with the classic 4x100 lug pattern. The NC uses a 5 lug pattern with a 114.3 PCD, which was reverted for the 2015+ ND. Generally speaking, 5x114.3 gives you more options.
Recommended specs for aftermarket wheels
At a glance, 17” wheels are by far the most popular size for this platform, but that doesn’t mean they’re strictly required. If you like meaty tires, you could with a 16” wheel. 18s are a bit controversial on a Miata, but they’re still very possible to run — in our opinion, there best on stance builds.
What about width and offset? Factory wheels come in at 16x6.5 or 17x7 +55; we can do a lot better. 8” wide wheels are super popular because they’re easy to fit, yet give a lot more contact patch. 9” is about as wide as we’d recommend on stock fenders. Offset is all over the place. Sometimes you’ll see offsets in the high 50’s, while others go all the way down to a +20, or sometimes even lower. We’ll show examples of high and lower offsets so you can pick what’s right for you.
Wheel weight
It’s not a secret. These cars aren’t that powerful. After all, you get a whopping 125HP from the 1.8. And torque? … well… a kid on their Huffy makes more peddling uphill. Wheels are unsprung weight, meaning that adding extra in this category will make your car feel (even more) gutless.
This is why people are always talking about wheel weight when the subject of aftermarket wheels comes up. For reference, here are the weights of the factory wheels.
- Stock 16” - 15 lbs/piece
- Stock 17” - 17 lbs/piece
Aftermarket wheels might weigh a bit more due to being wider, but generally, we want to keep them as close as possible to factory weight. The extra weight of 18s is one of the motivations to run smaller sizes.
Rolling fenders
Stock tires are only 205 wide. With wider wheels, you’ll definitely want wider tires, be it 215, 225, or even more. If you’re running 225 or wider tires it’s advisable to roll your fenders, even if it’s just a slight roll. Luckily, the process isn’t too difficult on these cars.
All you need is a heat gun, a fender roller, and some patience. The rear fenders normally need the most attention as they have a massive lip.
You might need to roll it flat, or you might be able to get away with just pushing it up a bit, it depends on how aggressive your wheels and tires are.
Rolled flat against the inner fender
The fronts are kinda ‘pre-rolled’ but you can gain an extra ¼” of space there if you need it.
Examples of NC Miata fitment
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2009 NC softtop GT H&R lowering springs |
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To start things off, this NC2 is running a set of 16” Konig Heliograms. This car retains the factory tire size of 205/50R16 but you could definitely run a wider size.
Enkei and Konig wheels are generally budget-friendly and also tend to be fairly light. It’s convenient that they provide weight for basically everything they make - these are listed at about 15 lbs/piece, meaning they’re the same as the OE 16’s while being wider.
This car is lowered on H&R springs, which provide a modest 1.3” drop. Rubbing won’t be an issue until we look at much wider setups.
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Coilovers, unknown brand. No fender rolling needed |
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The difference between 16s and 17s is immediately obvious. This NC1 MX-5 is running a set of Advan wheels @ 17x8 +45. The ‘poke’ is about the same as the first one, the main difference being the wheel diameter. Another difference is a slightly wider 215 tire instead of the factory 205.
These wheels come in about 17.4 lbs/piece.
This car is on coils, and by our guesstimation, it’s about the same height as the last. Even with the wider tires, there’s still zero rubbing. The fenders were left unmodified
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Rays x MazdaMotorsports ZE40 17x8 +48 |
Rays x MazdaMotorsports ZE40 17x8 +48 |
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MeisterR coilovers |
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A lot of Miata owners will go with a 215/45 or 235/40 tire. What we see here is a 225/45R17. Because the rolling diameter is marginally larger than the others, you might have a slight loss in torque, but the tradeoff is a bit more grip and a tire that fills out the wheel wells.
The wheel specs are pretty similar to what we’ve already seen, the main difference is in the tires.
This car is on MeisterR coilovers and has zero rubbing.
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fit without having to roll fenders and have no rubbing at all |
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You knew the RPF1s were coming sooner or later. These are some of the lightest flow-formed wheels you can buy, so weight isn’t going to be an issue (this size is under 16 lbs/wheel). The fitment here is almost identical to the last, but we wanted to show off what it looks like on an NC3.
This car has BC Racing coilovers, and, while it doesn't rub, it's a tight fit. Again, we’d recommend rolled fenders for any tires 235 and up.
Track & aggressive NC Miata fitment
This is the point where we get into really wide setups. They might not be wide compared to what a BMW or CTS-V runs, but for a stock-bodied Miata, these are aggressive.
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HKS coilovers. Rolled fenders all around |
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It might not be the most popular size, but you can definitely fit 18” wheels on your NC Miata. To reiterate: the extra weight of 18s is going to hurt performance a little. But, if you’re going for a stance build where performance is secondary, this size might be perfect.
This NC3 is running much more aggressively than anything on our list so far. Not only is it lower, these wheels are 8.5 wide, giving them some extra poke. The tires are kinda a weird size at 225/35R18. You could try a 215/40R18 for a similar effect.
Some other mods on this car: the body kit is from S2-Racing, it’s on HKS coilovers, and the fenders are rolled all around.
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Blitz ZZ-r coilovers Adjustable suspension arms fenders rolled, slight rubbing |
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8.5” wheels not wide enough? How about these 17x9 +38 Work Emotions? These are wrapped in 215/40R17, making for a decent stretch. Stretched tires help, but you’ll also need some extra camber to go with them. This car is running adjustable control arms front and rear to dial in the alignment.
The fenders are rolled, and even with this, there’s still a bit of rubbing in the front.
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Fenders rolled/pulled, no rubbing 949Racing coilovers |
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The last two were more form > function, however, this one is all about grip. 245/40R17, is about as wide as you can get the stock fenders, and let’s face it, do you really need more? These tires, Yokohama Advan A052, tend to run closer to a 255 of other brands. The fenders needed to be rolled all the way in the rear. At this ride height, the final product doesn’t rub.
This car is definitely set up for track use with a set of 949Racing coilovers.
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Fortune auto coilovers Fenders rolled/pulled - still rubs |
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We’re not really sure where to put this one. It’s not slammed, but it’s running some pretty aggressive fitment. Is it form or function? You be the judge.
These wheels are 17x9 +20 with 235/40R17 tires - by far the most aggressive featured here today. The best thing is these wheels are very affordable, you can pick up a set for just about $800. Of course, this car is lowered, as we can see. The coilovers of choice were Fortune Auto 500.
The fenders on this car were rolled and pulled, but that still doesn't solve all the problems. If you go with an offset this low, a bit of rubbing is probably inevitable.
Fortune Auto 500 Super Low Series Coilovers
Wrap up
So, what did we learn about fitment on the NC Miata? 16s, 17s, and 18s are all possible, but 17s are by far the most popular. Whatever size you choose, be mindful of the weight, as an overly heavy wheel will make your Miata feel like it's got lead in the trunk. For clean, simple fitment, size your wheels somewhere around 8.5” width and an offset in the high 30’s to low 40’s.
If you have a Miata with aftermarket wheels be sure to add it to our Fitment Gallery (any aftermarket wheels, even if you lifted your MX-5 on 20’s). There you can flex your super awesome fitment or get even more ideas for your build.