Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 17:07
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - 3mpv

Hi all

been to look at a Mazda 2 1.3 petrol 2013 today;tidy,smooth,genuine car;test drive revealed road/tyre roar that we decided we couldnt live with;had 17"alloys and 45profile tyres;i wondered if swapping to smaller rims and larger profile would solve it;salesman didnt think it would improve the matter much;views much appreciated.(shame as i think it could be a good car).

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 18:53
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - badbusdriver

Swapping the wheels and tyres would definately help but it wouldnt completely cure it. The Mazda 2 is a very light car and as such it doesn't have a great thickness of sound deadening. Depending on what brand of tyre is on it, even keeping the same size but going for a different brand could help. Modern tyres have an indication on the sidewall to show the noise rating. But that tyre size seems quite big for the car, is it a factory fitted alloy or aftermarket?. Other thing to bear in mind is that going by the rules, you would need to inform your insurance of the change, not that i'd expect going for a smaller tyre would affect the cost.

But before you go to the expense of buying new wheels and tyres i'd suggest you look to see if there are any others in your area with the smaller wheels, as you might still find the car too noisy.

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 20:52
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - Smileyman

Look at the brochure and see what other size wheels are supplied as factory fit. Also check with the salesman (or service team) whether the brakes are the same size or uprated for some models as smaller wheels may not fit over the callipers

Certainly a different brand tyre may make a difference however moving to 15" or 16" tyres will probably enable you to select from a wider range of (often) cheaper tyres.

Also be aware the speedometer and odometer will be slightly inaccurate, not really significant in real life but may be if the speed is understated and you meet a hyper sensitive speed camera!.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mazda/2-2007/data/

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 22:31
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - badbusdriver

Done a bit of research and while i can't say the info i found is 100% accurate, two different sources suggest that the tyre on the car you viewed is the wrong size. What i mean by that is that, if, for example, it was a basic Mazda 2 it would have 175/65r14 tyres, which have an exterior diameter of 23". More sporty, fancy or upmarket examples of the car would have a larger diameter wheel with a lower profile tyre, but the exterior diameter of the tyre diameter would be more or less the same.

So the listings i can find for the 17" wheel option says the two closest diameter tyres are 195/40 or 215/35, both of which have an exterior diameter of less than 1% difference. No tyres with a 45 profile are listed.

You have not stated the width of the tyre, but if, for example, it was a 195/45r17, its exterior diameter would be 4% greater than the 23" that it should be. Not a huge margin granted, but a fair percentage bigger than the 'suggested' alternate tyre sizes. I don't know if there is a legal requirement for a tyre to be within a certain percentage, but one website advised a difference of no greater than +/-2.5%

As well as the 14" wheel/tyre combo already mentioned, the next size up would be 185/55r15, then 195/45r16.

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 22:36
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - SLO76
These are fun to drive and very reliable but were never the quietest at speed. I could happily live with one but if excessive it may down to the tyres type/size. Id try another one and I’d add the Fiesta 1.25 petrol into the mix too.
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Sun 7 Jul 2019 00:22
Mazda 2 - Mazda 2 1.3 2013 - 3mpv

thanks for the replies,don't think we'll pursue this one;model was the TAMURA and believe the alloys were std spec;sorry i only rememered the profile as it was much smaller than we've had on our cars.think salesman said some of the models had 15" steels rims with trims.I wasn't looking for a mazda 2 in particular,just saw it and thought genuine car.Wasn't cheap, but good enough to get some economical motoring out of it.Anyway Mrs not dead keen on it,so we try again.Many thanks again.

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