Automotive Watanabe alloys wheels

Published on July 5th, 2020 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez

0

Watanabe Alloys Finally Found For My MX5

Have you heard of this brand of alloy wheels? Have you seen them on classic old school cars?

This has got to be the most sought after aftermarket alloy wheels for ‘old school’ rear wheel drive car owners. Watanabe old school rims can be seen on the iconic KE70 Toyota Corolla, the iconic AE86 and some rather well restored classic Nissan sedans like the 180K and Mazda 808 and RX coupes.

Watanabe alloys in transit

Theses wheels are designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia and this is just what we felt when we took ownership of our Mazda MX5 NA some 15 years ago. Riding on stock 14-inch Mazda factory wheels, we needed some ‘deep dish’ classic looking alloys. Our immediate search started with the many specialist alloy wheel suppliers around the country and when we saw the asking prices and the condition of these wheels (used second-hand wheels), we decided to lower our needs (as we had just been blessed as a parent for the second time).

Watanabe alloys getting fitted
Watanabe alloys getting fitted
Older alloys getting removed

The need to have our dream wheels was put into cold storage and we decided to instead take a trade from a fellow MX-5 NA owner who wanted his car to be back in showroom look with 14-inch factory alloys and we got his 15-inch wheels which were quite tasty at the time.

Watanabe alloys getting fitted

The 15-wheels were a little heavier and so our MX-5 lost a little bit of a weight advantage, which was its design function to start with. Well, we managed to still enjoy our ‘behind the wheel’ experience over the many years and we never failed to make sure the balancing and alignment was done every 5,000 km’s or so to keep the drive enjoyment at its best.

Watanabe alloys fitted
Watanabe alloys getting aligned

Then good news came. A fellow car enthusiast who has been on the lookout for a decent NA MX-5 for some time located a unit for sale and started his restoration process with the car. He was eager to get a hardtop for his ‘project’ used MX-5. We had an unused hardtop sitting in our storeroom for years (with the wife grumbling about its existence for years) and he had a set of 15-inch Watanabe alloys which did not suit his fancy. Lady luck was smiling on us. A trade was initiated by us and agreed and we delivered our hardtop and collected a set of used but in good condition 15-inch Watanabe alloy wheels.

Watanabe alloys getting fitted

Without wasting any time, we took our newly acquired wheels and MX-5 and got them fitted at our regular tyre fitment shop. We have been going to the same ‘tyre man’ for 20 odd years and he is still the best.

Watanabe alloys getting fitted

Immediately we could feel the lighter weight of the Watanabe wheels when carried side by side with our older wheels. 

old alloys going to a new home

After installation, even our tyre man remarked our MX-5 had a better balance and steering feel as he felt on his test drive whilst working on our alignment. Well, on our drive back we could immediately feel the steering difference and with the lighter weight our MX-5 felt like it received a new lease of life.  Mazda MX-5 NA owners please take note. 


About the Author

www.dsf.my is a service to the public and other website owners. www.dsf.my is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site www.dsf.my. While the information contained within the site is periodically updated, no guarantee is given that the information provided in this website is correct, complete, and up-to-date. www.dsf.my is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information contained inside.



Comments are closed.

Back to Top ↑