Cost of mini-spare wheel?
Apr 5, 2005, 07:21 AM
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Cost of mini-spare wheel?
Just outa curiousity, any idea why the Evo's mini-spare wheel costs $482 to replace?
I'm actually trying to find a spare wheel/tire for my RX-8, and by coincidence, it appears the Evo uses the same size spare (T125/70D17 98M). So I figured hey, maybe adding some Evo parts will make my car faster, lol...
No, seriously, Mazda won't sell the wheel/tire seperately, so I figured maybe the Evo's would fit (dunno about our bolt patterns though).
But I was shocked when Mitsu quoted me $482 for the wheel alone!
Is it special light-weight, magnesium, gold-plated, autographed by God or what?
I'm actually trying to find a spare wheel/tire for my RX-8, and by coincidence, it appears the Evo uses the same size spare (T125/70D17 98M). So I figured hey, maybe adding some Evo parts will make my car faster, lol...
No, seriously, Mazda won't sell the wheel/tire seperately, so I figured maybe the Evo's would fit (dunno about our bolt patterns though).
But I was shocked when Mitsu quoted me $482 for the wheel alone!
Is it special light-weight, magnesium, gold-plated, autographed by God or what?
Apr 5, 2005, 11:17 AM
#7
As nobody answered your question, I'm pretty sure the wheel is just plain old steel. It's quite heavy.
The bolt pattern for an '04 rx-8 is 5-114, the same as the evo. You can look them up at www.tirerack.com.
d
The bolt pattern for an '04 rx-8 is 5-114, the same as the evo. You can look them up at www.tirerack.com.
d
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Apr 5, 2005, 11:24 AM
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It's probably due to economies of scale. Unlike a fender or oil filter, a spare tire is not something that generally gets replaced during the life of the car, so the parts and service infrastructure does not stock it for quick delivery. The end result is that perhaps there is a very small stockpile of these parts in Japan and they have to be shipped over, which affects the price of the part. If the spare wheel itself requires a special design to clear the brembos, that shoots the price way up since it becomes a one off part that other cars don't use.
That, incidentially, is probably why the part is not available for the rx8, lack of demand. A large percentage of the cost of parts at the parts counter is due to the infrastructure in place to keep track of a wide variety of parts from a wide range of model years and markets. Even if the part is the same across years and markets, the system still has to be able to assume a unique part for each year and market is possible.
That, incidentially, is probably why the part is not available for the rx8, lack of demand. A large percentage of the cost of parts at the parts counter is due to the infrastructure in place to keep track of a wide variety of parts from a wide range of model years and markets. Even if the part is the same across years and markets, the system still has to be able to assume a unique part for each year and market is possible.
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