Tobu 17×9 forged wheel for ND

Tobu is a Japanese verb meaning to jump or fly. We felt it was appropriate for our flagship wheel.

Forging allows wheels to be both strong and light, which is a great match for a Miata that sees extreme use. It’s not cheap, but you only have to buy them once. These start out as a solid cylinder of 6061 aluminum, which is then formed under 10,000 tons  (or 20,000,000 lbs) of pressure. This improves the grain structure and overall properties, as well as eliminating any porosity (which always exists with cast wheels). The face of the wheel is then machined, allowing for intricate designs and smaller production runs.  

Did we mention they’re light? These are 15.5 lbs, which is nearly 1.5 pounds lighter (each!) than our already-light flow-formed wheels in the same size. Put another way, these wheels are over .5 lbs lighter than the stock 17″ Club wheels and 2.5 pounds lighter (again, each) than the 17″ stock GT wheels, despite being 2″ wider.

We mentioned strong too, right? How strong? They’re first analyzed with FEA, then tested in the real world, but we designed them to a higher standard than most – these are rated to 550 kg (1213 lbs), instead of the typical 500 kg (1102 lbs, using the J2530 standards). They meet or exceed TUV standards as well, but haven’t been officially certified under those tests. For reference, the stock wheels are rated to 330 kg (728 lbs). But how confident are we in their strength? Confident enough to include a limited lifetime structural warranty (non-transferable). That’s right, lifetime. Of course, if you drive it into a curb, that doesn’t count. One year on the finish. For the nitty-gritty on the warranty, click here (the wheel spacer comment doesn’t apply if you’re using our spacers in a proper application). 

Designed specifically for the ND Miata, this 17×9 will let you slide a 235/40-17 under unmodified fenders. You can fit a 245/40-17 with a bit of fender rolling.  Of course, they clear all stock brake setups including Brembos as well as our own brake upgrades. If you add spacers, you are more likely to need fender modifications. We recommend ARP studs with any spacer thicker than 3mm. The wheels are compatible with stock lug nuts but light wheels deserve light lug nuts!

Be aware that at full lock with 235+ tires, you might see slight contact between the tire and front control arms on the unloaded side. This is more of a polish than a hard contact (no structural damage will happen to the tire or control arms), but be aware that it’s a possibility. Most – but definitely not all – 235s should be fine, 225s will be fine, and 245s are virtually guaranteed to have this slight contact. All will function fine, it’s just a matter of whether that polishing of the control arm is an issue or not. 

Center caps are available but not included. They’re low-profile aluminum caps on plastic bases, so they look great but are also economical. We do recommend removing them for track use as they can deform with high brake heat. For the truly – unreasonably? – weight conscious among us, the center caps weigh 0.7 oz (each). 

Note that the wheels are sold individually, make sure you order 4 if you want a full set!

These are fully compatible with factory TPMS sensors, as well as the sensors we sell. And likely most others, although we can’t guarantee that for sensors we haven’t tried ourselves.

17×9, +45 offset, 67.1mm center bore. 

These will fit other vehicles including the NA/NB, but please check dimensions carefully as wheels cannot be returned once tires have been mounted. A 10mm spacer would help them fit best on an NA/NB. These wheels are lugcentric on the NA/NB/ND but can be made hubcentric with the addition of our centering rings.

Made for us by Titan 7. You can see them being made below.