My tire dealer tells me Toyo is out of stock in this size. Toyo's web site doesn't seem even to list it. They seem to be scarce. If these are going out of production what is a reasonable alternative? I guess I could upgrade to 15 inch wheels, but who knows how long they'll make the 195/50/15?
For best performance street tires, try Hankook RS-2 or Falken Azenis. The Hankook may be better wet because of the directional tread patterns, but you can't cross rotate them for the same reason.
I have driven on the Hankooks and like them. If he switches from Toyo T1R's, which have a soft sidewall, to the Falken Azenis, which have a very stiff sidewall, then the ride will become quite different, and is likely to be rougher than is wanted for street use.
I would agree with Pat that going from the very good grip and great ride of the Toyos to the excellent grip and considerably harsher ride of the Falkens might not go over well but it really depends on Franks situation. My wife was unhappy with the ride of the Falkens so I WAS UNHAPPY with them (if you know what I mean). I switched to using them for autocross only. If it were just me, I'd take the quicker turn in / response of the Falkens but life's all about compromises isn't it?
That is what I am running now. I like the compromise in sidewall flex.
They seemed wonderful when I first got them, no doubt in part to the "new tire syndrome", and I think that they are one of the better rain tires, when new, and the dry grip is nice, again, when new.
They still have a lot of tread left and have become slippery. This is no doubt partly due to breaking them loose more often, whether on purpose or not, but they will be replaced with about 10K miles on them even though they would pass inspection easily.
Basically, they remind me of a more wet-weather version of the Dunlop SP8000, which many people swore by. That tire had fantastic grip and then seemed to lose it almost overnight, and long before the tread wore out.
Do a google search for "tire diameter calculators". I did it just the other day and found several very user friendly sites w/ calculators. A couple showed a wealth of info. including % off, revolutions per mile, speedo indicated speed at true 60mph and on and on!
Unfortunately, a tire calculator can only give you an approximation. A
195/60/14 from one manufacturer will NOT be the same circumference and or width as the same size from another manufacturer, believe it or not. This really frustrates people with motorcycles or modified Jeeps where fender clearance can be marginal and a larger circumference or wider tire can rub.
The only accurate source of information is the manufacturer's website, some give all the measurements, some don't, but it's worth a check.
It's not in the same league as the T1R with regard to grip, ride, predictability, or, reportedly, treadlife. I don't know anyone who's stepped up to the Toyo who doesn't wish he'd bought them in the first place. After Yokohama's legendary AVSi, the ES100 is disappointing. Not one of the good Yokos has a 14" size.
The original 14" T-1S was introduced specifically due to pleas from Miata owners. IMHO, Toyo will continue to produce the T1R (or its successor) in 195/55-14 as long as we keep buying them.
Bear in mind that max performance tires are not long-term investments. After two years, none of them will still have the grip it did new, even if there's still plenty of tread left. Buy what you want now, and worry about the future when it arrives.
Your other alternative is to buy 15" wheels. Then your choices expand to include the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, a good clone of the T1R. For that matter, the 195/50-15 T1R is typically available for about $15 less than the
195/55-14 size, so your new wheels should pay for themselves in only a few decades. :-)
I have a replacement T1R for the one I wrecked ordered and on the way (it's taking about a week, couldn't find one locally). I have a '96 with '99 OEM alloys that I bought on miata.net (4 perfect wheels for $400). If I knew that what I know now, I would have bought 15" wheels.
Toyo may not have announced anything, but according to my dealer they are out of stock at the factory and he was told getting them into production was not a priority.
I replaced my previous T1-S's at about 20K. I don't drive aggressively very often, but I had noticed the loss of grip.
The TR1 is a very good tire. It is also the most over-hyped tire I have ever read about and used. The TR1 has plenty of limitations and compromises, like all tires that have ever been made.
They both come in a 14", 195/??-14. The Hankook started coming out with the 14" recently and I got a set on my stock '96 rims right now. The Hankook 14" are rated V and the Falken 14" are rated H, which may suggest the Hankook will ride rougher. I choose the Hankooks because I thought it'll handle better in the wet which is important around where I live. I've talked with a few Miata owners using Azenis on stock rims and they say the rain has never been a problem for them, but they also don't drive aggressively when it's wet(common sense for some).
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