Bridgestone RE-11 short review

Good to know! I was going to ask you to keep us posted on how they do as the mileage stacks up but I see that you don't drive the car enough for that any more! You need to start taking a few Miata trips brother!

;-) Chris

99BBB

Nah, we've already been everywhere we'd want to go in a Miata, in most cases at least twice. It's retired from road trip duty. Driving all night through Kansas with the top down isn't as much fun as it used to be.

Thank ye sir, that sounds excellent to me. Did you happen to check the

16 inch sizes?

Regarding 16 inch wheels, what is the "best" tire size for a 16X7 wheel on the NA miata? I currently have 215/40/16's and was thinking about taking the profile up a little.

Thanks!

Pat

At what age did this affliction hit you? I just want to be prepared ...... Come to think of it, maybe that's what's got my wife in it's power. That or the bit-too-firm MSM shocks / springs, not sure.

Chris

99BBB

Har har. Less a matter of age than BTDT, since 1997. Driving across Kansas is never a fun thing to do; it's worse when you're bored *AND* uncomfortable.

We've done virtually all the good roads in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming in the Miata. One trip we hooned all the paved Divide passes in Colorado in two weeks (plus over a dozen others). We're finished with long trips for the sake of driving. Plus, the Miata just won't hold enough camping gear for two weeks.

Of course not. What a silly idea. :-)

Check Tire Rack for yourself, Pat. Use the size calculator at miata.net.

Hard to be lazy if I do that........

Looks like a 205/45/16 is the way to go at $162.00 a corner.

225/50/16 is another possibility, but it seems just a bit fat for a 7" wheel unless I am thinking wrong, which is certainly possible.

Pat

Look at the specs at

Recommended rim width is 6-8", and the specs were measured on 7". Perfect.

How am I supposed to maintain my own reputation for laziness if I do your research for you?? :-)

Ahhh yes, I remember now that I had 225/60/14's on my 1978 Datsun 280Z with 6 inch wide wheels. That did hang over the edge a bit but not too bad. Like you said, this fir should be about perfect.

They are a bit cheaper in that size too. Now I just need to finish coming up with $800.00 or so for tires mounted and balanced and a new Lanny-alignment.

Pat

Man I never saw two guys work so hard at being lazy ;-) Ya'all are BOTH nuts!

Later, cd

That is clearly the size I should have ordered with my 16x7 wheels. I got 205/45/16s because that was what Mazda used and it's what the online configurator at tirerack.com suggested. I was worried that there might have been interference issues going with a bigger tire. But the extra diameter sure would have helped with my MSM's comically short gearing. Ah well. Next time.

Nah, we're not nuts. That would be too much work.

No doubt, I am not about to put forth the effort required to achieve nuttiness! :-)

Pat

As a new MSM driver, I understand your characterization of the gearing.

I still love the car, despite its few maddening quirks. No wonder there is such a strong aftermarket.

I've been reading about putting a 5-speed in the MSM.

I can handle quirky.

For me, the next Miata choice comes down to a decision between the MSM and a NC with the PRHT, and I am leaning towards the MSM even if cost were not an issue, though I love that retractable hardtop so much that it is not an easy choice at all.

Pat

I recall reading two professional reviews of the hard top. One said it reduced interior noise compared to the soft top a lot, the other said hardly at all. With our mild Dallas winters, weather has never been a concern. It is neat, though.