As above, from Mazda dealer, have not mentioned to them of my preference in tyres as yet. I would like "Uniroyals Rainsport 2". What are likely to be fitted and what are my chances of getting the Uniroyals fitted instead at minimal extra cost? Would I have to pay full cost for them ?what would happen to the ones already fitted?
Regards Don
AFAIK, the dealer receiving the vehicle with the tires already mounted is standard. I have never heard of a dealership swapping tires for a customer's preference, at least not without the full additional cost that taking the car to a tire shop would incur, except maybe on a used car to complete the sale.
You only option may be to have the new tires mounted and then sell the originals as barely used.
What color MX-5 are you getting?
Good luck!
Pat
When I bought my '96 new and found out how dangerous the OEM Bridgestones were in the rain, I went in and complained and the dealer offered to split the cost of substitute tires. I think at at that time I got some good all-seasons, later switched to summer performance tires.
Yes Thanks for the info Pat, it's a true red colour, I've asked for it to be sealed with some so called diamondbright sealer. Hope it turns out OK. Cheers Don
It costs absolutely nothing to ask your dealer, talk to them, see what they say.
Why not wait and at least see what sort of tyres are fitted? The Michelin Pilots on my 2006 model were excellent except for lasting only 12,000 miles due to the soft gummy tread compound. They were excellent in the rain and dry -- far better than any aftermarket type I've tried. When my present tyres wear out I'm going back to the OEM-sort or something very similar. Tread life be damned -- this is a sports car!
That's the attitude! I'm extremely happy with the Bridgestone RE-11. Much stickier than that Michelin, and easy to live with in normal driving.
Yes, thanks for that, the supplier hasn't taken delivery of the car yet so I don't know what tyres will be fitted.
I suppose the problem with asking this type of question is that the replies come from various contributors who have different aspirations. For example Net max , you obviously like to push your car to the limit hence you mentioning "controlled drifting" . I'm in my 70s and 4 wheel drifts is not what I'm looking for. I want to go touring in it, abroad mainly so I'm looking for stability in a range of road conditions not maximum performance. A couple of years ago I was staying near San Sebastian in late September but the weather was wet every day so, we decided to head South looking for the sun, however within 10 miles and climbing, the rain turned to sleet, 5 mins and we were in a blizzard being overtaken by idiots doing high speeds in treacherous conditions. At the time we had a FWD vehicle so we coped fairly easily, 5 miles down the road -beautiful sunshine as we topped the crest. Referring to an earlier contribution in this thread by Frank Berger-- quote " When I bought my '96 new and found out how dangerous the OEM Bridgestones were in the rain etc " I'm a little apprehensive at the thought of tail wagging up a hill in similar conditions.
Anyway, thanks for all your contributions it's been helpful . Any further contributions or advice gratefully received. Cheers Don
US made Uniroyals have not been one of the better tires for Miatas. The EU rules for tire quality are a bit different, and the tires you get may be totally different.
I used to like Bridgestones, but they would get hard after a couple of years, and then were not as good in wet weather. Toyo, Goodrich, and some others have some of the better tires that are currently available in the US.
I can remember back in the US 55mph era (70's) -- we were living in Germany, and due to a NATO and SOF agreement, operating full US spec cars. The OEM spec tires were bought through a military exchange. ($35US) The problem was running heavy American cars (Buicks, Caddys, etc. at autobahn speeds. 85-90 Mph was OK after the tires were completely cured, but might cause the tires to de-laminate if not fully cured. Sustained speeds (about 1/2 hour or so) above 95 would cause many of the US spec tires to start coming apart. The German spec tires in the proper size were about $300 a tire. Something about being tires for armored limo's. I have had Toyos and Bridgestones well above a sustained
100Mph on a Miata without tire problems. An NA or NB Miata gets a bit light on the steering at or above 120 without full ground effect skirts. A friend of mine had an older RX-7 become airborne twice at a certain spot on I-16 at speeds above 100. Put him in the weeds both times, and he and the car only had cosmetic damage.
I would be careful about generalizing. I didn't mean to say that all or most OEM tires on Miatas or anything else are dangerous in the rain. The particular tires on the base '96 that I bought were horrible. I forget the model number. The dealer was not shocked that I wanted something different.
I'm pretty sure that even the NA was good for at least 120mph or close to it. I never had mine above about 100 indicated and it felt fine. The USA-spec NC is rev-limited to 220k (137mph) and it feels as if it will do it too.
What's the top speed on an MSM? I had mine at around 115 (on the speedo) for a couple of short stretches on the drive from LA to Dallas. Wasn't working up a sweat, it seemed.
On my drive to school in 1966 I had my 1957 Chrysler Windsor up to 120 for a few minutes between Chicago and Madison. I thought it was gong to shake apart, but the engine was fine. I was stopped a short time later for speeding a little and got off with a warning. If the officer only knew.
By the same token, it's a mistake to generalize about a tire brand, since each brand sells many different models, each a different compromise of performance, comfort, longevity, fuel mileage, and price.
Stock, my '94 could reach an indicated 128 mph. I'm guessing the true speed was circa 122. Until I got Konis, though, it was less than stable over 110.
FWIW, 110 mph comes up fairly quickly. Then you shift into 5th, and further progress is glacial. Nonexistent, if headed even slightly uphill.
But there are plenty of modified Miatas that are rpm limited, with a top speed that depends on their gearing and whether the rev limiter was "adjusted."
The latest (UK)MX5 brochure quotes 132 mph for the Sport Tech (soft top) and 136mph for the retractable hard top version, not that I'm interested in speeds above 85 mph (French Auto-routes) with very occasional bursts to 90 perhaps to get clear of difficult, potentially dangerous bunching on motorways.
Don
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