I need tires and advise

I need tires, I am planning on sticking with the stock rims for now they are 15's....The person who had it before put low profile Goodyears on it.

I like the low profile tires the way they handle but the ride is kinda rough.

Any suggestions on some low profile tires that wont break my bank?
I went to discount tire company they were telling me about some V rated Yokohama's for 350.

Is there anything I can do that would be cheaper and still good for cornering and stability, and sticky somewhat?

I would eventually like to change the rims but just cant afford it right now thats why I dont wanna spend an arm and a leg on tires.

Best way to start off here is..

A) what are you looking to spend?
B) If the goodyears are too Harsh, what are you looking for?

Most people on this board swear by the stickiest tires they can find... Nevermind the fact they don't last long ;)

Best bang for the buck out there in my mind is the Yoko AVS ES100.

Oh, and check www.tirerack.com ;)

My money is on the T1S for a daily driver/back road runners. I love the Azenis on the track, but they beat the hell out of me for daily use and really suck in the rain. The T1S in a 195/50/15 can be had for $59 ea + $10 shipping at onlinetires.com I have found that Wallmart will mount and balance for $11 a tire. You really can't beat them and I am on my third set.

get 205/50/15's
a little taller sidewall so the ride is better.

Actually, for ride comfort and decent handling, I'd recommend the Toyo T1-S as well, in 195/50-15. The T1-S has a relatively soft sidewall, which translates into a smoother ride (at the expense of some turn-in crispness, but you mentioned ride quality as a primary consideration).

I'm on my third set of ES100s, and while they aren't that bad, they're not overwhelmingly great, either. If I could ever wear a full set out at the same time, I'd probably try something else.

I have the ES100's on my Lead Sled and love them... sticky, good in the wet, and relatively quiet. They have a good tread wear and have guaranteed their return on the Sled.

Had Azenis and loved them in the dry. As mentioned, they suck in the wet. They hydroplane easy.

I have the Toyo T1-S and had them before. Good ride, quiet. SUPER grippy in the wet. Amazingly so, in fact. They talk a bit in the twisties but a decent daily driver tire.

I love the Azenis for their superior handling and grip but the Toyos are a better all weather performance tire. With Onlinetires.com price of $59 ea. they are a real bargain.

Neither tire works well in snow or ice but that isn't a big issue here in Texas.

Good advise!!!!
I will check into those tires (all of them)
I will be using the tires to do most everything at this point so I dont want anything to roll off the rim in a corner, and I dont want to hydroplane either.
I would rather sacrifice the ride being a little rough, for a tire that grips good and corners well and dosent wear out too quick at least til I can upgrade the rims.

Spexking of .... any thoughts on rims and sizes? I was thinking about 17's
I like a wide tire, or do you guys think thats too wide and tall for rims on the Miata.

17s are usually pretty heavy. The miata is sensitive to heavy wheels. I upgraded from my stock 14's to 15X7 but I made sure I got very light wheels. I dont think I have ever heard of a tire coming off of a rim on a Miata. I have used two tires, that you can currently get on my car. I have used Yoko AVSi tires before, but I think they were replaced by the es 100's. I have used the Azenis, and I love them. THe wet traction is great, the standing water traction is not. THe dry traction is great. THe problems with this tire are wear and rough ride. The price makes up for the wear as they are pretty cheap. The ride is a sacrafice that has to be made, but I am not driving a caddy so I dont care too much. I now have Khumo ecsta Mx's on my car. The reason I got these over the Azenis is because I got wheels from tirerack and they dont sell the azenis, and I wanted to get a package wheel and tire combo. These tires have good dry and wet grip, they are better in standing water. The ride is much better even though they are more low profile than the azenis. The wear is also better, they will probably make it atleast 20-25k miles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

Spexking of .... any thoughts on rims and sizes? I was thinking about 17's
I like a wide tire, or do you guys think thats too wide and tall for rims on the Miata.

---

17" wheels on a Miata are nothing but bling. Also, you won't be able to fit any wider tires than your would in 15" sizes. As noted, they'll also tend to be heavier, which decreases handling, braking , and acceleration.

I would recommend 15" wheels, as there is a much wider variety of good street and track tires available for the Miata in 15" sizes. Heck, even most of the big power turbo/supercharged track Miatas run 15" wheels.

Yup. 15s running a 195/50/15 or 205/50/15 tyre. Look for light rims. For inexpensive light rims, look at Rotas or some of the rims offered by Goodwin Racing.

You could do 16s but will be paying more for tyres and have a harsher ride.

17s are ridiculous on a Miata and will certainly have a negative affect on ride, handling, and acceleration.

Only time I saw a Miata pop a tyre off the rim was at MSR when a Miata spun in a corner at 80mph and went agricultural.

Kewl, ok I will stick with the 15's
so whats the diffrence in the stock I have and the others mentioned besides weight? The only reason I mention the rolling off the rim, is I had two pop off the front rims once, not on the Mazda but it did happen.

What is the function of hub centering rings?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

What is the function of hub centering rings?

---

Lots of good tire and rim tech information available at The Tire Rack Website.

great link
Thanks

What would be a good fair price to ask for my stock 5 spoke miata wheels with locking luggs?

You have to remember you're asking TCB around here... you'll probably fetch more on the :batman: board. :wink:

15" or 14"?

They are 15's

TCB?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

TCB?

---

Team Cheap Bastard...

Home of dfwmiata.com


Or something like that...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tailchaser

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

TCB?

---

Team Cheap Bastard...

Home of dfwmiata.com


Or something like that...

---

Something like that... yeah...

In other words, don't expect a high price to be paid by a member of this site... hence the reason I suggested the :batman: (pointy) board - Miata.net.

Hell I wouldnt say you guys are cheap with all the upgrades ya'll have done

So any idea what I should ask? I mean if I were trying to sell them to someone else

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

Hell I wouldnt say you guys are cheap with all the upgrades ya'll have done

---

I guess you've never seen my car have you!!

You wouldn't say that!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

"Fair" price on used wheels has always been <50% of new in my book (and I'm a good opinion here since they won't fit over my brakes).

New ones are $115-ish each from Mazdaspeed, a bit more from the dealer, so somewhere betwen $55 and $90.

thanks thats pretty kewl, maybe I can get my new rims quicker after all.
of coarse then I would have to get tires too...lol

I see a money pit coming in my near future. :lol:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

I see a money pit coming in my near future. :lol:

---

Yes... the money seems to disappear quickly around these cars... and that's a good thing!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Billy Blaze

Hell I wouldnt say you guys are cheap with all the upgrades ya'll have done

---

Its not the number of upgrades, but the price you pay for them. On my car, I got the intake off ebay, the header used for $150 instead of 400. The midpipe I got used, the roll bar I got with free shipping. The shocks off of ebay and the springs are used.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Majik

Its not the number of upgrades, but the price you pay for them. On my car, I got the intake off ebay, the header used for $150 instead of 400. The midpipe I got used, the roll bar I got with free shipping. The shocks off of ebay and the springs are used.

---

Now you should see why these guys are on TCB... :lol:

LOL well I might have to hit you guys up for some tips!!