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Ok so I'm getting 15x8 6ul's and now I need to choose tires.
Right now I'm debating on keeping the 205/50R15, or going to 225/50R15 (which would make my speedometer almost spot-on)
I'm looking for good contact patch with good sidewall stiffness.
Anyone running these tire sizes on these rims? Any recommendations?
I also can't seem to decide what color I want the rims to be. I'm curious what my car would look like with black rims.
black rims are tacky, don't do it!
Try out Dunlop Direzza Star Specs...
Great AutoX tires and have a decent treadwear for the streets as well...
Are they?Quote:
Originally Posted by wolzen
Buy a black wheel and I bet you get a free bowl of soup with it. Oh, but it looks good on you. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by trickyrix
http://blog.rifftrax.com/wp-content/...ted_knight.jpg
I think a 225/50 would be too tall. You'd want either a 205/50 or a 225/45 (if you can find it, that is). The 205 might be a bit of a stretch on an 8" rim, but they're doable. As another alternative, Toyo (and probably others) make a 215/45.Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonmpace
I'll be in the market for tires pretty soon too, so I'm keeping an eye on this thread.
You're welcome to try mine on some time. I think the flat black would look nice with silver, but the bronze might really make it pop with the stripes.Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonmpace
That's my $0.02...
Both 215/45 and 225/45 seem to be hard to come by. Then again I may not be looking in the right places.
At this point I'm thinking of just getting 7.5s and stretching the 205/50s onto those.
Some of those 205s out there are pretty wide. RE-11s, Kumho Ecsta XS and the ever-popular Star Specs should all do nicely on an 8" wheel...though your installer might bitch a bit. ;)
Ya can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Miata with 6UL's on them anymore! ::hal::
Hay POS, I resemble, I mean, resent that remark!
I only have about three days on a set of*Ventus R-S3 225/45/15's on 6ul's and they feel great. I cannot say how they are on a track, and, hopefuly the "flames" wear off quick, but I'm putting another set in the budget beacuse the size is hard to find. *
That's what I was thinking. The Kumho Ecsta ASX 205/50 is 8.4" at the widest point, so I figured I would just have really straight sidewalls.Quote:
Originally Posted by juxt3r
Most of the Miata guys I know in NJ run 205/50/15s on 15x8s. Some actually don't look stupid at all. Personally though, I think you're on the right track with the 15x7.5s. With a 7.5 you can run anything from a 205 to a 225 easily and within manufacturers' safe ranges, so you get a ton of tire choices. Unless your plans of forced induction change, you really don't need that extra .5" of wheel width (plus tire selection means more than just plain tire width).
If you get the 15x8s, I would think long and hard about your driving habits to see if you would be OK with picking up some Nitto NT-01s in 225/45/15...they still make that size, right? I haven't looked at 15" tire sizes in years.
I had Kuhmo ASX 205/50 15 tires on my car for a while and they Suck in rain. Go for a different type.Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonmpace
If you get one of the "performance" tires in the 205/50 they will fit fine on the 8 inch wheels. I'm running the old RE01R 195/50 and it has a slight stretch to it but nothing ugly. And I'd go with the nickel wheels if you are going to get the 6ULs. Better color for your car color than black. (to plain). You might check out some Toyo T1R 215/45s, I know Todd has some and likes them. If you come out to the meet tonight my car will be there and you can look at the stretch on my wheels.
I just had a set of the T1R 215/45-15's on order from OnLineTire and was informed they were no longer being made.
+1. If you run any of the top UHP tire in 205/50, they will be perfect on 8". In fact, they will work quite abit better than on 7" or 7.5". You will have a flatter contact patch and sidewall support, which allow you to run lower pressure. My Advan AD08s look just about right on my 15x8 6uls, I think the tread width is over 8". On the other hand, running 225/45 on 8" would not be optimal. Not saying they won't work well, you just not getting maximum grip out of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by driftdevil
Of course all these talks are for autocross and trackday, on the street it does not matter as much.
Your AD08's a 205 size? How long you had them on and do they seem worth the premium price to you?Quote:
Originally Posted by apex2apex
Yes AD08's in 205/50/15. Only did one trackday on them, they feel really sharp (suppose to have stiffest sidewall amongst street tires), great grip and don't get greasy in 20 mins session. As far as if they are worth it? In larger sizes, I would say NO unless you must have stiff size wall. According to the latest GRM, I would probably get RS3 , Z1* or XS (if you dont drive in the rain) on price factor alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nails
I bought them with $75 rebate, so the price premium is not bad.
Yeah I currently have the 205/50/15 Kumho AST's on my car on the stock rims and they're definitely not the best in rain, but I actually kind of like them even though I know there are better tires out there. I also don't have that much to spend because I'm also getting the rims and a roll bar..Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio-Active
The only problems I've had with the AST's are rolling onto the sidewall at "normal" pressures, and when I was not completely paying attention in the rain.
The ASX tires are Asymetrical. The AST's on the other hand are directional. I would think of the two that the directional tread pattern would be better for the rain.
Ok so I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna keep the 205/50/15 and get 7.5" rims. Hopefully I will have enough money to get a better tire.
i don't really see the point in upgrading to a 7.5" width...
kind of a waste of my money in my opinion, you're already upgrading so might as well spend a couple more bucks and get some wider wheels, especially if you're upgrading for performance reasons...
but hey, that's just my opinion, i'm kinda bias towards wider wheels anyways
wider wheel=wider tire=better grip :D
Fixed. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
More weight, too. You only need so much tire in an NA or NB Miata.
but what if you get a set of 18x10's that surprisingly weigh a little less than your stock 17x7's and throw on a nice set of tires?Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
sure you may sacrifice a little acceleration not sacrificed if you get the slimmer wheels, but the lateral grip you gain is well worth it ;)
My stock wheels are 15x6 and weigh 12 lbs.
Reducing unsprung weight minimizes the load placed on controlling the motion of the wheels and tires. This means that suspension springs and shock absorbers will have a greater reserve capacity to control body motion -- just as they were intended to! The result is better handling, which we are all after.
Very good point!Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Wider wheels/tires aren't necessary unless you have the power to actually need them...(forced induction)
That being said I kind of have the perspective that although wider wheels and tires may have a small decrease in your car's acceleration and maybe handling, you can always increase acceleration and handling in various other ways...engine mods, intake, exhaust, coilovers, sway bars, etc...
But what else is gonna give you better grip other than tires... ::Shrug::
Sorry for the confusion Sam, I wasn't referring to your wheels.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
I was making the point that the 18x10 RPF1's weigh about the same as my OEM 17x7's...
No confusion...my point was 18x10 RPF1's at almost 20 lbs., while much wider, are also much heavier than 15x6's at 12 lbs. You have aQuote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
bigger contact patch, but at what price? Unsprung weight is a killer and even more so in low HP cars.
The debate is great but has anyone systematically tested one tire/wheel combination against another. These cars have been around for over 20 years but the debate goes on.
I have. With 185/60/14 Dumflop Somethings on my stock daises I can't get to the end of the road without getting sideways. With my 16x7.5 SSR Comps with 225/40/16 Toyo T1-S it isn't an issue at all, unless I'm purposely driving like that. How's that for systematic?Quote:
Originally Posted by bnordin
And yes, I am being sarcastic on the systematic part. But the actual "test" results are true.
So are you saying that you like the wider tires better or you just like the Toyo's better than than the Dunlop's?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob®
Yeah the 18x10's are 19.1 lbs... Brian Goodwin uses them on all four corners of his MX5 and says they feel great! Of course his is Cosworth Supercharged, without that power those wide wheels would be unneccesary... If I do upgrade my wheels anytime soon, I'd probably be in the market for some 17x9's at 15.9 lbs. 245 would be a good fit on those.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonmpace
I love black wheels but I think either black or bronze would look great on that car. Leaning toward black as my favorite though because it really goes with just about any color!Quote:
Originally Posted by trickyrix
I have nearly 3 times the power as a stock NA, so I'm thinking 185/60/14s in anything but r-compounds or drag radials aren't going to work very well for me. The Dunlops that I have on my daises don't grip at all under normal acceleration, let alone slightly aggressive driving. The wider Toyos are fine unless I am purposely trying to not get traction. The Dunlops are some H-rated M&S tire, the Toyos are obviously high performance summer tires - apples to bananas comparison.Quote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
If I didn't just buy a house and truck, I would get a set of 16x8 CCWs made and throw 245/35/16 T1Rs on them, but I don't have that spare cash right now :( That, and who knows how long Toyo will continue making that size. I just put my last set of T1S on the rear of the car, but need fronts soon so I am leaning towards 215/40/16 Kuhmo r-compounds this time. I am a Toyo whore (was Toyo retail certified back in 2002-2004), but willing to stray from the brand for the sake of traction. Compound is way more important than width, so a 215/40 r-compound will out-grip a 225/40 street tire any day of the week.
I'm really leaning towards 17x9 RPF1's for the NC, they weight 15.9 lbs each...
Bear in mind that the tires you choose can often eat-up the weight saved on ultralight wheels. Some tires out there are 2-3 pounds different than other brands in the same size. I'm all for lightweight, but be realistic about what you'll actually get for your $$. I had 9.5lb Volks on my Yaris and a total wheel/tire combo weight of 23.5 lbs, but still couldn't beat the ST and STS Civics, CRX and Miatas. Samm's comment about letting the suspension work is the most important in this thread, even if he is a douche.
That being said, what size wheel do you think works best with the NC?Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
You can always fix the speedo with a Dakota box no matter what tires your running.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonmpace
For the track/autox, I think its hard to argue that the 17x9 with 255's is an incredibly grippy setup. you have to roll fenders and will still get a touch of rub on the lower suspension arm at full-lock turning. I think 245's require fender rolling too, depending on how much the car is lowered.Quote:
Originally Posted by CHeavin_2006
My street wheels are 16x8 w/ 225's, and they are free of all rubbing and clearance issues, even on big dips, etc. There is a noticeable difference in grip, but I'm also on older tires, so its not a true apples-to-apples comparison.
If I was forced to live with one setup, I'd stick with 8-inch wheels, I think. Especially in the 16x8, you get a little more sidewall for ride comfort. The tradeoff of weight, rolling resistance and clearance issues just don't justify the aesthetics of 17x9's, IMHO, unless that's your priority. What's your ultimate goal? If you want a good DD that will also autoX well, its hard to argue with the 8" wheel with some StarSpecs. If you want to go full-on track-ready and look badass, then throw the big meat on there and don't look back! (or calculate 0-60 times, MPG's, potholes, etc.) :)