mx5cartalk.com

im not a current mx5 owner, but i am looking at getting a set of std na8 mx5 wheels to put some semi's on for track duties.

my question is, do you think this is worth while? at the moment i have heavy 16x7\" wheels with 205/40R16 Federal 595 tyres on (pretty sticky for street tyres). do you think its worthwhile going to some 185/60R14 Toyo R888's on the NA8 wheels? will i see a significant increase in grip? or only small? given the smaller width and taller profile?

hope this all makes sense. thanks

What year model car do you have? If you have a car that is built from very late 2000-2004, the 14\" wheels won't fit over the brakes.

its a 98 model starlet actually

so 14's will fit over the brakes fine i went to my first SAS at QR on july 1 and the bug has bitten....need more grip

the reason i am asking on here, is that you mx5 drivers know your motorsport better than most others, and hopefully some of you use tyres of this size?

well from what i hear the stock mx-5 rims are meant to be very light so theres one good point there.

IMO i think you would be better off with the smaller rims, your using a startet which is small so you dont really need things like \"big brakes\" or \"big rims\"... ofcourse i could be completly wrong so ill wait for other to confirm my thinking.

Definately worth doing,you will find it makes a huge difference.

i really want some 15x7\" rims and some yoko's but the budget wont stretch that far atm

on a side note, anyone seen these in australia? EBAY LINK

kitkat wrote:well from what i hear the stock mx-5 rims are meant to be very light so theres one good point there.

IMO i think you would be better off with the smaller rims, your using a startet which is small so you dont really need things like "big brakes" or "big rims"... ofcourse i could be completly wrong so ill wait for other to confirm my thinking.

Prob not a bad call, however you're going to find it tricky to get smaller semi slicks than 14"... even 14's are getting hard to find!

Cheers - Mike

jezza323 wrote:im not a current mx5 owner, but i am looking at getting a set of std na8 mx5 wheels to put some semi's on for track duties.

my question is, do you think this is worth while? at the moment i have heavy 16x7" wheels with 205/40R16 Federal 595 tyres on (pretty sticky for street tyres).

are you talking Federal 595RS?

regardless....it all depends how much you'll be racing. Also if you like a spirited cruise on weekends. Keep the federals for that. Use the 14's for a dedicated racing set.


also 15" you can get the NB8A's which are also vey nice rimms....I think you can pick up a set for around $400. Plenty of good choice for sticky rubber.

certainly try to stay clear of the 16" for racing. It reduces your choice of tyre big time.

I wish I could find a set of NB8A 15's for $400

just an update for ppl interested

got the 14\" NA8 wheels

this is them on the car with the shot tyres that were on em





in the next 2 weeks i will have some silverstone FTZ-RR tyres in 185/55R14 on them, cant wait to try them out on the track!




the 16's i have are not the 595RS, just the old SS595, now the 595, they will stay my street wheels/tyres

what is the price for the silverstones?

and dont forget to post up what you think about the tyres when ya get em!!!

the silverstones in 185/55 R14 are just a tad over $200ea and are supposed to slot in somewhere between toyo's and yoko's on the wear/grip levels.

so they wont wear as quick as toyo's but dont need to be warm before getting grip like yoko A048's

i will let you know what i think when i have them, but i havent used semi's before so i wont have anything to compare against!