NC OEM tyres

[jimbojones]

this is a question mainly for NC owners but everyone is invited to share their experiences too. first, my reason for asking... on the release of the NC, Mazda made a big hoohah about how they had tested hundreds of tyre combinations and found the Michelin Precedas to be the pick. after 7 months of ownership, i'm still not sure they're competely right. mainly because i find that with the way the NC delivers it's power, the rears break loose pretty easily, i.e. without much provocation. i don't find understeer to be a problem so otherwise, i'm happy.

1. do others agree?
2. if so, have you changed your tyres and to which ones?
3. have you found other ways of improving rear grip without changing tyres?

thanks all

jim

[PT]

I was talking to a guy with an NC in a car park the other day, he was really dissapointed with the Michelins on his and took them off for Eagle F1 GSD3 (which are now discontinued) and find's the car handles better but they are noisier. I didn't ask him about grip and he didn't mention it.

[AJ]

well, i can't fault the michelins jimbo, i've never dríven on a better tyre than the precedas.........under what conditions is it breaking rear traction??.........we were out on a club run in the wet last sunday, & i mean REAL wet, & neither our LE or Toms NC even LOOKED like losing grip.....& no, we weren't driving like miss daisy either


what pressures are you running would be my first question i suppose???..............factory pressures made 'em feel a bit squirmy..............then i put them up to 36 front & 34 rear (cold).........now i'm running 34 all round & they're beautiful.....& that is with a factory wheel alignment

[jimbojones]

[quote="AJ"]well, i can't fault the michelins jimbo, i've never dríven on a better tyre than the precedas.........under what conditions is it breaking rear traction??.........we were out on a club run in the wet last sunday, & i mean REAL wet, & neither our LE or Toms NC even LOOKED like losing grip.....& no, we weren't driving like miss daisy either


what pressures are you running would be my first question i suppose???..............factory pressures made 'em feel a bit squirmy..............then i put them up to 36 front & 34 rear (cold).........now i'm running 34 all round & they're beautiful.....& that is with a factory wheel alignment [/quote]

i'm running 30 all round. i might up them and see then.

thanks

jim

[Col]

I have to agree with AJ, since fitting the Precedas to our 10AE I can't believe how much better the car sticks around corners & as general road noise has reduced too. BTW, I run 32psi cold front & rear.

[fig]

I have to agree with AJ, since fitting the Precedas to our 10AE I can't believe how much better the car sticks around corners & as general road noise has reduced too. BTW, I run 32psi cold front & rear.

Bout time you put new boots on! Now you can appreciate the twisties a hell-of-alot more! (just dont tell the misses hehehe)

[Col]

Good on ya fig.....the misses has spent plenty of time as pillion on the bike, so she's pretty good when we hook-in a bit in the 5......strangely enough

[ralphie]

have to agree about the NC losing rear end grip.

test drove a NC and 2 minutes into test driving the rear broke loose completely. nil warning from the car. ground was damp (from morning like fog) but certainly not wet.

Red faced and flushed, i immediately looked over to the passenger (the mazda salesman) only to see him shocked with a question mark plastered on his face.

Speed or driving style was certainly not the reason as the passenger said immediately afterwards, but something in tyres or suspension setup, or both??

Judging from forum members that support the precedas, it seems less likely due to the tyres; though manufacturers rarely rush release a Version 2 of the same tyre, as if to seemingly correct a wrong...

I remember reading about similar experiences from editors of 2 major UK magazines on several occasions.

Obviously this will eventually be corrected as the NC matures

Btw i think that upping the PSI will only give you less warning of a slip.

[THE REAL BORIS]

Goodyear Revspec

[AJ]

have to agree about the NC losing rear end grip.

test drove a NC and 2 minutes into test driving the rear broke loose completely. nil warning from the car. ground was damp (from morning like fog) but certainly not wet.

Red faced and flushed, i immediately looked over to the passenger (the mazda salesman) only to see him shocked with a question mark plastered on his face.

Speed or driving style was certainly not the reason as the passenger said immediately afterwards, but something in tyres or suspension setup, or both??

Judging from forum members that support the precedas, it seems less likely due to the tyres; though manufacturers rarely rush release a Version 2 of the same tyre, as if to seemingly correct a wrong...

I remember reading about similar experiences from editors of 2 major UK magazines on several occasions.

Obviously this will eventually be corrected as the NC matures

Btw i think that upping the PSI will only give you less warning of a slip.

2 minutes in.......on cold tyres.........which have been sprayed with all sorts of shiny sh*t to make them look pretty............probably fabulously uneven air pressure...........in an unfamiliar car............that probably hadn't done enough k's to wear the tyres in.............& you're ready to give a michael schumacher critique on tyres & suspension?????..................you'll have to forgive the look of utter disbelief on my face


& just FYI ralphie, the Pilot Preceda has been around for a LONG time........they didn't invent them just for the MX5 son.........there ARE a couple of other motor vehicles on the market in case you hadn't noticed



*wanders away shaking his head*

[ralphie]

didnt mean to offend you dood

dont take it to a personal level

[Garry]

It's always interesting picking my car up after a service. They usually wash the car and spray the tyres with some black shiney stuff. As you leave the dealership you drive past the car wash area and it's always a bit damp. If you can get traction to join the main road then you're going well. Any sort of turning action in the next few km is a hair raising affair with either understeer or oversteer or both.

[Black04RSC]

A wheel alignment might help to Jimbo, it's amazing how a little degree here and mm there can improve things if the guy knows what he's doing...
The Pilot Precedas are a great tyre and the PP2's are supposed to be even better so it might be down to another factor.

Just a thought.

Rob

[Charlie Brown]

Know what you are talking about jimbo but you need to be a little more careful in the application of the right foot. Think it may have a bit to do with the LSD in those tight corners. Don't lift off.

Seriously though, the Preceda’s are fantastic. Their biggest advantage over other tyres, Goodyear Eagles included, is the instant turn in and progressive feel that they transmit back to the driver. You know what’s happening at all times.

I’ve given mine a bit of a battering on the road and track and they are still hanging in there after 18,000klms. Nothing has come close in a street tyre.

The biggest draw back I’ve found with them is when the road is just damp. They tend to struggle them but most tyres do. In the wet they just grip and grip. Many times I’ve been surprised how much grip is achieved in really bad conditions. The new Preceda 2 is supposed to be better in the wet.

An alignment won’t stop you lighting up the rear tyres but I do recommend that you have a precision alignment done because factory settings are known to be all over the place.

As for tyre pressures I run 30 cold all round on the road, only 1 psi above recommended, any higher on the street and I think that you suffer in ride and grip over all the bumps. After all Mazda and Michelin want the pressure to be at the optimum point for ride and performance to suit the MX5. They have put hundreds of hours with computer sensors looking at weight, loading on wheels during cornering, etc, etc., to determining what is best. That’s why they specify 29psi. The rest of us are amateurs.