I needed a new set of tyres.
As a yardstick to measure all other tyres by - the Bridgestone ER30 Turanzas (that were OEM equipment for 205/45/16) were great. Gripped very well, fantastic in the wet, were comfortable and very quiet when going hard (no chirping), great mileage. An all round good performer, but very high maintenance for $300 a corner to replace so I looked elsewhere.
At around the time BJ was converting his car into a monster - he put on Pirelli P Zero Neros - I thought I'd give them a go - FANTASTIC - eclipsed everything in every category - I loved them to death - $270 a corner BUT GOD DAMN! The pleasure I got out of them was immense. Unfortunately....Pirelli stopped making them
...so I had to find myself a new biatchGoodyear Eagle F1's. Goodyear were offering a buy 3 (get the fourth tyre free). So I bought these. A lot of other guys had them and on miata.net - they got rave reviews from tirerack.com, but I never had much luck with them.
Enter Continental!
God Damn! I got the ContiSportContact2's - available at around $210 a pop if you shop around.
1) Supremely comfortable - they absorb all the bumps. Have you ridden/dríven a new NC? Do you like how well it absorbs bumps? Want your car to be as comfortable as an NC - these tyres will do it! Wanna reduce bone-jarring rattles when you go over bumps and manholes - these tyres will do it. For anyone looking for a smoother more comfortable ride with much less rolling noise - give these a try.
2) Grip - Bucketloads of grip, When you are nearing the limit of adhesion there is absolutely no chirping. Just a soft whooooshh sound. But here is what I found - my driving style is such that if I enter corners at insane speeds I would brake (prior to entering the corner) and let the momentum carry me through for a second till I reached the apex. Driving in such a fashion made the car slide a tiny bit and you could hear the soft whooosh sound. However these tyres performed better if immediately after I braked I punched it into and through the corner (as if trying to induce oversteer) and they stuck on catapulting me through even quicker. I simply cannot believe it.
3) In the wet - we are going through a heatwave, no water around anywhere, but I can't wait for winter.
All in all just a great tyre - better than the Turanza, equal possibly better than the P Zero Nero for dry grip but the P-Zero wasn't as comfortable. They are just elite tyres.
My favourite dish is the creamy chicken a cafe primo
***
As for wear, my Toyos lasted a mere 15k, then my first set of Conti's lasted 30k of similar driving (including trackdays). And my current set are at 15k now and still look on track to make 30k without a problem. 
