A popular question: What tyres?

[kenson]

Hi everyone,

I own a 2001 NB8B with standard rims
Rims: 16 x 6.5, 40 offset
Tyres: 205 / 45 / 16


Now I am looking at getting some Buddy Club P1 Racing SFs Gunmetal
Rims: 16 x 7, offset 42
Tyres: 205 / 45 / 16 OR 215 / 45 / 16 OR 215 / 40 / 16

I know that most people would recommend the 205's. But would I have any issues going for wider wheels? I have completely stock suspension and I have tried searching already. Sorry is this topic has been covered!

I am getting the rims at $299 each (RRP is $326) if you're wondering

Thanks for all the help!

Cheers,

Kenny

[StanTheMan]

we also need to know what you expect from your tyre.

Tyres are generally a compromise between a few things you feel are important.

eg: tyre wear, grip handling and what kind of enviromet you'll be using them in. Like track work. or weekend club drives. or just commuting between home & work or a bit of all of the previous.

be aware, opinions are also subjective and of couse I'll personally be preaching a tyre that really only good for a combination of weekend mountain Touge and occasional track work. even with your stock as rock suspension.

[kenson]

we also need to know what you expect from your tyre.

Tyres are generally a compromise between a few things you feel are important.

eg: tyre wear, grip handling and what kind of enviromet you'll be using them in. Like track work. or weekend club drives. or just commuting between home & work or a bit of all of the previous.

be aware, opinions are also subjective and of couse I'll personally be preaching a tyre that really only good for a combination of weekend mountain Touge and occasional track work. even with your stock as rock suspension.

Thanks for the reply Stan! Every bit of advice counts since I don't really know

This car is my daily and I do like to go for a spirited drive here and there on weekends. I think I'm leaning more to the 205/45/16 combo due to price and availability. Also looking for something with a "rim protector"

Pretty sure anything will be better than my 6-7 year old original tyres on the car. And yes, they still have a huge amount of tread on them. In the last 7 years it's only put on about 30 000 k's

[mx52nv]

Hi kenson,
Speak to Kerry or Graeme at Bridgestone Bentley (Tel: 9458 4586) about some Adrenalins RE001s. Tell them Les sent you. I guarantee you won't be disappointed with both the performance of the tyres or their knowledge. You might catch a glimpse of Kerry's race car or any of the race cars they set up which would be reason enough to drop by....

Current Club Prez of WA and many of the club cars have been set up by Kerry Wade. Real unassuming guy but hugely talented driver. He personally spent a lot of time getting the MX5s to handle right over the last few years (mine included).

[kenson]

Hi kenson,
Speak to Kerry or Graeme at Bridgestone Bentley (Tel: 9458 4586) about some Adrenalins RE001s. Tell them Les sent you. I guarantee you won't be disappointed with both the performance of the tyres or their knowledge. You might catch a glimpse of Kerry's race car or any of the race cars they set up which would be reason enough to drop by....

Current Club Prez of WA and many of the club cars have been set up by Kerry Wade. Real unassuming guy but hugely talented driver. He personally spent a lot of time getting the MX5s to handle right over the last few years (mine included).

Sweet! Thanks Les. I'll have to drop by then. Had a look at the other RE001 thread and it seems people can get it for about $199 a corner which is fine with me

[Mr Morlock]

You got some good responses. For those just driving their car day to day and not pushing too hard an all rounder which gives adequate grip dry and wet and wears reasonably is likely to suit most drivers. Track driving is a different ball game and whilst some might disagree if you had the budget a separate set of wheels and tyres might be an option for that situation. Soft compound tyres normally do not have longevity as far as I am aware.

[CJ5]

Hi kenson,
Speak to Kerry or Graeme at Bridgestone Bentley (Tel: 9458 4586) about some Adrenalins RE001s. Tell them Les sent you. I guarantee you won't be disappointed with both the performance of the tyres or their knowledge. You might catch a glimpse of Kerry's race car or any of the race cars they set up which would be reason enough to drop by....

Current Club Prez of WA and many of the club cars have been set up by Kerry Wade. Real unassuming guy but hugely talented driver. He personally spent a lot of time getting the MX5s to handle right over the last few years (mine included).

nice i might go there for some RE001's when i need a new set (soon)

[Mick93]

If you can go to a Bridgestone tyre centre. I priced Sydney for RE001 (in 15's) and everywhere wanted $147. I went to a Bridgestone tyre centre $117. I ended up buy Toyo R1R's and they are awesome, every bit as good as my RT615's.

[bruce]

Go to a tyre shop and buy 4 black round ones that fit. Easy.

[fundies]

Just wondering if anyone has run say, 225 tyres on the rear, 205 on the front? Is this good or bad for thr MX5? Seems to me that MX5's suffer more from oversteer than understeer, and a wider rear tread may help dial this out in the dry.

[mx52nv]

Ian, our Motorsport Captain (WA), runs 225s all around. I think he said that he had tried some other size front to rear but not sure what it was.

However, I do remember that he tested plenty of tyres before settling on the 225s all around for maximum traction (he had like 200 rwkw and traction control).

In all honesty, I like having a little oversteer exiting most corners and in the MX5, it usually is very controllable.

[Charlie Brown]

Just wondering if anyone has run say, 225 tyres on the rear, 205 on the front? Is this good or bad for thr MX5? Seems to me that MX5's suffer more from oversteer than understeer, and a wider rear tread may help dial this out in the dry.

MX-5’s don’t suffer from oversteer. If you are experiencing oversteer then you have one or a combination of the following problems:
• alignment is out
• incorrect tyre pressures
• worn suspension parts
• hard/old tyres on the rear

Going to a 225 tyre on the rear will only add to your woes due to the increase in weight and the sloppy side walls on a 6.5" or 7" rim.

Back to kenson’s question; stick with the 205x45 section on that size rim for a daily drive.
The 215x40 will give you a harsher ride due to the wall height and is 2% smaller in circumference, meaning more engine revs. The 215x45 is heavier and is 2% larger in circumference.

[fundies]

My car has no particular oversteer \"problem\", just know that when pushed, the rear will tend to break way before the front, which I personally dont mind But my question was just a general one, to see if anyone got improvement out of going a slightly wider rear tyre to the front, as in the lotus elise, ferrari, porsche, corvette..................you get my drift.

[rjastra2]

as in the lotus elise, ferrari, porsche, corvette..................you get my drift.

Those cars are either mid/rear engined or have a surplus of power (corvette). An MX5 has none of these characteristics

[kenson]

Just wondering if anyone has run say, 225 tyres on the rear, 205 on the front? Is this good or bad for thr MX5? Seems to me that MX5's suffer more from oversteer than understeer, and a wider rear tread may help dial this out in the dry.

MX-5’s don’t suffer from oversteer. If you are experiencing oversteer then you have one or a combination of the following problems:
• alignment is out
• incorrect tyre pressures
• worn suspension parts
• hard/old tyres on the rear

Going to a 225 tyre on the rear will only add to your woes due to the increase in weight and the sloppy side walls on a 6.5" or 7" rim.

Back to kenson’s question; stick with the 205x45 section on that size rim for a daily drive.
The 215x40 will give you a harsher ride due to the wall height and is 2% smaller in circumference, meaning more engine revs. The 215x45 is heavier and is 2% larger in circumference.

Thanks Charlie

I have gone for the lighter rims and the RE001's in the 205x45 size