tyre replacement time.

[NMX516]

I too am with Charlie brown on this one.

When I first bought my NB8A, it had Good Year Eagle F1's on it. I had read a few reviews and they generally got a good wrap, however, I found them diabolical in the wet, and average in the dry. AJ will be able to recall following me over Mt Glorious here in Brisbane one day in heavy rain with the F1's on, and it was a spectacle for him of watching an NB slide around. I was taking it very easy and just doing my best to stay off the walls and armco...

I then bought PP2's. I will happily rave about these tyres all day, and they lasted ~25,000kms including 8 track days. AJ had got about 40,000kms from his if I remember correctly, all with weekend, 'spirited' driving. They are very predictable in wet and dry, grip very well, are quiet, comfortable, well constructed, and long lasting. Sure there are cheaper tyres available, but what price is your safety? Tyres are one thing i will never settle for second best with.

Last year I was lining up to sell the NB8A, and the PP2's were just about done - wouldn't have passed a road worthy. RE001's had got some good reviews on here, and yes, were cheaper than the PP2's, so I decided to try them, thinking I would be selling the car soon after. Worst thing I ever did. My thoughts on those tyres are well known around these parts, so I won't go into that again.

Needless to say, I now have PP2's on the SP as well... It will take a lot for me to use another road tyre on the MX5. I also have a set of Toyo 888's, which I use for the track, but I wouldn't be too keen on using them as an every day street tyre due to noise, tyre life, and they don't handle standing water too well.

Those of us who use PP2's swear by them, with good reason.

[Rocky]

I replaced the standard Bridgestone Turanzas at 20,000Kms as they were 5yrs old and a bit hard. I was very happy with the Turanzas but the popular opinion on the Forum was for the PP2s. My impression of the Michelin PP2s is that they have very good grip and are very progressive. I find them very 'squirmy' and 'tram-tracky' in most circumstances EXCEPT when I put them under pressure, and then they are terriffic and confidence-inspiring. I can reduce the 'squirmyness' with 36psi or above but on the crappy country roads up here they shake my fillings out so I run them at 34psi(hot) most of the time. I would imagine that they perform differently on the various Series of MX5.

[Caffeine]

RE001's had got some good reviews on here, and yes, were cheaper than the PP2's, so I decided to try them, thinking I would be selling the car soon after. Worst thing I ever did. My thoughts on those tyres are well known around these parts, so I won't go into that again.

Which we established was due to the 15in RE001's being made in Australia, vs the 16in ones being made in Japan...

[RobH]

I have the 17 inch RE001's and have been very happy with them. They are also the ones made in Japan.

[rjastra2]

As someone mentioned... Motor has a current tyre test that includeds the RE001. They too commented on the Bridgestones poor (comparitively) wet weather ability.

[fecat]

I too am with Charlie brown on this one.

When I first bought my NB8A, it had Good Year Eagle F1's on it. I had read a few reviews and they generally got a good wrap, however, I found them diabolical in the wet, and average in the dry. AJ will be able to recall following me over Mt Glorious here in Brisbane one day in heavy rain with the F1's on, and it was a spectacle for him of watching an NB slide around. I was taking it very easy and just doing my best to stay off the walls and armco...

I then bought PP2's. I will happily rave about these tyres all day, and they lasted ~25,000kms including 8 track days. AJ had got about 40,000kms from his if I remember correctly, all with weekend, 'spirited' driving. They are very predictable in wet and dry, grip very well, are quiet, comfortable, well constructed, and long lasting. Sure there are cheaper tyres available, but what price is your safety? Tyres are one thing i will never settle for second best with.

Last year I was lining up to sell the NB8A, and the PP2's were just about done - wouldn't have passed a road worthy. RE001's had got some good reviews on here, and yes, were cheaper than the PP2's, so I decided to try them, thinking I would be selling the car soon after. Worst thing I ever did. My thoughts on those tyres are well known around these parts, so I won't go into that again.

Needless to say, I now have PP2's on the SP as well... It will take a lot for me to use another road tyre on the MX5. I also have a set of Toyo 888's, which I use for the track, but I wouldn't be too keen on using them as an every day street tyre due to noise, tyre life, and they don't handle standing water too well.

Those of us who use PP2's swear by them, with good reason.

so where is the best place to get the PP2's in 16 inches in Sydney? How much will I be looking at. I will be upgrading to Tein Flex Coilover and swaybar as well, so a good set of tyre is a must. I think I am currently running Dunlop Lemans from the previous owner - extremely disappoint with it. nuff said

[NMX516]

RE001's had got some good reviews on here, and yes, were cheaper than the PP2's, so I decided to try them, thinking I would be selling the car soon after. Worst thing I ever did. My thoughts on those tyres are well known around these parts, so I won't go into that again.

Which we established was due to the 15in RE001's being made in Australia, vs the 16in ones being made in Japan...

The only thing established seemed to be that the Japanese made ones were ok, and the Australian made ones were not, I don't recall size coming into it, although I suppose if they don't make the 16's in Australia, then...

I don't mind what tyres anyone buys, but when someone asks what I would recommend, or inversely what I wouldn't recommend, then I will tell them to stay away from Bridgestone, and why.

Caffeine, perhaps you should try a set of PP2's next time around and see what all the fuss is about. Unless you work for Bridgestone, then what do you have to lose?

[wun911]

Ive had the RE001s for a while both on my 17" enkei and 16" oem all made in jap. Im pretty happy with them, I do ocasional track days and they were quite good.

I might try the PP2 next but I was afraid when they say its made in thailand...

[Caffeine]

Caffeine, perhaps you should try a set of PP2's next time around and see what all the fuss is about. Unless you work for Bridgestone, then what do you have to lose?

Why would I spend more on a tyre, when the ones I currently use have more grip than I need in every situation, and last a hell of a long time?

At my recent rego test, on the RE001's, my car managed 1.3g peak braking, and an average of 1.05g. Lateral grip is far beyond anything I would attempt on the road, they are quiet and turn in and handling are great. What more could I want?

[NMX516]

So it's a cost issue. Fair enough. If you're happy with RE001's on your car that's great, you're the only one who has to be.

The way I look at it is that you never know when you'll be in an emergency situation which requires more than your tyres can handle, and yes that could occur with any tyre. So why not have the highest safety threshold you can buy? I'd hate to have a crash and survive to think "if only I'd bought the better tyres...."

[Caffeine]

So it's a cost issue. Fair enough. If you're happy with RE001's on your car that's great, you're the only one who has to be.

The way I look at it is that you never know when you'll be in an emergency situation which requires more than your tyres can handle, and yes that could occur with any tyre. So why not have the highest safety threshold you can buy? I'd hate to have a crash and survive to think "if only I'd bought the better tyres...."

It's most certainly not a cost issue, it's a matter of whether spending more on something that's not necessarily better is a worthwhile exercise. You make it sound as though the bridgestones are a cheap and nasty treacherous tyre that will collapse in a pile of smoke when under duress, which is most certainly not the case. I very much doubt you could find a situation where the michelins will save you from a threat where the bridgestones can't.

Tyres are a personal preference, some people rave about the toyo T1, whereas I think they are terrible, and others such as yourself swear by the michelins. I'm not saying you're wrong, but don't automatically assume that your choice is better for me. I like the way the bridgestones respond, and they have all the qualities I desire from a tyre. When it came to putting tyres on again a few weeks ago, I looked at every option available in the size and load / speed rating for my car, and decided on the bridgestones again.

[Sailor]

I have the Maxxis MAZ1 on my NC.
I think they are a better tyre than the PP2 in handling, grip, noise and price.
BUT are they available in your size.

[NMX516]

It's most certainly not a cost issue, it's a matter of whether spending more on something that's not necessarily better is a worthwhile exercise. You make it sound as though the bridgestones are a cheap and nasty treacherous tyre that will collapse in a pile of smoke when under duress, which is most certainly not the case. I very much doubt you could find a situation where the michelins will save you from a threat where the bridgestones can't.

I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm saying that in my experience with both tyres, the PP2's are better than the RE001's, which yes, is a personal choice. That is based on personal experience with both, and on the same car. In my case, the RE001's did fail, and the build quality was woeful - fact. Sure there are plenty of people here who rave about the RE001's, in fact it was many of those opinions on here which lead me to buying a set. From my experiences with them, and having had PP2's and RE001's, I would not go back to RE001's. I don't think there is anyone here who has used both for extended periods and would choose the RE001's based solely on performance.

I have found situations where the Michelins would have saved me but the RE001's would have struggled. The M1 from Brisbane to the Gold Coast has sections of concrete roadway. In heavy rain, the difference in ability of those two makes of tyres on that road were pronounced. I felt decidedly uncomfortable at 90km/hr with the RE001's, but in a similarly heavy down pour on that same section of road months later, the PP2's didn't cause any alarm traveling at the 110km/hr speed limit.

Another thing I like about them vs the RE001's, is that they're non-directional, so can be rotated more, thereby potentially prolonging their life. You can't do that with four RE001's. The initial cost then could well be closer at the end of the day if total distance travelled by each tyre were to be taken into account.

Tyres are a personal preference, some people rave about the toyo T1, whereas I think they are terrible, and others such as yourself swear by the michelins. I'm not saying you're wrong, but don't automatically assume that your choice is better for me. I like the way the bridgestones respond, and they have all the qualities I desire from a tyre. When it came to putting tyres on again a few weeks ago, I looked at every option available in the size and load / speed rating for my car, and decided on the bridgestones again.

Yeah agreed, again I'm not trying to argue, and I agree with what you're saying. My whole point in this is that I have found the PP2's to be much better than the RE001's. I'm not trying to ram PP2's down anyone's throat. My view of this forum and the question in this thread of which tyre to choose, should help forum members to hear both the good and bad experiences that people have had, so that they can perhaps avoid the same situation, as well as benefit from good "reviews" of any product discussed. I am satisfied with how much better I believe PP2's to be over Re001's, as you are with RE001's v toyo T1's... My posts here are the same thing as if someone asked you about Toyo T1's v RE001's, would you not give them your opinion on both and suggest that they avoid the T1's?

Caffeine I think we might just have to agree to disagree But if you ever get the chance to try PP2's give them a go, I don't think you would be disappointed with their ability and quality. Cheers,

[Uncle Arthur]

I'll say it again - Yokohama S-Drives.

The Yoko A539s were a great tyre for the MX5 - they replaced them with the C-Drive which were apparently awful until they bedded in.

I went straight to the S-Drives for a great deal, only just more than I'd have paid for the C-Drives.

If you're in Brisbane - go see Milton at Bob Jane Taringa - club sponsor.

[AJ]

Bob Jane Taringa - club sponsor.

sorry mate, incorrect, they do however still give a discount if a club card is produced.......or so I'm told.