best tyre choice for 15" wheels

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:07 pm

hi all
i might be going on a road trip to nt in june/july and also thinking I might take the mx5 along and give it a bit of a work out . also thought it might be a smart idea to upgrade the tyres to something a bit better.
at the moment i have kumo 205/50's all round nothing special but they do the job. hopefully i would also prefer to stick to the 50 profile and a better ride quality.
suspension is stock standard but have no interest in upgrading it.
what i'd like to know is what tyres would the forum member recommend to handle a bit of high speed running. ive thought about this run on and off for years and -I think it's time!....lol

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:21 pm

FZ201
DZ03
R888
Advan AD08 Neova
Advan A050

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:22 pm

for starters, 205/50/15 is a great choice of size. (assuming your wheels are 15x7 or 15x8)

As for "high speed running" I assume you mean cruising long distance on the highway? and since you said NT, I also assume high-high speed runs

To be honest, any tyre will do really, i'd just pump them up a few psi more than usual for the highway, and make sure it's got a decent alignment.

For the NT part i'd just make sure that the tyre you buy is speed rated to beyond what the car can reach (I think legally they need to be anyway)
The only other thing I'd suggest is getting the wheels balanced as well (the shop should do this when they fit the tyres)

I've run my car at 150kph for a while (20mins or so), with a peak of just under 200 at one point.
MX5's are pretty stable, your biggest concern will be dips, crests, and crosswinds at that speed.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:23 pm

Magpie wrote:FZ201
DZ03
R888
Advan AD08 Neova
Advan A050

Would you really want to use semis, or sorta-semis on a road trip to the NT?

Surely after the first few hundred km on the highway they'd be overheated and stuffed already? (not familiar with the specifics of semis, just know that they can be fussy with heat cycles)

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:51 pm

Whilst not the same as car tires for my motorcycle days in the NT when there were no speed restrictions I used Bridgestone Battlax a very soft compound tire. Nothing like doing 240 plus on a 250cc weighting in at 90kg. Tires/pads used to last around 5,000km.

Back on topic, the tires I did mention are not that sensitive to heat cycling. In addition at highway speeds there is not much risk of overheating.

Trackphotos · Postby **Trackphotos** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 6:51 pm

hks_kansei wrote:
Magpie wrote:FZ201
DZ03
R888
Advan AD08 Neova
Advan A050

Would you really want to use semis, or sorta-semis on a road trip to the NT?

Surely after the first few hundred km on the highway they'd be overheated and stuffed already? (not familiar with the specifics of semis, just know that they can be fussy with heat cycles)

Road driving is never going to get tyres hot enough to use heat cycles. You'll burn through the soft rubber quickly in general use, but you are never going to get them up to 75c+ without finding some mountains to run through.