Applicable to: '90 - '97
185/65-14 P6000 Tires
We installed these tires on our '92 black & tan Miata
This was the "performance" version of the tire--not the all-season version. Rather lackluster...cold set on colder mornings, the tires thumped. Turn in was not very good. Tires were quiet. We had the dreaded 65 mph vibration. Frankly, we were disappointed.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Pirelli p-7000 summer (not to be confused with super sport) size 185/60/14. I ordered these based on several things. Price, performance, and weight. These are some of the least expensive tires I've seen for performance driving. They have a soft compound, stiff sidewall, and excellent tread block design. They are among the lightes tires available.
I have had these mounted for about 1 month now. They are on factory 14 X 5.5" alloys. I am using them with FM springs and AGX shocks. The dry and wet grip is incredible, compared to my last tires, Dunlop D-60 A2's. I can drive closer to the limit with more confidence. The turn in response is great, thanks to the stiffer sidewall. Treadwear rating is low, only 160, so I won't expect a long life from these. That will also depend alot on how they are used. I bought them for daily driving, and for that they should last considerably longer than at the track or auto-x.
Keep in mind that most tire performance characteristics are subjective. My reference for the inputs above are daily driving, with suspension mods, and comparing to a lesser tire. The best attribute these tires have to offer is value. If you search for other super high performance rubber in this size you won't find anything that compares under $60 per tire. For me that is compelling enough reason to perchase them.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce 185/60HR14 Tires
I was looking for a tire in the OEM size to replace my Dunlop D60A2's. My search through the internet came up with these Pirelli tires (Tire Rack had a review). I purchased from Sears, they matched Tire Rack's price (plus shipping).
First thing I noticed --- they are quiet! I never realized how much noise the Dunlop's made. I also have no vibration - at any speed. I am not a real aggressive driver, but traction seems as good or better than the Dunlops and the tread design "looks good" if nothing else. I have about 4,000 miles on them and am very satisfied.
Not an installed item
I have a financial interest in this product.
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.8 liter
High performance tires
Never had a problem with my OEM Yokohamas but when these hard all seasons were installed, I was introduced to the incurable 60mph shake. My dealer replaced all 4 tires and re-balanced several times but the problem would not go away, so finally we substituted Dunlop D60s. Problem solved!
I can only conclude from my experience and from reading other comments on this page that something in the Miata drive train causes a vibration at certain speeds and hard compound tires with an unmodified suspension add up to an unbearable shimmy over 60mph. The Dunlops are fine but no better than my original tires.
Applicable to: '99 +
Pirelli P7000 & Mille Miglia Spider Wheels.
I recently upgraded my '99 Silver Miata to larger wheels and a higher performance tire. When I bought the car it had a set of Goodyear Wingfoot 185/15 entry level performance tires mounted on the stock rims. Not a bad entry level performance tire and the handling was not bad, but I was looking for a lower profile more aggressive setup. After spending a lot of time reading reviews on Miatanet, tire rack and some of the High perfromance car magazines I went with Pirelli P7000 60/215's on 16" Mille Miglia wheels. The car looks great and handles much better. It sits lower to the ground and you can definitely feel the road better. I order them from the tire rack and had a great experience with them, they delivered the rims and wheels to my door and I had them installed with a week of ordering them. Definitely worth the extra couple of bucks to have tire rack mount and balance the tires on the rims.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
205/10-15 tires 3 season tires; W speed rating (168 mph); Treadwear rating of 160; Load rating of 89
I ordered the tires last fall from TireRack, receiving them in just over 3 days. I got around to installing the tires about a week ago on my '99 LP and have been driving on them every day for a total of about 300 miles so far.
Installation was a hassle as the local tire shop mangled two of my wheels (and replaced them at their cost) due to the very stiff sidewalls. No hassles so far other than that.
I purchased these tires to use in daily driving with a significant amount of autocrossing. The appealing aspects of the tires were the low tread wear rating (160), stiffer sidewalls (than the Michelin Pilot SX-GTs), and directional tread.
The ride seems to be stiffer than the stock Michelins as expected, but not harsh by any stretch. It was a significant improvement in ride over the well worn, heavily autocrossed Michelins.
The stiffer sidewall and stickier compound seem to stick much better than the Michelins and will probably be a big improvement when autocrossing. I need to adjust tire pressures to determine the best street setting. I am current at 30 psi. and will drop 2 psi until I find the ride I am looking for. No 60 mph shimmy yet!!! Others experience may be related to tire pressure.
I n 3 weeks I will autocross and report back. Presently, those looking for a good street tire that handles rain and spirited driving well will probably like the P7000s.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Pirelli P7000 215/40R16
This is an update to my original review...
Now after 13 months and 17,000 miles of use, my 215/40R16 Pirelli P7000's are still holding up well. Performance in the rain is somewhat deminished for the extrodinary performance when new, but dry performance is still very good. I just participated in a track event using these tires and they performed well for a non-race compound tire. Break away is fairly predictable (not sudden). Road noise is fairly low. Performance in the snow is terrible. Contrary to other reviews of this tire, I had major difficulty driving in the snow with these tires. (I have a spare set of Blizzaks that use in the snow... major improvement).
Overall, I am still quite pleased with these tires. For my style of driving, they are holding up quite well with continued good performance. I have no experience with other Z-rated tires or any other tire in a 215/40R16 size, but I am quite pleased with these. They were cheaper than most other tires in this size; a very good buy in my opinion. Once these tire wear out, I will likely buy them again.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to
205/40/17 pirelli p7000 summer
the pirelli p7000 summer tires perform very well in the rain or snow. this is my 3rd set of tires on the car and they are worth buying again. my previous tires are toyo t1 proxes and yokohama A- 510.
out of the three, the t1's performed best but they only lasted less than 15k would not slip no matter how hard you turned in the rain.
the yokohama's looked best because they looked as if they had a skinnier sidewall. the yokohama's slipped a lot in the rain not a very good rain tire.
the pirelli's are almost as sticky as the t1's, almost as solid through puddles on the freeway, and they are still in good shape and already have 11k miles on them. they are called summers but they are effective in the rain as well. i have confidence in them going around wet corners as much as the t1's. they are not nearly as expensive as the t1's. with the pirelli p7000 summers, you have very high performance as well as great tire wear
sorry i don't own a miata but the pirelli p7000's are the way to go. i wouldn't spend that much money on the toyo t1's and i would only buy the yokohama's if it was sunny all year round. its not sunny all year round here in seattle..
Not an installed item
High performance tires to go with 16" wheels.
I bought these tires from the Tire Rack for $99 each. These tires where purchased to go onto a set of Borbet Type F 16"x7" wheels purchased at a prior date (also from the TireRack... see review on wheels).
After having the tires for about a month now, I've determined a made a very good choice. HANDLING: In comparison to some old H-rated tires 185/60R14's on steel rims, these new tires grip MUCH better in both dry and wet conditions. Haven't tried snow yet. The car feels noticably flatter now around curves, similar to sway bar upgrades. I can feel the road much more and my steering wheel wants to turn/wander in my hands a bit more with road imperfections, however the car still moves in a straight line. Steering effort was hardly increased. I was pleasantly surprised about this since I was concerned with not having power steering. RIDE QUALITY: Even though I went from a 14" setup to a 16" setup, I was surprised at how little the ride quality was affected. Yes, they are a slight bit firmer but not objectionable,
One small note about the fitment of the tires on the wheels I choose. The tires fit so well on the wheels that there is very little edge left on the wheel. When having an alignment done, the equipment generally used needs to grip on to the wheel edges. Since the tires are so close to the edges, it is very difficult for alignment equipment to be attached. This may not be an issue if the technician lets air out of the tires first, mounts the equipment, then refills the tires.
These tires were not my first choice but for the price, it made it easy for me to choose these over much more expensive tires. Overall, I'm very pleased with these tires. I hope they last long. Would I do it again? Yes, if they don't wear out too fast.
P7000 205/45R16
Purchased new RONAL wheels for my '93 (I also installed the Pirelli Winter Ice on my stock wheels). The tire and wheel combo is great performing and looking. The 16" gives a better look to the car than the stck 14". The increased traction and braking is far superior to the stock set-up. A small investment on tires and wheels can make a world of difference with the vehicle. I recommend the Pirelli tires to wants to upgrade their Miata.
The ride quality was never an issue. The stock P185/60R14's were somewhat stiff on the vehicle. Plus sizing really had no effect on the ride, but it surely give the added confidence in hndling and braking
High performance tire and wheel package from the tire rack.
I purchased these tires as a package from the tire rack. 16x7 inch Borbet type F wheels and 215-40-16ZR tires. My car is a stock 94 R package. My previous tires were Dunlop D60 195-60-14 tires on stock 14x6 inch alloys. Once I set the tire pressure to 26 psi the car performed exactly as I expected! On a local roundabout the dunlops could manage 44-45 mph at the very most. The Pirelli P7000's have improved my speed to an easy to control 51 mph! I look at this as a true 7 MPH improvement in cornering speed. I also feel that more pressure will help too, but the car is too stiff riding for higher pressure in the tires. I don't know about the life span on these tires but the grip is so good it does not matter. My only wish is that I had gotten the next size up 225-40-16. the tires took 4 days to get here and were ready to go. I am very pleased, you will be too.
| Back to Product Reviews | 15 December, 2002 |