[3/9/2005] Reviewed by: Matt Bernazzoli - Mbernazzoli@hotmail.com
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Remington XT120 HR4 tires in 195/50H15.
Ive had these installed on my American Racing 15x7 wheels for about 25,000 miles now. These tires are NOT a good choice for a light car like the Miata. I had a set on my Saab 900s commuter and they were fine but they are harsh, handle poorly and will not stay balanced. I would not buy them again for my car. If you use your car for commuting only they would be fine since they are a 60,000 mile tire but not a sport tire.
Ive had these installed on my American Racing 15x7 wheels for about 25,000 miles now. These tires are NOT a good choice for a light car like the Miata. I had a set on my Saab 900s commuter and they were fine but they are harsh, handle poorly and will not stay balanced. I would not buy them again for my car. If you use your car for commuting only they would be fine since they are a 60,000 mile tire but not a sport tire.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Remmington (aka Dunlop off-brand)
Bought a 96 with worn cracked orignial dunlops with 36,000 miles. The dealer replaced two with the Remmington's. The tires looked to have a good tread pattern and seemed OK at first. I thought the ride was a bit firmer, appropriate with new tires. Soon replaced the other pair. After 10 miles, I returned to the dealer to rebalance. The car demonstrated the 65 mile per hour shimmy for the first time, road as if I had 50 lbs in the tires. I've since rebalanced the tires 3 times. Never have they been smooth. I replaced all four rims thinkng that the vibration (now severe) was due to the old bent rims (pre-purchase). This seemed to improve the majority of the severe vibration, but the ride is still harsh.
I don't like these tires. They ride harsh regardless of tire pressure. They are easy to spin, although the fronts have never broken free. Very slick in the rain, except in straight line, where seem OK. Can't wait to where them down enough to try something else stickier and smoother. In their defense, I have to say they are quiet and have never squealed. When the rear end brakes loose, it never fully releases, but feels as if someone armoralled the treads.
Under 5 minutes to remove
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Tires on my used/leased '95 M, bought with 46,000 miles on it.
The only good thing I can say about these tires is that I have no hesitation in leaving as much of them on the streets as I get in touch with my Miata. Under dry conditions they handle reasonably well for slightly aggressive driving, but if they get even the slightest bit wet, they're downright dangerous. Coming off the line in the rain is all clutch, LSD and hoping nobody's too close to me. I bought my '95 M as a used/leased car and all I can figure is that the original owner wore the tires out and slapped these deathtraps on there before returning the car. I'm thankful they took great care of the rest of my honey, but their tire choice is almost a convictable offense.
These are not the XTR tires which seem to have gotten better reviews, either way, check tirerack.com for new shoes (they don't sell Remington).
Almost a D60; significantly less money.
They don't feel quite as good for aggressive driving as my old Dunlop D60s, but the Remingtons really are quite a solid tire for the money, and some might like them better than the Dunlops.
As promised, here's my several-thousand-mile report:
All in all, if I weren't living on student loan money at the moment, I think I would have dealt with the extra hassle of leaving town to find a Dunlop dealer and shelled out the extra money for D60s. For the money, though, these Remingtons are still a heck of a tire.
For those of you who do serious highway mileage with your Miatae, you might even prefer the Remingtons, which have a more-flexible sidewall. I think my ride is more compliant than with the Dunlops, and the Remingtons are almost as capable (albeit not quite as much fun) as the D60.
But when dealing with the laws of physics, any benefit requires some tradeoff, and in the case of the Remingtons, the same pliable sidewall that makes them fairly pleasant for long trips limits their floggability. The overall grip seems to be fairly comparable to the D60, but sidewall howl sets in far sooner, and you lose a bit of precision. In my favorite sweepers (which I admit to taking really quite fast at times), I can tell I'm riding on the sidewalls to a degree, which I never felt with the Dunlops.
To their credit, these tires are perfectly fine for day-to-day type sport driving; their shortcomings really only emerge when charging quite hard. They let you know when they're working hard, which would make these a good choice for new drivers -- the sound will make you pull back a bit unless you're either quite confident or quite cocky. I do like the D60 better, but these tires are a solid value, especially for those who'd like to take a bit of jiggle out of their ride.
A clone of the Dunlop D60 A2 for less money -- no kidding!
I just had a set of four XT120 HR4s installed on my '94 this afternoon, after my old D60s had finally worn out. No one -- either in my hometown or on campus -- was an authorized Dunlop dealer, and so I couldn't get another set of D60s for less than $290. That was disappointing, because I've had D60s on my last two Miatas have worn D60, and I'm convinced they're the best value for daily-driver Miatas.
Enter the good news. A local dealer told me that these Remingtons come off the same line as the D60s, use the same core, and use the same compound. When I compared them side-to-side, even their tread patterns are VERY similar. They even offer the same 45,000-mile treadlife warranty as the D60s. The only significant difference I can see is that these only cost me $211 for all four installed, when D60s would have run about $290.
I've only put about 25 dry-pavement miles on the Remingtons so far, but at least in moderate backroad-flogging, they feel as good as D60s (at least compared to my old, worn-out set).
I'll be certain to post another review once I've logged more miles under more conditions, but I wanted to spread the word immediately that there just may be a better bargain than D60s -- as long as you're willing to do without the cachet of the "Dunlop" script on the sidewall.
| Back to Product Reviews | 10 April, 2005 |