Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
185/60R14 summer tyres.
Dreadful tyre. More suited to sedans than sports cars. If you have stock suspension with massive body roll expect the sidewalls to roll underneath and squeal like a stuck pig. If you have upgraded your suspension there is no reason to even consider these tyres as you'll very likely experience sudden spin out. Because they have soft side walls expect to inflate them to 35 to 37 psi for a more suitable ride. They'll then tram line.
On par with the cheapest tyres at any of the major tyre chains. Avoid like the plague. They are not made for hard cornering. No self respecting Miata owner should ever be found with these tyres.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
185/60/14 Sumitomo Tires for 1997 Miata.
Tires are good for commuting with an occassional jaunt in the mountains. On the track, I'd guess it'd be a good tire for a novice to learn car control with good but not great grip. On hotter days, the tires ultimately succomb to heat and feel greasy/slippery. The tread doesn't look exotic like the Azenis of ES100s.
For being so cheap, these are pretty darn good tires. Great overall tire for, like I said, the commuter who heads up to the mountains every once in a while. On the track, though, you'll be beaten.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Replacement tire option for Miata
Excellent! This tire can be had cheaply. I can't be sure if Dunlop A60s I had prior to this tire were deteriorating so badly, but the ride and handling has substantially improved in my 12 year old car. It has performed well up to 100 mph, gas mileage about the same, and gives good traction on wet roads. Will post if anything changes, but in 200 mi with this tire, all is well.
As cheap as $30 a tire, with $30 s/h for 4 tires from discounters on the Internet. I paid $70 retail per tire, if you can find a good installer, this tire's a steal. Dumb name, a bit skinny looking, compared to the Dunlops, but the performance improvement rocks.
Not an installed item
Sumitmo HTR 100, 185/60-14
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Advertised as a "summer" tire, "engineered for increased dry grip,comfortable ride, reduced tire noise and extended treadwear" on Tirerack.com. $41 dollars from same. In retrospect, I'd say they are overcharging.
I had these tires mounted on 27 July 99 in preparation for the big Deal's Gap event. If I had written this review after that weekend, I would have nothing but praise for the tires. "Way more grip than a $41 tire has any right to give" was a phrase I used many times during that weekend. They gave great performance, never failing to deliver at /least/ as much grip as I asked for, whether it meant triple-legal speeds up and down Foothills Parkyway or chasing down (and catching)sportbikes in the Gap proper, I was just amazed with these tires. As it turns out, I'm really glad I didn't write the review then, because these tires are pretty much worthless after only 4 months and some change. The dry grip is only passable at best, and wet performance is downright DANGEROUS. In the wet, it isn't a question of "will I slide", but one of "how badly will I slide", "how often will I slide", and "when I slide, will it be recoverabe?".
If it rains where you live, or if there is the slightest possibility that you may drive on wet roads, do NOT buy these tires! Heck, even if you live in a completely rain-free environment, do NOT buy these tires.. After 4 months, the grip is almost completely gone, but there's probably at least another couple of years worth of treadlife left in them.
Under 5 minutes to remove
HTR (?) Z rated 205/40 17"inch tires
everyone complains they just ain't thick enough....i'm the guy driving the car! had never heard of the name before, liked the tread pattern and the price for the tires was unbeatable. $109 each....have held up great so far, not very noisy at high speeds, might recommend 215's for the rear though. appearence is top notch since their mounted with some 17'inch tsw vx-1 wheels.
great looking tires for a great price...would highly recommend to others. forward any questions to me at jbirdnc@yahoo.com
Relatively inexpensive performance tires..big on value...HUGE on performance
I bought the tires from TIRE RACk mounted on 15 x 7 borbet type F rims. WOW...205/50 really makes a big handling difference! These tires have 25,000 miles on them, are driven extremely hard by this owner...no loss of grip or sign of excessive wear.
Geez...even without a TIRE RACK special...$76 a tire is a bargain and if i've gone 25k miles in 6 months..these tires will probably hit at least 50 thousand with moderate wear. And boy they are STICKY!
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25 January, 2009 |
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