15” / 16” tyre advice for Rotrex supercharged mk1 1.6

Technical Area Wheels, Tyres & Brakes
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  1. My model of MX-5 is: a 1993 mk1 1.6 Eunos Roadster in Classic Red, with a C30-84 Rotrex Supercharger (85mm pulley)
  2. I’m based near: Gloucester
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: replacement tyres

Hi all, I’ve been an mx5 owner for many years now, my current car has been off the road for a few years now, due to having young children, but it’s coming back in a big way imminently, complete with a C30-84 Rotrex supercharger and associated upgrades.

I currently have 16” alloys from a Euphonic edition in the car, I love them although they are maybe a touch heavier than would technically be ideal, I’ve never found them a problem on this car, or my old 1.8 V Special when paired with meister r suspension.

The car is newly super pro polybushed though and, potentially the ride will be a little harder.

The car will be for spirited driving, touring and occasional track days.

the current tyres were installed nearly 8 years ago (I’m unsure exactly how old they are). So I’m guessing they will need replacing soon, if not immediately, particularly given the increase in power from stock to around 230bhp?

The current Kumho HS51 tyres , bought on the strength of NickD’s review and I have found them to be decent; nice and predictable if not amazing. I previously had Vredestein Sporttrac 5, which felt on-par with the kumhos and prior to that Continental SportContact 3’s which were brilliant. All of these have been 195 45 R16 80V.

So, the questions are:

do I stick with the current tyres?

do I replace them immediately?

If so, do I replace them with my favoured Continental SportContact 3’s in 195 section width, (despite them being an old design) or go with a newer design - perhaps the Kumho HS52?

Do I move up to a wider 205 45 R16, to handle the additional power and provide a slightly thicker sidewall, perhaps using the Continental Premium Contact 6? (Which is a relatively new design).

OR do I go for new, lightweight 15” wheels and a premium tyre in 195 50 R15? The Bridgestone Turanza 005 seems to be a sensible choice in this size as it’s well reviewed and a lightweight tyre - which could shave 15kg of unsprung weight from the current setup.

So many options!!

Informed advice very welcome!

Thanks.

Rich

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Personallly I would go with a 15x7 rim with 205’s on. I’ve had MK1’s with 14,15,16 and 17" wheels.

As to the tyres, unless they have been off the car and stored in a dark place, they will be very hard and no grip.

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Thank you, I’ve looked at 205 50 R15 and the tyre selection seems pretty limited, compared to 195 50 R15. They seem to have more options in that size in the states as it seems to be the size the turbo crowd use over there.

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I seem to recall that Euphoric wheels, although a nice style, were one of the heaviest wheels fitted as standard to MX-5’s at, if memory serves, 18lb per wheel. The standard tyre size was 205 45 16 as fitted by Mazda and the Sport Contact 6 will be by far the the best option out of standard tyres, although you will be paying over £500 a set.
By the way, I never said Kumho HS51 was a amazing tyre. I said it was better than the TR1, which people though was amazing.

1 Like
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The 215 45 R17 Contis fitted by NickD at the end of last year are settling in nicely on my 25AE.

They were a little bit twitchy for the first couple of hundred miles in the cold weather, and the car was not used much for the last few miserable months.

But now after two tankfuls in warmer weather they are very well planted, and the car feels secure on the road and eminently predictable.

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Thanks Nick, I know you never said they were amazing, they were exactly what you said they would be i.e. not amazing, but decent and predictable. Certainly better than the Toyos - which I found to be horrendous.

Yes, the Euphonic wheels are said to be 18lb, although i never really felt a massive penalty in ride comfort or performance when switching to them.

I’m not overly fussed about the cost of the tyres, the car will be used in the summer months only (in 99% dry weather) and therefore (with only very occasional light track use of a very averagely talented driver) it’s unlikely that I’ll be replacing them very often.

I’m leaning towards keeping the size at 16" - due to the Conti’s being likely the best rubber (and also a fairly lightweight tyre) - I think the Premium Contact 6 acted as a replacement for both the Premium contact 5 & Sport Contact 5?

The question then switches to whether lightweight 16" wheels would be worthwhile - I will be getting Wilwood Big Brakes at some point, so any alloys i have will need to accommodate them.

I’ve been eyeballing Advanti Storm S1’s, Enkei RPF1’s, PF01’s & PFM1’s / Advanti Presto’s (not sure if they’re a good idea as they don’t seem to have various certifications) - the last two because they look similar to the Euphonic alloys. BBS-Japan RP’s in Diamond Black are lovely, but maybe a bit too pricey.