I’ve gone off the idea of hard, high mileage tyres.
The Michelins on the front of my 3 series lasted so well, they degraded before they wore out, despite lots of use.
Much better to replace for wear due to a soft compound than to have to replace for degradation in a hard compound, especially with a sports car.
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Is that Kumho tyre in 14" Mick, I don’t see that being offered at the moment, just the EcoWing ES31
I agree - my NB has only done 22k miles in 20 years, so mileage isn’t really an issue for me. The difficulty I’m having is identifying a soft compound sports tyre in 185/60 R14 that’s readily available.
I got 16’s for my daily driver and the NC takes 17’s.
Had Bridgestone’s on the daily from new, never really felt the ride was good, harsh really. Then they went off rather quickly after around 3 years, poorish grip in the wet. I stuck with them as a car used mostly locally.
Enter the Kumho, I know most new tyres are decent when new but the Kumho on both cars NC over 6 years old remain very grippy dry or wet.
A lot of people run PS4’s and assym5’s on fast BMW’s and swear by them as a more useable alternative to the PSS’s that they come with as standard.
The one consistent comment is the Goodyear’s sidewall is stiffer than the Michelin, which on a light car like the MX5 could affect the ride quality for minimal benefit.
I don’t like the S001’s on my car. Too unpredictable, not great in the wet and very harsh feeling, so I’m going to PS4’s when I eventually get round to ordering new wheels.
There are lots of 185 60 14 tyres available, however as it is not a mainstream size any more the prices are more than you used to be.
I have just put a set of Hankook on a members car and he is very happy with them.
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Maybe lots of tyres Nick, but not so many tyres that might be considered genuine sports tyres, eg Michelin PS4, Goodyear Eagle F1. Vredestein Sportrac 5 seems very scarce in this size. As far as I can see, the available tyres seem generally what might be considered standard saloon car tyres. Perfectly good tyres but not what you would specifically choose for a sports car.
Because it is in no way a size that would be put on a sports car / saloon / SUV or any other vehicle these days, even C1’s are on 15" Don’t be sucked into the has to be Michelin or Goodyear. The Sportrac 5, which I doubt you will find, was no better that the Dunlop Blue Response which is no better that the Hankook K425. If you want grip, then there is the Nankang NS-2R, which will be very noisy and unless you can get heat into them, which is hard on a road, will offer you little more than “normal” tyres and will squeal on roundabouts making you look like you are trying when you are only half trying. You can go R888, the MRF ZTR tyre would put all of them to shame. It very much depends on how much you are willing to spend and how much you are willing to compromise. If you want a big name brand then the Conti Eco Contact 6 will fit the bill.
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Thanks for that additional info Nick, much appreciated!
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Another point to think about, your 15 year old sports car fitted with “standard saloon tyres” from 2021 will more than likely be better shod than it would have been back in 2006 with the ‘best tyres’ of the day.
I wouldn’t over think this.
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Understand that you rarely want ultimate grip on the road, but progression. You want to know what your tyres are doing and what they are going to do next so you can act rather than reacting. With this you will get far more enjoyment rather than thinking “I hope these tyres don’t let go.”
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I know what you’re saying but it’s currently fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 - I was just trying to find an equivalent replacement and the reality is that no one is really making an equivalent in this size any more unless you go for track tyres (which is not what I want).
I’m sure it’s not what you want to hear but it’s looking as though you’ll need wheels as well as tyres to get what you’re after.
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