My model of MX-5 is: __nc 3.5 2013 sport tech, Hard Top
I’m based near: __ grantham
I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __ tires.
so I need to replace the tires on my 3.5
I have narrowed my choice down to a particular tire.
however b4 I pull the trigger on £600 of tires I just want to check with the community to see if there is any recommended tire for the 3.5?
as it would be really annoying to spend that money and then find out I should have fitted something else!
The world’s your oyster!
I put Maxxis Premitra on mine 2 years ago and a brilliant tyre in my opinion.
Kumho’s, Goodyear, Michelin the choice is yours. Some will say one brand is better than another perhaps.
Plenty of threads on here discussing the topic.
Have you considered buying a road legal semi-slick tyre? Something like a Yokahama AD08R or maybe even a Toyo R888R? It all depends on what kind of use you intend to make of the car. As an every day all weather kind of car they probably wouldn’t be the best choice, but in dry conditions they will certainly give you a lot more overall grip. And as long as there’s no standing water they’ll still be fine in the wet.
however, those Michelin pilots look promising so il give them a closer look.
anyway as I said, my main reason for asking is purely to make sure that there isn’t a recommended tyre because it would suck to turn up at a meet and have everyone say “you should have gotten,” iv experienced that kind of thing before too many times and its not fun.
and at the end of the day, I am NOT a car guy, I am a driving guy!
most people probably won’t get the distinction but I get the strong feeling that the members of the mx5 club will understand the difference.
I would think very carefully about ‘run flat’ tyres and consider the downsides of running this type of tyre, particularly on a lighter car such as the MX5. I have had a look at the link and can see no reference to it being a run flat tyre.
I’m 100% positive that you have no need to spend 600 nicker on a set of skins.
Kumho PS71’s score highly for me in all conditions and are way less than a ton a piece. Try Black Circles, they deliver to your door.
Loads of choice out there. I am a fan of rainsports myself. I notice the rocketeer conversion featured on the mx5restorer also has them fitted so if they are ok on that then I reckon they will be fine on a car with a more modest output.
really big thanks, this is the kind of help I was looking for.
learning that the run-flat tyres are a bad idea just saved me a lot of pain both in the wallet and on the road.
Michelin Goodyear and Pirelli are my brands of choice.
I currently have Goodyear eagle f1 on the rear axle and there is a problem.
basically every time I start to put on load on in a sweeping bend I get a horrible swidquey feeling just as it starts to load from the drivers rear.
kinda feels like the driver side rear tyre is under-inflated, (which they are not, iv been checking them every day to make super sure)
I’m guessing that the sidewalls are buggered but of course, it could be a suspension problem.
however the tyres are near their wear limits, so I’m changing them first and if it still does it il know that it’s a suspension issue and then act accordingly.
so will these be ok.
[Pilot Sport 4]
205/45 R17 88Y
Load Index: 88
Speed Rating: Y
extra load and rim protection
or do I want exact same ones but without rim protection?
edit:
hmm, iv just looked at the Kumho ps71 that was recommended
they look good and there roughly £50 cheaper per tyre.
sounds like they might wear a bit faster tho and I can’t get them from my favourite garage.
hmm, what to do!
well, I got until Monday to think about it!
I am on Goodyear Assym5 (F1 branding goes across a number of Goodyears, so my F1 may be different to yours, but all Assymetrical 5 are basically the same). Love them, noticeably cheaper than the the Michelin PS4s as well.
Yes your size and spec are correct (and are the same as I run) but many on here may say you want slightly wider tyres usually a 215 is recommended, apparently there is more choice.
A 215/45/17 is a bit cheaper than a 205 - but will have taller sidewalls than a 205/45/17 (the 45 means the sidewall is 45% of tyre width, so 45% of 215 is bigger than 45% of 205). If that is a concern (either for handling or gearing/speedo) then you could go 215/40 - but then you start limiting your choices again.
And do take with a pinch of salt most opinions you read (mine included) as generally people take worn tyres off and put new “Brand Xs” on and inevitably see a great improvement and therefore rave about their new tyres, which is a touch unfair when comparing with largely bald, 5 year old tyres that have had more heat cycles than a domestic oven.
Long story short - go with any decent branded tyre and if there are still questions on handling, then next step would be getting an alignment done (at a place where they know what they are doing) and if you still have issues then you likely have a bad damper or mismatch of springs or failed bushes etc that will need someone to look into for you.
And I do agree to avoid runflats, and that you should be spending nearer £400 than £600, including fitting. And rim protection is a good idea. No downside as far as I am aware…
Might be worth checking out if you like saving money… £100 rebate on 4 michelin tyres, might be a rule about minimum tyre size, but you should get something back. https://car-offers.michelin.co.uk/offers/GB
