I’m in a bit of a quandary - I have an NC1 Sport on 17 inch wheels, and LSD, which currently has…
Fronts - Falken ZE914 205/45R17 88W with 5/6mm left and wearing evenly - no complaints there. It came with them 2 years ago.
Rears - NSR Falken as above but now down to about 2mm so needs replacement ASAP. OSR Michelin Pilot Exalto 205/45 R17 84V with about 6mm left on it. That’s what it came with, and it handles just fine.
Question…
With what should I replace the worn NSR?
Pilot Exalto appears obsolete, and Pilot Sport series (nearest match?) are expensive if you can find them in this size.
Falken as above are probably ok, but I’m still mismatched across the rear axle. Cheaper than a new Mich, but still a small difference in rolling radius compared to the half-worn Mich.
I have 2 Bridgestone Potenzas with about 5mm left on them sitting in my garage, which came off a friend’s MX5 when swapped for winter tyres. They seem evenly worn, with no cracks or splits. (2013 year code).
I’d like to minimise the difference in rolling radius across the rear axle (LSD) so it seems viable to me, but I’ve then got 3 differnt brands/ patterns on the car if I replace just one. Not good!
Otherwise I could put both Bridgestone’s on the rear and keep the Mich as a spare.
What do the collective brains of the forum advise?
If I were you, I’d put the Bridgestones on the back then when all 4 are down to around 3mm replace all 4 with Dunlop Sport Maxx2s, Kumhos, Continentals or any other of a dozen or so brands / types recommended in these forums.
My part-worn Polish Potenzas (scrounged from a friend who replaced all 4 by Yoko Winter tyres last October) now adorn my rear axle and seem just fine.
Only 25g of balance needed on one - zero on the other, so can’t be a mile out - no cracks or splits after careful check by me and friendly tyre fitter and all swapped for the princely sum of £30! (against at least £100 for a new Michelin). Gotta think hard about that one!
+1 to Saltney Tyres in Chester.
I’ll need to take it a bit gently until they get bedded to their new positions (they came off the front axle of mate’s car) but they should all wear out together now, whereupon they’ll be all 4 replaced by summat like Kumhos.
One shock was to find the ‘good’ Michelin (which I kept as a spare) was actually older than the Falkens - 2010 vs. 2013, but it seems sound.
Aldi -I think you’ll find that you have quoted the wrong post, I made no mention of singers or orchestras either. Sinatra was the first (known) singer to record that song,lyrics and music by Mercer/Bloom. The orchestra was the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, so Countryboy was correct - not confused. If you don’t believe that, search U tube for the actual recording, and listen to Sinatra’s voice - recorded before WW2, when Frank still sang with the T.D. Orchestra. (He was just a kid then) And yes - my words were a combination of two well known expressions, as If I’d use the Pope version hackles would be roused - I figured it was kinder that way.
The advice given by following posts to you original query is what made me post that remark, as I’ve never read such alarming rubbish in over 60 years of driving, or 16 years in this Club.
Had I commented originally, then I would have said this -
Never heard of tyre rotation? you get similar wear on all tyres if you rotate them when one pair becomes more worn than the other. Rotation, according to the book (and the owners handbook) is left front to left rear, and move former rear to left front. Same for the right hand set.NEVER use the traditional method of switching tyres by the X pattern. This way you only order a complete new set when they are all at the limit, whereas what you are asking is against the next item.
Always fit the same make and type of tyre to all four corners. You are aware the MX5 is a light sportscar, and is or can be quite twitchy with odd tyres on front and back. Same philosophy has been around as long as I’ve driven - e.g. - over 60 years. whether you drive a Landrover, Mini or a 5 litre pre war Bentley blower. I assume you are aware never to fit cross plies with radials? Mazda took the time and trouble at the design stage to ensure the car had perfect balance, meaning proper weight distribution and careful choice of suspension. Fit mixed tyres to that design, and the handling and ride become unpredictable, except we all know where you’ll end up. That’s if you are a sportscar driver.
Anyone can dispute this statement, but various cars do come with different size and even make of tyre between front and back - usually specials, where equal tyres all round don’t give the performance expected. Generally, these are not road going cars, but built and intended for either 1/4 milers or specific race tracks.
So - YES - I am one of the NO MIXED TYRES group, any one with common sense will tell you the same. It’s been said many times over the life of this (and previous ) Club forums, so a search would have revealed some of those past posts. I won’t tell you which tyres to order, that’s entirely your choice, but a word of advice, make sure the tyres you order will come from the same factory, as Manufacturer’s have different factories in different countries, so make sure you specify when ordering that all tyres must come from the same factory, or you don’t want them. Just a cautionary note from personal experience.
There were 2 hit versions of that song at the time (1940), Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey and Ray Eberle with Glenn Miller, about that time both bands recorded versions of several songs at the same time, both versions of which were hits (there were versions of that song much later by other artists as you noted), not uncommon it the days of professional songwriters, which have largely disappeared with the prominence of singer-songwriters since the 1960s.
Roger.
PS: I have copies of both the above recordings and those by Ricky Nelson, Brook Benton and Etta James.
PPS: To keep the post on thread my thoughts are that I’d never have different makes/versions on the same axle as I believe different tread patterns etc. would have different grip characteristics which could affect the handling at the worst possible moment.