Hi all
I am looking for recommendations for a new set of tyres.
My car had 4 new tyres fitted just before I purchased her a few months ago. They are 205/45/17 Landsails but after having new suspensions fitted and geo’d I still don’t think she’s handling as she should. At speed she feels a bit “unstable” and around bends feels as if the rear end wants to swing round (on dry roads). So…I reckon a good set of “mx5 tried n tested” tyres is in order. I’ve owned 2 mk3’s before this one and they have felt “planted”…never doubted them.
I am also thinking of going with a 215 instead of 205. Anyone have experience of having 215’s fitted?
Without being repetitive, Kumhos here too, PS71.
Bought my NC 3.75 last year (members car) and pleased when I learned it had a full set of the above mentioned fitted, newish too.
Only noticed that they are 215’s too which was also a bonus. I’m not 100% certain but I reckon because the car is a tad lower than I would have preferred myself the extra width on the tyre is contributing to the rears occasionally rubbing on the inner arch liners. This only occurs when pushing on at speed and it hits some unexpected undulations in the road.
I really need to get height sorted, I’ve got Meister Sportives fitted.
What I’m saying is if you are going super low then possibly expect the extra width on the tyres to rub (occasionally) on the arch liners, probably just rears in my case.
I had new Landsails fitted to my 3.75 rear wheels when I got it, not my choice, the garage choice to pass the MOT before sale. It was frightening to drive, cornering abysmal. Put the part worn Pirellis from the front on the back and the Landsails on the front. Vastly better. Took the brand new Landsails off, gave them away and fitted Pirellis all round. Perfect! I’d never experienced what a difference cheap tyres made having not bought any before. Next change will be to Uniroyal Rain sports. Ideal in the damp of Scotland and work a treat on my Caterham. One review I read of Landsails after the vent was “dangerous in a straight line”…never a truer word…
I have Uniroyal Rainsport 5 tyres fitted to my 3.75, great grip, feels planted on the road. My car is standard throughout except alinement set up by Wheels in Motion (fast road settings) with tyres and feels great.
PS, you will get loads of different opinions and at the end you will still be none the wiser!
Because there are actually so many “GOOD” tyres for the MX.
What works for one person might not be for another.
You will wish you never asked…
Personally, avoid ANY cheap brand and also the OEM Bridgestone’s and you won’t go far wrong.
Various threads exactly on this topic under the search facility.
But don’t assume that 'name 'tyres are always inherently better than the cheapos it is almost compulsory to despise . By far the worst tyres I have used in the last 40 years were the pricey Dunlops my first Yeti came on. The aquaplaning , even at pedestrian speeds , would have been hilarious had it not also necessitated new underwear . In contrast , a set of bargain Turkish winter tyres proved to be every bit as good as Michelin and Vredestein equivalents in snow and ice .
FWIW my ND was very much improved by Michelin PS4s
Remoulds, had a fair few sets of those fitted back in the good old days, when they were selling fuel @35p per gallon.
Yes over the years I’ve had some well known brands on various cars which were not very good.
It was always go in looking for a particular make of tyre and the tyre fitters tried to persuade you on to their preferred make, probably had the biggest stack of them in the shop.
Thanks for that👍…however I only just had it geo"d in January this year when I had new Meisters fitted. So unless they have set it up incorrectly it should be good.
215 are better, and they look great with 25mm H&R spacers, You can actually get away with 225 mm on the NC …They Look even better, The more rubber you put on the road the better the grip, But the cheaper Chinese tyres haven’t got the same rubber compound as a good set of Pirelli’s or Dunlops Michelin are on too. But will cost about double the Chinese examples, I had a blow out with a Chinese tyre. I could not believe that the tyre walls had Zero support. Just the tyre wall rubber ! Nothing else ! They are only good for pottering around on, ( A cheap way to keep your car on the road ) , But be careful. At speed they can Blow out…!
Sticking big tyres on isn’t always a good thing - you pay a price, including deterioration in ride , tramlining , bump -thump , tyre noise, drag and aquaplaning . MX 5s aren’t about outright grip, but how the car behaves as limits are approached . As for looks, it is subjective but slammed cars with giant rubber look comically awful to my eyes .
In historical terms, even the humble MX5 already has wide tyres . Iconic cars like the E-Type (185 -15s ) , DB 5 (205 -15 ) and the Elan which inspired the MX 5 ( 145 or 155/13 ) had tiny rubber compared to today’s garden roller sized rubber.
I quite agree with most of your post,
Like you, I don’t like the look of cars that have been lowered to a ridiculous amount …. They do look quite nice when lowered discretely ( 35mm ) And spacers to 25 MM Gets the tyres and Wheels out ‘flush ‘ with the body This looks about right,
To be honest, I have had quite few super cars in the past and try to make my little MX5 look a bit more substantial ( like I am used to ) but You are right It doesn’t always work out like that … I just like to see a MX5 with extra wide tyres. They can look a bit nice from the rear view angle, But it can be overdone which is what you was referring to … best regards from Ray …Essex
