My model of MX-5 is: 2018 (160bhp) 2.0 Sport Nav nd (Brigesones Potenza S001)
I’m based near: Lichfield Staffs
I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Tyres
I’m in need of a pair of rears (down to 3mm) and being relatively new to rwd motoring was wondering what was recommended. Fronts are fine @5/6mm. Is it ok to have different makes f&r? I’ve noticed the standard bridgestones seem to get a slating? Tbh i’ll occasionally rag it but mainly it’s leisurely open top cruising for me! Opinions greatly received. Cheers
Personally I always swap front to rear each year, hopefully that way I replace with a full set of the evenly worn down set.
I hate having odd brands of tyre even in pairs but that’s my preference, nowt really wrong with it but the MX-5 can be sensitive to what brands mix or rather don’t.
Plenty of choices, members will have their preferred brand, for me it’s Kumho PS71. I’ve got them fitted on my daily driver too.
I’ll put MIchelins on mine as soon as I can afford it, I’m not impressed with the Bridgestones at all.
Had them on an STi and they were really rubbish on that, swapped them very quickly.
I didn’t like the Bridgestone’s at all in the damp/wet. Didn’t really like them in the dry either to be honest.
They went ASAP.
Currently have Maxxis Premitra HP5 205/45 R17 88 W, (just needed to get rid of the Bridgestone’s quickly).
I was a bit dubious after getting them, due to being a lot cheaper.
But absolutely brilliant wet (A rated) or dry. Motorway, A, B, Mountain roads all good.
Quite good reviews too.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2 will be my next set,(original first choice).
Just additional to my post above, I swapped to the Kumhos from Bridgestone on my daily driver.
Had those on from new, swapped in March this year couldn’t wear them out and done 24k miles but they started to crack around the outside shoulder. They were 6 years old and definitely past their sell by date.
Always seemed a harsh hard noisy ride with them on from the off really, fitted on the new car.
Just an idea, if you can afford it put 4 on of your choice and take the 2 good ones home (or even all 4) and flog them on eBay,(I did). Be good enough for someone or a track day car.
The Bridgestones on mine (2014) are original and the rubber seems very hard to me. They certainly have poor grip, in the wet I can lose the back end so easily.
PS4’s are cheaper in the 215/45 x 17 fitment and I found them a bit squirelly for the first couple of hundred miles after fitting. All good now though.
I like them very much, car grips the road very well dry or in the wet stuff. I feel confident to push the car on the twisty A/B roads where it’s possible with no worries.
I’m up for a another set when that time comes around, maybe I’ll get 6-8k more miles out of these.
BTW I’ve got the KU39, predecessor to the PS71 but the Latter just fitted to my daily driver
Just where/how did you conjure that title?
I’m with MIckAP: Kumho PS71 215/45/17 on the MK3.75: PS51 195/50/15 on the Eunos:
PS71 215/45/17 on The Fabia Monte Carlo Estate.
Way back in my early motorcycling days the new Hondas began to make an impression, and a couple of the others in our group bought shiny new CB350s to replace their “unreliable” (read badly maintained) British 500cc twins.
My first friend took his new CB350 back to the dealers the first day, after an hour on the road with a couple of brown trouser moments when expecting it to handle like his aged Speed Twin; he told them to take off the ***!!y Bridgestones and put on some Avon SM MK2s instead. With the Avons he could lean it further in the wet than with the Bridgestones in the dry, and it was almost as grippy as his old Triumph, while faster and more economical and no loss of oil.
A week later the second friend was so impressed by the performance of that CB350 he also bought one, but told the dealer to bin the zero miles Bridgestones and give him Avons instead, refusing the cheaper Dunlops the dealer tried to offer him.
Good tough durable tyres, the Bridgestones, but grip? Certainly no grip with those on my NC, so not much has changed in fifty years then.
Hi Keith, yeh the title. Metal fan first and foremost. Bear with me …Michael Palin is a great hero of mine as we share the same surname. Remember his series "Ripping Yarns’? One particular episode is called ‘across the andes by frog’! Still awake? Anyway i’m gonna keep it simple and whack a pair of Conti’s on the rear
