Hello… just sold my yellow Arizona a few months back which had the STD 195 50 15 tyres fitted.pirelli p7 cintauro…great tyre it handled great…Now this morning I’ve bought a blue svt mk 2 with the 205 45 16 tyre …problem is …I’ve drove it 60 miles from Kent back to Essex in the rain & noticed a problem…it seems the tyres are over hard & it’s making the ride very twitchy…almost like scuttle shake…I checked all 4 corners tyre pressure…all set at around 26 psi…is this correct for the car…checked at home again…no change…but what I did notice is the 4 digit code for the age of the tyre…0512… am I right these tyres were made in 2012…so seven years old…they are all STD …Bridgestone potenzas front…rears are Uniroyal rain sport 2 's…I didn’t look at the tyres good enough…now it looks like I need 4…next question is …1. if I stick to STD sizes on the front…can I go up a few sizes wider on the rear eg 225 40 16…& 2…what tyres…are toyonproxes t1r…,kuhmo ectsa,…or Avon zv7,s seem a budget choice…it’s being used daily…I’m at a loss & don’t like the car coming off roundabouts or being twitchy…slightest bit of throttle over 3000 & it breaks traction…no idea of its had a 4 wheel steering check…where should I go as it’s ruining my drive of the car…thanks to all…
I have got the identical car to you and have Uniroyal Rainsport 3 205/45r16 tyres fitted, the correct size for the model. I run them at the recommended 26 psi
and have found them superb in all weather conditions. It may well be that wheel alignment and tracking may be at fault. General thinking suggests same
make of tyres on all wheels is best procedure. I am sure others will be offering further advice regarding tyre choice. Enjoy the car.
Get an alignment check. Changing to a wider tyre doesn’t necessarily help.
If near Measham, go to Wheels in Motion (WIM).
Avons are terrible on the MX5.
So the Bridgestones and Uniroyals are both 2012?
Another thread but MK3 suggest poor handling with the make of tyres on his car. I would suggest it’s a combination of hard (old) tyres, mixed brands (especially potenza) that’s the problem. Rainsports fine, Kumho fine (I have them fitted) Toyo…no real comment only I wouldn’t fit them on mine after reading up on comments made about them.
Do a thorough check on what others think about certain brands and check pressures cold.
Just a quick update…I’m waiting for my formula one depot in Harlow to reply but I’m now leaning towards 2 X tyres…1.kuhmo ectsa ku39…& 2.uniroyal rain expert 3,s…STD front size 205 45 16 & slightly bigger 215 40 16 rears…it’s a daily so winter will be here in 5 months & don’t want to finance another set of wheels & winter tyres… toyo prices were a thought but I’d like pirelli p7 centauros…also.as a mate has a mk 1. 1.6 on 16’ & I love the car with those tyres on…so don’t know if they have a newer model or spec…thanks to all again & IL keep you all posted…probably be fitted by next weekend.
Why would you fit stagger?
You will gain zero benefit othet than placebo from mixing tyre sizes on a 5.
I cannot recall any post over 15 years in any forum advocating it.
Our chassis are the best of their kind in terms of development.
I’d stongly advise sticking to “book” with your eventual choices.
Staggered setups might be beneficial if you have over 200hp. Certainly Mazda did this on the M2-1006 of 1994, which had 225/50 16s up front, and 245/50s at the rear.
Mazda’s “book” turned out to be pretty loose considering the mixture of wheel the factory and their concessions fitted. Remember the old "17 inch is bad "mantra. Mazda blew our minds in 2004 when they blew that urban myth out of the water.
I suspect in this car fitting wider or staggered fitments to the car will not help the OP in termas of taming lack of wet weather grip. The rear tyres aren’t that old, and likely the issue is with that car, not the tyres. Get that checked out before shelling out on tyres.
Just had a curve ball threw at me re tyre choices…fallen ziex ze 310… x4 fitted & balanced £280 all in…also a 4 wheel laser alignment for £30…All in or 205 45 16 ,87w…point taken re get the alignment checked…I agree …but the 4 X tyres are 7 years old with min tread wear…all round…I thought it was a God given to throw any tyres off the car after 5 years…but thanks to all who took the time to reply …this tyre malirky is a mine field……Mazda knows best…or all the way …so yes STD tyre sizes
I’m conscious that your new car is on 16s. The general consensus that I’ve seen here is that the ride quality is a little better on 15s. If you’re going to change the tyres, you might well want to downsize the wheels at the same time.
Understand that that chassis set up has had everything from 185 14 to 205 16 and up to 17" fitted by Mazda or it’s associates. So Mazda knows best is not particarly relevent. There are plenty of decent 205 45 16"s around, however Falken would not be my first choice. For similar money you can get the Kumho KU39, Vredstein Sportrac 5, Hankook K120 or S1 Evo, even P Zero Nero.
Just make sure the wheels are pointing where they should be.
Depends on the brakes fitted if you want to do this. If fitted with the “big brake” setup, some 15" wheels won’t clear the front calipers.
I have yoko ad08r 215/45/16 on my nb and they are fantastic, grippy mcgripface.
I’ve had the car booked in for Tom at tyre smart in witham Essex around 2 pm.after speaking to the guys at Stortford performance …IL see how it drives down & back …& give a before & after feedback…I’m in holiday in the lake District at the mo but heading south early doors Tom…I’ve only seen 2 all week but the roads wow…I’m coming back with the.car later in the year…even if it’s a 600 mile round trip to get up here… obviously with new tyres .talk about needing wellies…it’s poured down most of the week…I’m still leaning towards the Uniroyal rain expert 3’ s or the kuhmo ecsta…basically around the £300 mark fitted for all 4…the alignment is being done on a hunter machine…reading a few posts it’s about the best …any of the essrex boys been down here…cost is free for a initial run in & a printed sheet outlining any issues he says he gets a lot of 5’s in & he rattled off about 5 or 6 places to check with a price cap of around £120… if it needs loads of adjustment…he will check tyres also & advise separately…thanks for all the info…also looking to go on that Kent run to faversham on sun the 9 th…since buying it a few weeks ago ive only replaced the STD gel Philips battery as it was tired & seemed a bit weak to start it at 4 am every day even hot or cold…so I got a varta one with a 5 year warranty for £45 after discount at euros…now it’s healthy again…looking at possibly fitting a sports back box on it too…nothing lairy .any thoughts on the cybox stainless item or the sported item…the cybox reviews are mixed… not a lot more throaty than a STD back box…so sort of defeats the object .but a 5 ye warranty…I’ve had sported in the past…cheap & it does what it says but not heard one on the 5… I’m not after one that drones while the roof is down on a run…but mine has a 6 speed box which brings down the revs at 80 mph…also I’m keeping the STD 16’s on…unless I get a second set for winter…if I take it or use it for winter that is…I’ve a 2 Nd gen MR2 that can do that…if needs must…I’m deffo tho looking into having it fully undersealed asap also…anyone had it done at a garage or specialist…local in Essex…more the wax oil & not he thick black gloop…oh IL ask if it’s a good idea or not to stagger the rears up to 215/45/16. …Avon zv7 s work out around £310 fitted with the STD 205/45/16 up front…once again Avon’s hmm…
Sorry re the typo…sportex back box…