New Tyre Advice

[Custom24]

Hi all
I have to buy 4 new tyres for the MX5 because the ones it came with are a bit perished.

Any recommendations? It will be mainly, almost exclusively, for road use, but not everyday use. The ones on there are Bridgestone Turanza ER30, 195/50R15 82V. I'm not sure how long they've been on there, possibly they are on the car since new (3.5 years and 19K miles ago).

I don't want to change the wheels, so I think it has to be the same size. I would normally just buy something decent from a major brand.

[Daaave]

I can't offer any specific advice but...

But were I budgeting for an MX-5 I'd add a few extras on the price to really make it a stunning car:

...185/60 R14 tyres - 195/50 are far too easy to drive and have too much grip to be truly fun. I can particularly recommend Yokohama S-306.

I'm on my third MX-5, so that could be a particular recommendation... or not

I would use that as a starting point for a 15" wheel.

[ScoobyChris]

I guess it depends what you want from the tyre, ie ultimate grip, all-weather performance, longevity, looks nice, etc. I'd have a trawl around the Owner's Club sites and see what people recommend and also take on board the Stressed One's recommendation and then see which tyre meets your requirements best (and is available!)

Chris

[jont]

I tried Toyo T1-Rs on the MR2 and they were horrible. Felt like the car was rolling around way too much, and gave me no confidence at all. However quite a few people did swear by them and the suggestion was to run slightly higher pressures than normal to help. I've used Eagle F1s on several cars and found them an excellent road tyre. A few people who used them on track found the tread pattern delaminates very quickly when they get hot.

I've currently got Kumho KU-31s on the elise (and IIRC front size is 195/50/15). Very cheap in that size - excellent grip in wet and dry. They may not have the ultimate grip, but are very progressive and give you lots of notice that you're getting near the limit. The previous Pirellis tended to let go rather suddenly. Not sure on longevity yet - it's not too much of a concern. I don't think that's the track tyre pattern that StressedDave mentioned, but still might be worth a look.

[jbsportstech]

The ER-30 are great tyres as OE fitment but aftermarket replacements aren't anywhere near as good. I replaced mine with Eagle F1 GSD3 (back when I had a Mk 2.5), although there is a growing swell amongst rank and file owners for using Toyo Proxes instead. The other brand I'd look at is Kumho - they're doing a track day type tyre which frankly was superb in wet weather around Millbrook.

I can vouch for kumho ku31 ecsta sport I have them on the st much more of an alrounder than the eagle f1 gsd 3 I had b4. Jonts got them on his elise to they are priced as budget but they give a premuim feel.

[ScoobyChris]

I'm a big fan of the GSD3's and run them on my car (factory fit). Availablity can be an issue sometimes though.... Have heard good things about the Kumho KU31's too, although I've read quite a few reports that the levels of grip tail off when they wear down to 3/4mm, but I have no idea how much truth there is in that!

Chris

[Gareth]

We've been very happy with Goodyear Hydragrip on 15" rims on both fwd and rwd cars. I used to be concerned with grip in wet conditions, but these have been particularly good even when worn down to the tread wear indicator.

[Custom24]

The ER-30 are great tyres as OE fitment but aftermarket replacements aren't anywhere near as good.

Apparently, they have been replaced by the Bridgestone ER300. Anyone any experience of those?

[SeanP]

I've just fitted Wifey's Octavia II all round with Bridgestone Turanza ER300s (250/55R16), where ER30s were OEM. They're a perfectly OK tyre with decent wear rates and decent dry and wet performance for normal driving conditions.

Potenza RE040s and RE050As are really the next step up in the 'performance' category, and the former are OEM fit on the RX-8 (225/45R18). They're great tyres, with good stiffness to the sidewalls and suite the RX-8's handling characteristics well. The 050As feel better both on-road and track, and emit less noise, and are preferred by many over the 40s in the RX-8 owners club. However, both are a real pain in very cold weather, until they get some heat in them, and the wet performance of 40s isn't as good as the 50s. In both cases they're a complete disaster (or 'great fun', depending on your viewpoint ) in the snow.

I've just opted for Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas all-round for the RX-8, which have been getting great reviews in EVO, AutoExpress et. al., and more importantly, great feedback from other owners who've had them fitted for the past year or so.

If my budget could have stretched I'd probably have opted for Goodyear Eagle Asymetrics or GSD3s for the '8 -- but eyes were watering considering it's been a week of ~£800 for tyres alone

I'd also be interested in anybody else feedback on these tyres too