wheels/tires help

i just bought a 95 miata that has american racing spyder ar-55 (to the best
of my knowledge) and a different make 205/50/15" tire on each wheel... i am
not sure of the exact size of the wheels and am guessing that they are 15x7
or 15x6.5. any tips on how to confirm the each size would be my first
question. also i want to replace the tires, and possibly the wheels. i am
not a speed demon and in choosing a tire i would put safety
(sticking/braking) first, comfort/quiet second, and handling third. after
some reading i get that the 15" wheels have the advantage of better handling
performance and no shimmy at high speeds, but at the cost of a harder ride.
i am thinking that perhaps i should just put 195/50/15 toyo t1-s on the
existing rims because they are so highly regarded, so cheap at
onlinetires.com ($59 each), and i think the current 205's look too fat. but
i wonder if they are appropriate for the current rims, and if i am perhaps
foolishly giving up some sticking power that i am gussing comes with a wider
205 tire? or perhaps i should just get some used oem 14" rims and stick to
the oem sized tires. what would you do? all comments welcome. thanks in
advance!

In article <dfQId.23712$Vn2.12367@trndny06>,
"miata newbie" > wrote:

> Any suggestions as to what might be the next best 195/50/15
> choice for me that could handle occasional snow.

If you're *very* careful, an all-season tire will probably get you home
in one piece; it's not something most folks would do for fun. The best
is probably the Bridgestone RE950. But for reliable snow and ice grip,
you'll need four true winter tires, such as Bridgestone Blizzak, Dunlop
Graspic, Toyo Observ, or Nokian Hakapelliita.

Consider that the cost of four winter tires on steel wheels is probably
less than your collision deductible. Alternatively, for that money you
could buy a ton of bus tickets or a fair number of cab rides.

--
Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
'94C
the alignment page:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

is there something special about the miata (light weight, short wheel base)
that requires high end tires, or are they just appropriate because the car
can handle so well? i have only owned a civic crx and a corrolla before and
found them to ride well year round on mid rage tires purchased from big
chain stores like costco. the brigestone re950 does not seem to come in
195/50/15 and are also quite pricey. as an alternative would a toyo proxes
4 (same low price as t1-s) or a falken ziex ze-512 (super cheap, but have
read some negitive comments about them in this group) be ok as year round
tires? am i just not yet getting that this car should really have a summer
and winter set of performance tires to be truly enjoyable? thanks again.

"Lanny Chambers" > wrote in message
...
> In article <dfQId.23712$Vn2.12367@trndny06>,
> "miata newbie" > wrote:
>
>> Any suggestions as to what might be the next best 195/50/15
>> choice for me that could handle occasional snow.
>
> If you're *very* careful, an all-season tire will probably get you home
> in one piece; it's not something most folks would do for fun. The best
> is probably the Bridgestone RE950. But for reliable snow and ice grip,
> you'll need four true winter tires, such as Bridgestone Blizzak, Dunlop
> Graspic, Toyo Observ, or Nokian Hakapelliita.
>
> Consider that the cost of four winter tires on steel wheels is probably
> less than your collision deductible. Alternatively, for that money you
> could buy a ton of bus tickets or a fair number of cab rides.
>
> --
> Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
> '94C
> the alignment page:
> http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

In article <0TUId.12343$1l2.9889@trndny05>,
"miata newbie" > wrote:

> is there something special about the miata (light weight, short wheel base)
> that requires high end tires, or are they just appropriate because the car
> can handle so well?

Nothing special, just that anything less wastes a significant part of
the car's potential. I just put a set of Yokohama Avid T4s on our beater
Accord; it's a decent $40 all-season ($67 in your size) that rides
smoothly and quietly, handles predictably in any weather, should last
30-40k miles, but isn't particularly grippy or responsive. It also looks
kinda wimpy, with skinny shoulders. It'd be OK for a commuter Miata, but
disappointing if pushed hard.

--
Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
'94C
the alignment page:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

On 2005-01-23, miata newbie > wrote:

> is there something special about the miata (light weight,
> short wheel base) that requires high end tires,

Yes: the drivers.



--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! I once decorated my
at apartment entirely in ten
visi.com foot salad forks!!

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 21:42:20 GMT, "miata newbie"
> wrote:

>is there something special about the miata (light weight, short wheel base)
>that requires high end tires, or are they just appropriate because the car
>can handle so well? i have only owned a civic crx and a corrolla before and
>found them to ride well year round on mid rage tires purchased from big
>chain stores like costco. the brigestone re950 does not seem to come in
>195/50/15 and are also quite pricey. as an alternative would a toyo proxes
>4 (same low price as t1-s) or a falken ziex ze-512 (super cheap, but have
>read some negitive comments about them in this group) be ok as year round
>tires? am i just not yet getting that this car should really have a summer
>and winter set of performance tires to be truly enjoyable? thanks again.
>

For what it's worth, I got a set of Falken Ziex 512s a couple months
ago and I'm very happy with them. They're not high performance, but
grip pretty well on dry and very well in the rain. As a bonus, they
give a fairly soft ride.

Just to qualify, I'm not a tire guru like some of these guys. I'm
just a guy with a Miata that I love.

"miata newbie" > wrote in message
news:0TUId.12343$1l2.9889@trndny05...
> is there something special about the miata (light weight, short wheel
base)
> that requires high end tires, or are they just appropriate because the car
> can handle so well? i have only owned a civic crx and a corrolla before
and
> found them to ride well year round on mid rage tires purchased from big
> chain stores like costco.

One major difference is that the CRX, and maybe the Corolla, depending on
what year it was, was front wheel drive, meaning that the weight was
primarily over the tires providing the traction and the same tires provided
the directional control. Any rear wheel drive car is somewhat less likely
to go where you point it in the snow than a front wheel drive car, not that
that can't be fun .

John (94 Miata)

"miata newbie" > wrote in message
news:0TUId.12343$1l2.9889@trndny05...
> is there something special about the miata (light weight, short wheel
base)
> that requires high end tires, or are they just appropriate because the car
> can handle so well? i have only owned a civic crx and a corrolla before
and
> found them to ride well year round on mid rage tires purchased from big
> chain stores like costco. the brigestone re950 does not seem to come in
> 195/50/15 and are also quite pricey. as an alternative would a toyo
proxes
> 4 (same low price as t1-s) or a falken ziex ze-512 (super cheap, but have
> read some negitive comments about them in this group) be ok as year round
> tires? am i just not yet getting that this car should really have a
summer
> and winter set of performance tires to be truly enjoyable? thanks again.
>
> "Lanny Chambers" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article <dfQId.23712$Vn2.12367@trndny06>,
> > "miata newbie" > wrote:
> >
> >> Any suggestions as to what might be the next best 195/50/15
> >> choice for me that could handle occasional snow.
> >
> > If you're *very* careful, an all-season tire will probably get you home
> > in one piece; it's not something most folks would do for fun. The best
> > is probably the Bridgestone RE950. But for reliable snow and ice grip,
> > you'll need four true winter tires, such as Bridgestone Blizzak, Dunlop
> > Graspic, Toyo Observ, or Nokian Hakapelliita.
> >
> > Consider that the cost of four winter tires on steel wheels is probably
> > less than your collision deductible. Alternatively, for that money you
> > could buy a ton of bus tickets or a fair number of cab rides.
> >
> > --
> > Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
> > '94C
> > the alignment page:
> > http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html
>
>

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:41:21 GMT, "miata newbie"
> wrote:

>thanks again everyone.
>lanny, i appreciate you clear advice. grant, very funny. i like that.
>dave, i am just a guy that like his miata too and your comment has helped me
>make a decision. john, you are spot on with the front wheel drive comment.
>i should have thought of that. makes perfect sense. i have decided to get
>a set of the falken ziex 512 put on the existing rims. i figure that it
>will address the immediate issue with the multi brand tire setup that i
>currently have, and help me get through the winter as well as buy me some
>time as i get to know the car (other necessary major repairs might surface).
>if i feel they disappoint then i will purchase a new set of rims and the
>toyo ts-1 (or the yokohama es100 if the toyo's are no longer made) and then
>use the ziex 512 and rims for the winter. new rims would make the car look
>fresher too, and i won't feel bad about using the old rims during harsh
>weather. thanks again everyone. a very enjoyable newsgroup thanks to all
>the great contributors.
>

I hope the Ziex work out for you. I found that they work best for me
with a few more PSI than I ran in my previous no-name tires. I run 30
PSI in the Ziex and ran 27 previously. The Ziex felt "squishy" at 27
but fine at 30.

Also...

I traded in my beloved '87 CRX for my even more beloved '97 Miata.
The CRX was fun and had the advantage of being able to carry my racing
bicycles in the back. Then my wife went and got an Accord and we put
on a bike rack and hey! I graduated to a real sports car!

Have fun!