tire size?

mx34u2nv · Post by **mx34u2nv** » August 19th, 2006, 12:35 pm

how big a tire size can i go before it starts messing with the speedo? i have 16 x7 wheels......im thinking like 205 50 16......sound right ? or should i go with 205 45 16?

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » August 19th, 2006, 12:53 pm

205 50 16 for the V6 and 205 45 16 for the 4 cyl.

Steeb · Post by **Steeb** » August 19th, 2006, 3:40 pm

215/45/16 is also a very good option. they tires available in this size are pretty dam grippy

mx34u2nv · Post by **mx34u2nv** » August 20th, 2006, 5:05 pm

im gettin the bf goodrich g force ta for tires, i just hope they make them in the size io want

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » August 20th, 2006, 5:30 pm

BFG tires SUCK, FYI.

My Falkens cost half as much as my last set of BFG, and they ride twice as nice, and stick to the road twice as well.

mx34u2nv · Post by **mx34u2nv** » August 20th, 2006, 6:20 pm

thast weird , i've only heard good things about bfg g force.....hmmmm.....dually noted....why would u take a smaller tiresize for the 4 banger version mx3?

JWMotorsports · Post by **JWMotorsports** » August 26th, 2006, 1:09 am

I've got 245/50-R16 Falken 512's up front...had to do some spring purch trimming....ok...we cut the fluffin thing off to get the clearance

My 225/45-R16 Yoko AVS ES100's wouldn't hook....spun all the way to 130MPH

The 225/25-R16 is nice for most turbo cars but on the 4cyl MX-3 does throw the speedo off a couple miles per hour slower than your actual speed. The 245/50-R16's well the 5.0 said I was going at least 5mph faster than my speedo read at 55mph (i got ticked 68 in a 55).

Referance http://www.tirerack.com their website can show you your OEM tire diameter and then you can veiw your choice tires and see the dia. of the size you want. There is a formula to use the tires sizes to calculate it's Outer Dia. but I don't remember it.

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » August 26th, 2006, 12:33 pm

mx34u2nv wrote:thast weird , i've only heard good things about bfg g force.....hmmmm.....dually noted....why would u take a smaller tiresize for the 4 banger version mx3?

Because they come with different height tires from the factory so thier speedos are set for different height tires. Not only do wrong size tires mess up your speedo readings, but it will mess with your applied power at the wheels as it effectively changes your gearing.

If you want to check your tire sizes, punch in your old numbers here:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

You want to try to get the diameter within .2 inches at the least if possible. 0.1 inch variance is better.

Steeb · Post by **Steeb** » August 27th, 2006, 1:45 pm

it all depends on how much staying stock diameter means to you. if you have a pretty modified car, the longer gearing will help.

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » September 5th, 2006, 9:34 pm

i was thinkina bout droping mine to and the springs i was gunna get are 1.5 inch drop will set at liek 2 by next summer...now with a 2inch drop will 17s fit or will they be to big or look stupid ?

Steeb · Post by **Steeb** » September 5th, 2006, 11:36 pm

here is my personal experience of a few tires i have tried.

bfg t/a are not the best tires but are fairly decent.

kd are pretty good, kdw are good and kdw2 are better if u can afford them.

falken ziex 512 are rated uhp all season, not the extreme best dry or extreme best wet performer but pretty good in both and one of the lighter tires, in weight of course.

falken fk451 is better than the 512, the fk452 is supposed to be better than the fk451

falken rt 615 and the hankook rs212 are the best street tires for the buck. very competitive tire for street class auto x and hdpe cars. better grip than the falken rt 215 but wet traction is there too. these two are fairly close in price and grip. both of these are also comparable to the kdw2 in grip but bfgs cost much more. kumho mx, are also not far behind these 3 but sizes limited.

yokohoma has good compounds with soft sidewalls which is no bueno for cornering. after some hard driving you will be able to round off the shoulders of your sidewalls.

falken ziex 512> es100 in wet and dry performance. es100 is overpriced and any line up under yokohoma is also but the difference is that the more expensive ones are quite serious tires. the advan neova is no joke and neither is the price.

michelin ps2 is a good tire with very low treadwear. the toyo t1r is comparable in grip but lasts longer and available in more sizes.

hankooks make pretty decent tires for grip and treadwear. several high performance tires they make are between 280 and 340 treadwear. the hankook hrII 405 are pretty quiet tires which are good in wet and dry with good treadlife.

kumho mx is a pretty grippy tire, for reference purposes it is very comparable to the discountinued falken rt 215 with less dry grip and more wet traction. mx is available in 15's its gonna be smaller than stock rolling diameter. the 711 were fairly resistant to hydroplaning in wet and tread held up well with "extremely hard driving". the 711 grip is ok at best in the dry and the 712 is much worse than anything ive ever used in any dry or wet condition.

ive tried several other tires much more expensive but since there are comparable alternatives i have already mentioned for much less cost, there is no need to make this post any longer.

soft sidewalls are no bueno for cornering and powering out of a turn however they are great for ride quality.

mx34u2nv · Post by **mx34u2nv** » September 6th, 2006, 5:17 pm

i got yoko advan for 150 installed and balanced , for all four....205 50 16.....the gsr loves em.....