4 yrs and this is my first post!

[awsmp5]

wow really? i get crap outa my ecsta asx's but thats pretty much my only choice because my dad (yes... it's still pretty much his car until i finish paying him back) won't let me buy summer tires for it.

but if you can get that kinda milage (or kilometage?) you probably won't ware away the asx's that quik either. since i auto cross too.

 

[Kansei]

kumho mx are the bestest

not when you have camber issues front and rear.

I got an alignment done after lowering my car but they only adjusted things that were out of the "allowed range". They gave me a printout and well.. yeah they barely tweaked ANYTHING, I think just the front and rear toe. My tires are almost bald on the inside edge front and rear, but have decent tread on the outer edge. argh.

Also the Ecsta MX has terrible treadwear, I barely got one summer out of them so far and I'll need to replace them before this summer. They sure do induce smiles when cornering though.

 

[raghtal]

First off, welcome! Well, officially that is. And that is some pretty good life you got out of the dunflops... I think I made it to about 55-60k km before the inner sidewall blew on one of them.

Thanks. I really should go and figure out the real mileage on those stock tires, since I ran on winters for 5 months of the year over the past 2 years. I got the car just when they were first arriving at the dealers in 2001, and i've not changed a thing apart from regular maintenance items

Also, kudos to you for running winters... are they on your stock rims (ie, you swap tires over spring and fall), or are they on a separate set of rims/steelies?

Yeah, steel rims for the Hankook W400s. I didn't want the stock rims to get damaged in winter, and yes, makes change over a snap (and free usually when there is other stuff to be done) at my mechanics.

If you are looking to upgrade rims, and don't have dedicated rims for the winters yet, just keep the stockers. Trust me, it just makes the swap that much easier and quicker.

I might just do that, depends on the tire availability situation and if I can keep using the stock rims for the time being. There's a spot of pitting on the inside of the rims, so I'm wondering if I should move on to new rims with the new tires and sell the stock rims to someone who really wants them. Might as well get something for them while they're still on pretty good shape...

To answer your questions...
1) I went from the stock 16's to 17's and had no problems. In fact, if you stick to 205/40r17, your speedometer will be almost bang on. Check out www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html to determine what will/won't work for you. Since you are not dropping the car, you should not have to worry about any issues with rubbing.

Thanks. I'm debating the benefits of going up to 17". I don't see the benefits, other than cosmetic. Not unless other changes are happening too in terms of the setup.

2) No experience with Hankooks, sorry. I will be getting Falken FK-451s in a few weeks for my summer rims... I've heard nothing but good reviews about them, so I'm hoping they'll work out better than my previous summers (Falken Ziex ZE-512s). Check the rims/tires section for other peoples' recommendations on tires, etc. tirerack.com, tiretrends.ca (out of Vancouver), discounttire.com, 1010tires.com, there are plenty of sites out there with info and reviews.
3) I LOVE bronze rims... and those would look amazing on your car.

Yeah. I just love the look of that Autoexe MP5. When I first saw that front fender lip, I was hooked. It completely changes the way the car looks, and makes it look more sporty than it already does. And that car doesn't look like its been lowered or anything. A few cosmetic changes, but no doubt most of the investment has been made under the hood and at the 4 corners ;-)

 

[MyZmZm]

Yeah, steel rims for the Hankook W400s. I didn't want the stock rims to get damaged in winter, and yes, makes change over a snap (and free usually when there is other stuff to be done) at my mechanics.

Good to know - another smart Canuck! (first)

I might just do that, depends on the tire availability situation and if I can keep using the stock rims for the time being. There's a spot of pitting on the inside of the rims, so I'm wondering if I should move on to new rims with the new tires and sell the stock rims to someone who really wants them. Might as well get something for them while they're still on pretty good shape...

I'm going to use mine for autox... not as cheap for tires as the 15" steelies, but much cheaper than my 17's. Plus, I don't have to worry about my MSP rims getting 'coned' lol

Thanks. I'm debating the benefits of going up to 17". I don't see the benefits, other than cosmetic. Not unless other changes are happening too in terms of the setup.

When I went up to my 17's, I was unprepared for the improvement in handling over the 16's. The tire 'size' was the same - 205/40 - between the two, but because of the extra rigidity offered by the larger rim, corners become MUCH more fun Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Yeah. I just love the look of that Autoexe MP5. When I first saw that front fender lip, I was hooked. It completely changes the way the car looks, and makes it look more sporty than it already does. And that car doesn't look like its been lowered or anything. A few cosmetic changes, but no doubt most of the investment has been made under the hood and at the 4 corners ;-)

I'd really like to get the lip, but I'm dropping my car 1.2", and since she's a daily driver year round (unfortunately), I don't want to risk it. Though I might pick one up anyhow for when she's summer only... better to be prepared, I always say!

 

[raghtal]

I may see what kind of deal i can get on some Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2s. I got a deal on some x-ice tires for the Integra, so it can't hurt to try.

Well, that tire has been discountinued in favour of the A/S version. I don't need an all-season version, and when I called Michelin, they agreed that it sucked that I wanted to be their customer, but that they didn't have a tire in the size I needed.

Kumho ECSTA ASX it is ;-)

 

[mountjonas]

jeez - i got to 47k miles on the stockers and that was with granny driving.

 

[raghtal]

jeez - i got to 47k miles on the stockers and that was with granny driving.

Yeah, I went back to see how many kms I put on the winter tires vs the Dunlops, and it looks like so far I've put on a total of 21,000 kms on the winter tires, and the odometer is at 103,000, so that's 82,000 km or 51,000 miles.

And that was not granny driving ;-)

 

[raghtal]

Tires have been ordered.

Well, that tire has been discountinued in favour of the A/S version. I don't need an all-season version, and when I called Michelin, they agreed that it sucked that I wanted to be their customer, but that they didn't have a tire in the size I needed.

Kumho ECSTA ASX it is ;-)

Make that Toyo Proxes 4 's ;-)

 

[hex2bit]

That's some good mileage out of those tires. I think I rotated mine around 13K miles and then got new ones before 20K miles. They were hydroplaning constantly at 60 mph Fun on highways Couldn't physically get the car to go faster than 65 mph on the highway... tires were just spinning

Anyway, as MyZmZm said earlier... check out the tire reviews on sites like http://www.tirerack.com/ and choose based off price and performance. They will also mount and balance for free if you order a set of tires with rims.

If you already have winter tires, then get a set of summer. I was thinking the Dunlop Sport Maxx, but I need to wear out my Yokohama AVID V4S's first. They are a good tire and last a long but they are not as sporty as I would like.

 

[CoasterBoy]

Holy crap, you got 100,000 miles out of the stock tires??? Or have you been replacing them with the same type of tire?

I doubt going from 16 to 17 will be much difference, although technically it will probably hurt performance (more rotating mass near the outer edge of the spinning wheel, more unsprung weight), unless you get a lighter wheel which can be $$$. Personally I'd recommend you go wider rather than taller.

As far as Y-rating, I doubt you need that high a rating (186 mph+): Z rated will be fine (149 mph+). I liked my Kumho ECSTA Supra 712s, although I like my Yokohama AVS ES100s more (but they wear out faster). Both handle well in the wet and are fun on the track.

That is the misconception that people have with going with bigger rims...your tire size really doesn't change...You have to keep the circumference the same or really really close...I run 18" on mine (215/35/18) They have the same circumference so my spedo doesn't go out of wack...If you goto www.tirerack.com , they have the sizes that your tire should be for 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. With a larger tire, you have less sidewall, so you have less roll in the corners...whitch means better handling. I use to run Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712 until where I got them stopped selling them, so now I run Falken 512. Nice tire...works great in the rain.

 

[Naveed74]

I ran the toyo proxie 4's on a 17" setup last year, perserving my tire size and aspect. No problems.

You can check the local Toronto board too, some good deals for tires on there.

 

[kakarot]

i think those wheels are volk se37k's. welcome!

Yeah those are Volk's and they are disgustingly expensive. Something like $500 a wheel for 17's I think. They are very strong and light though if you can afford them. They also happen to be a perfect fit for P5's.

http://www.machiii.net/wheels/volk/SE37K.html

 

[raghtal]

Update....

Make that Toyo Proxes 4 's ;-)

I dashed across city (Burlington Ontario to Oshawa Ontario) Saturday afternoon, and most of the time I was doing @ 150km/h. The proxes were smoother, quieter and 'stickier' than the stock Dunlops ever felt. Very happy!

 

[zentrandi]

my stockers lasted me about 15k miles

Mee too.... =(

 

[raghtal]

I dashed across city (Burlington Ontario to Oshawa Ontario) Saturday afternoon, and most of the time I was doing @ 150km/h. The proxes were smoother, quieter and 'stickier' than the stock Dunlops ever felt. Very happy!

Oh, and these tires are awesome in wet weather too. I have not noticed and difference in terms of traction and stability.