Tire problem (need help fast)

[nullomodo]

Heya,

Yesterday while I was driving to work my front driver's side tire blew out (at 70mph on the highway no less....). I figured I'd just swing by Wal-Mart after work up and pick up a replacement, but to my surprise, they didn't have the size. "No biggie" I thought, and I drove down the road to Firestone, but no luck there, nor at several Pep-Boys, two Sears, or NTB.

Apparently no one in the world (or at least Delaware) stocks a P19550R16. I am going to call a Mazda dealership today and pray that by some chance they have one laying around, but my hope is getting pretty thin...

What are my options here? I have a 50 mile commute to and from work, and I am running on the donut right now.... so far with about 125 miles on it, and I don't want to push it much further. Tirerack.com has tires that fit, but I can't wait for them to ship. Is there another (hopefully common) tire size that will fit the P5 and cause minimal screwiness with the speedo? I'm sure someone else has to have gone through this before...

Thank you in advance for anything you can do or suggest.

 

[Protege52003]

i would put the spare on the rear first then order a tire from some online store! maybe get 2 and replace the lowest worn one, too.

-R

 

[nullomodo]

i would put the spare on the rear first then order a tire from some online store! maybe get 2 and replace the lowest worn one, too.

-R

How long is a donut good for though, even if on the rear? I put at least 100 miles on my car per day, so if it takes a week for the tires to ship, that means 500/600 miles on the donut... which seems like it would be pushing it (not to mention I hate having to keep it under 50 all the time).

I am mainly thinking I will replace the tires with a size different from stock. Has anyone else done this? What other sizes work without having to switch out my (stock) rims?

 

[wipedawg]

you are better off getting rid of that size all together and going with 4 new 2054516 or 2055016, both are more common and can be found at any tire shop.

 

[nullomodo]

you are better off getting rid of that size all together and going with 4 new 2054516 or 2055016, both are more common and can be found at any tire shop.

Ah, thank you, that is what I was wondering. So both of those sized tires will fit on the car without rubbing or messing with the suspension?

My speedo will end up being off by a couple mph I'm guessing (is there a way to figure it out? how much above or below it would read?), but other than that, no extra wear and tear or problems it would pose to the car?

 

[Protege52003]

i would just get 205/50/16's......

edit:

i think the spare will be fine for a little time, just make sure there is enough pressure in it and don't drive too fast!

 

[nullomodo]

Alright, just called around a little bit, and got it all set up.

After work I'm dropping by Pep-Boys and they're going to put on 4 Kumho Ecsta ASX 205 50R16 tires. Since this tire is a little bit bigger, does that mean my speedo is going to read artificially low? (I think that logic makes sense, or would it read higher?).

 

[.paul]

FYI, since you're in DE, tirerack only takes one day to ship. They have a distribution facility in DE or NJ - I don't remember. I order from them when I need tires and it only takes one day to get to me.

Also, you're worse off keeping the spare on the front because of the two completely different sized overall wheel/tire diameters. The size differential puts a lot of stress on the tranny. It can be a PITA to swap tires around, but it's always best to have the same size tires on the drive wheels.

 

[Protege52003]

will read about 1.7% slow!

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

good choice going a little bigger!

-R

 

[the tortoise]

will read about 1.7% slow!

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

good choice going a little bigger!

-R

Isn't the error in the speedo greater (or about equal ) than this anyway?

 

[Protege52003]

Isn't the error in the speedo greater (or about equal ) than this anyway?

yeah, with tire wear and stuff.......

 

[DeadGeneration]

just to clarify, spare tire in the p5 is only good for 50 miles before you risk it blowing out as well. Also, the stock tire size is odd/rare so it costs more as well as being hard to find. Get over the headache early and replace all the tires with a more common up-size.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Was prowling around pep-boys the other day & saw both kumho & hankook 205/50/16s & other near sizes too. Shouldn't be that hard to find 50s. 40s & 45s might stretch the limits at some places. Musta been bad timing or bad coincidence.................

 

[anarchistchiken]

You could just buy 2 205/50's and put them on the front, put the stockers on the back and you'll be fine.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Dude if that's what happened when you lost a bet there musta been some kinda kickass prize for winning huh? What was the bet?

 

[mazdaddy]

I put 205/50/16's on my P5 in Sept (Fuzion ZRI's). My speedo is actually more accurate now! I tested it with a time/distance run using a stopwatch & the road's mile markers, as well as a few runs by a radar set up the local PD had on a road where they've been trying to get people to slow down (temporary radar with your speed posted in big red #'s) Each time the radar speed matched my speedo readout. My brother in law in Ohio did the same tire size change with his '01 P5 (Michelin's) and had the same result with his speedo...

 

[Moonman8]

I put 205/50/16's on my P5 in Sept (Fuzion ZRI's). My speedo is actually more accurate now! I tested it with a time/distance run using a stopwatch & the road's mile markers, as well as a few runs by a radar set up the local PD had on a road where they've been trying to get people to slow down (temporary radar with your speed posted in big red #'s) Each time the radar speed matched my speedo readout. My brother in law in Ohio did the same tire size change with his '01 P5 (Michelin's) and had the same result with his speedo...

how do the 205/50/16 ride?

I've been wanting to do a swap from my 205/45 because the ride is a little rough with the crappy roads here and the thin sidewall. But I've heard that the 205/50's ride a little weird but that's the only description I've heard.

So how are the 50's? Upgrade or downgrade from stock 50's or 205/45's?

 

[RaiderMS3]

how do the 205/50/16 ride?

I've been wanting to do a swap from my 205/45 because the ride is a little rough with the crappy roads here and the thin sidewall. But I've heard that the 205/50's ride a little weird but that's the only description I've heard.

So how are the 50's? Upgrade or downgrade from stock 50's or 205/45's?

I had 205-50-16 Yokohama AVS ES 100's on my stock rims. Loved the ride, almost no change in speedo. handling improved, but bald tires are better than POS stock Dunflops.

Get them, you will not regret the upgrade. They will also fit the rim with no problems or rubbing.

 

[Moonman8]

I had 205-50-16 Yokohama AVS ES 100's on my stock rims. Loved the ride, almost no change in speedo. handling improved, but bald tires are better than POS stock Dunflops.

Get them, you will not regret the upgrade. They will also fit the rim with no problems or rubbing.

Thanks Raider. I've got Yokohama Parada Spec-2 205/45/16 on right now. I love the cornering and traction with these but the sidewall on the 45 series Paradas is so freakin' small. Potholes and rough freeways are starting to get on my nerves. I would like another set of Yoko's but they're a little spendy for me right now.

 

[RaiderMS3]

I had the Yokos, and they handle water like no other tire I have had. 80 mph in heavy Florida rain is no problem. The only reason I did not get them again, I got 23K on them before bald. So when it came time to replace, I got 17's with 205-45-17 Kumho ecsta 711's, and have good traction in the rain, and have now 9K miles without any sign of wear.

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