Wheel/tire combo?

[humjaba]

Hey all

so i'm starting to get the miata for more fun this coming spring and summer (autox and hopefully some track). the previous owner put a fresh set of all-season tires on, which I think will be good for daily driving... but i want another set on which to put more sticky rubber. so, of the following two, which would you pick?

this is looking appealing..
feel free to suggest other alternatives (especially in tire choice). the 195/60/14 rt-615 combo looks most appealing because the set of rims ($125) plus tires ($276-$80MIR=$196) means a set of rims and new tires for $320.

[zps2004]

If you weren't in Cali I would sell you mine. Either way I know that that combination is popular with miata guys because you don't need bigger wheels. And you can save money for my suspension. Give me a week and it will be off my car BTW.

[humjaba]

Blah. Well my dad just decided for me.... Apparently we dont have room for another set of rims in the house so it's a moot point. I guess I'll just get tires when the weather gets a bit better.

[soccerbummer1104]

if your gonna use it as a dd, i love my dunlop sp sport signature tires (im running 215/45/17 on a 225 wide rim) they hold their grip and give a good steering response, and really let you feel the edge. They actually hold more through the limit than most tires ive used while being all seasons, but are a little more scary on the edge at the same time. You just have to get used to it as they feel a little built different. The review from tire rack pretty much agrees with what i felt with these as well.
Overall a very good tire.
50k mile pro rated treadlife warranty too

here is what tirerack had to say.

Vehicles used:
2006 BMW E90 325i Sedan

Refreshed to address the year-round driving needs of today's performance enthusiasts who may encounter intermittent light snow, the new Firehawk GT w/UNI-T High Performance All-Season tire line reestablishes the Firehawk GT name in Firestone's family of performance tires. Designed to allow drivers to feel the freedom of the road, the new Firehawk GT blends long treadwear and responsive handling with traction on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow.

In order to confirm how the new Firehawk GT tires measure up to some of today's other High Performance All-Season tires, we compared the V-speed rated Firestone Firehawk GT to the V-speed rated BFGoodrich Traction T/A, Dunlop SP Sport Signature and Yokohama AVID V4s tires.

Our evaluation used 2006 BMW 325i E90 sedans, with new, full tread depth 205/55R16-sized tires mounted on 16x7.5" wheels.

What We Learned on the Road

Our 5.6-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.

All four tires in our test delivered on their promise of responsive handling with comfortable road manners. As in previous tests, the Yokohama AVID V4s received praise for its comfortable ride and relatively low noise level, especially along the rough expressway section. Dunlop's Signature Sport was not far behind, also delivering a smooth ride and scoring well with our team. The BFGoodrich Traction T/A and Firestone Firehawk GT both displayed acceptable ride comfort, while generating minimal but noticeable tread and impact noise over the course sections of our test drive.

At normal road speeds, the handling scores for the Traction T/A and Firehawk GT were a virtual tie, feeling crisp and delivering quick response to the driver's input. The Signature Sport also handled well, with slightly slower initial response to steering inputs than the BFGoodrich or Firestone tires. The AVID V4s counter-balanced its advantage in ride comfort with a small reduction in responsiveness versus the other tires.

What We Learned on the Test Track

Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, lane changes and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.

In dry conditions, the Dunlop Signature Sport felt very responsive and nimble, slicing its way through the lane change/slalom and around the tight corners. Subjectively the overall grip level didn't feel as though it equaled the tire's responsiveness, but this didn't hold back our team as this tire drove its way to the quickest overall lap time of this test. Very close behind was the Firestone Firehawk GT, which delivered stable cornering and balanced handling. The BFGoodrich Traction T/A was also easy to control at the limit, but lacked the ultimate grip needed to post the quickest lap time. Just like on the road, the trade-off in handling for ride comfort impacted the Yokohama AVID V4s' handling. Overall grip felt quite good, while steering response and cornering lacked some of the precision and stability of the Dunlop and Firestone tires.

In the wet we usually see larger differences between tires. In this case, however, the differences were not as big as often seen in past tests. Only 4/10th second separated the fastest to slowest tire, showing how close all four tires are to each other. In the wet, the BFGoodrich tire lead the way with the quickest overall lap time, fastest time through the slalom transition and highest steady-state cornering (average g-forces). The Yokohama lapped our course only 2/10ths behind, where its somewhat slower responsiveness and soft handling in the dry proved to aid feel and driver confidence in the wet by providing plenty of feedback and controllability at the limit. The responsive steering of the Dunlop resulted in a somewhat edgy feel in the wet. In close fourth place overall was the Firestone Firehawk GT, which didn't quite have the wet grip displayed by the other tires.

Product Details

BFGoodrich Traction T/A (High Performance All-Season): Traction T/A radials were developed to provide four-season traction along with five-star performance by blending good treadwear, responsive handling and dependable traction on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow. Read more.

Dunlop SP Sport Signature (High Performance All-Season): The SP Sport Signature was developed to deliver year-round performance for the drivers of sporty coupes and performance sedans. The SP Sport Signature is designed to blend treadwear, handling and traction on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow. Read more.

Firestone Firehawk GT (High Performance All-Season): The Firehawk GT w/UNI-T is Firestone's tire developed for sporty performance sedans and coupes. The Firehawk GT w/UNI-T is designed to allow drivers to feel the freedom of the road by blending long treadwear and responsive handling with dependable traction on dry and wet roads, as well as in light snow. Read more.

Yokohama AVID V4s (High Performance All-Season): AVID V4s radials are Yokohama's tires designed to take everyday driving to a new level of comfort and confidence for sporty performance sedans and coupes. The AVID V4s radials were developed to provide good treadwear, responsive handling and year-round traction, even in light snow.

[humjaba]

No all-seasons for me, but thanks. Im likely gonna get a second set of rims whether dad likes it or not =P I want good tires, and i dont want to replace them all the time.

[GTFan712]

I'm all for the Falken Azenis!

-GT

[93redfox]

friends of mine have all been pleased with bfg kdw2's, potenza re-o1r's, and the hankook rs-2, which is not bad price-wise. the only complaint i have with azenis is when they were on my buddy's sti, the grip levels decreased with the tire's life moreso than i expected.

[101101]

I like the track tires I have (Dunlop Z1 Star Spec) on my Miata. I got them because they were cheap and very good. It was between those and the XS - the Dunlops won because they were cheaper at the time. I chose against the Azenis because while those are good tires, they're many years old and not the top tires any more. Yeah, they're good, but there are better ones out now.

[humjaba]

(01-25-2010 09:43 PM)101101 Wrote:  I like the track tires I have (Dunlop Z1 Star Spec) on my Miata. I got them because they were cheap and very good. It was between those and the XS - the Dunlops won because they were cheaper at the time. I chose against the Azenis because while those are good tires, they're many years old and not the top tires any more. Yeah, they're good, but there are better ones out now.

I got all 4 azenis for $196 shipped to my door...

[dave99rt]

i paid $264 and then did the $80 rebate online.

[RHennin]

(01-26-2010 07:33 PM)dave99rt Wrote:  i paid $264 and then did the $80 rebate online.

Yay for one uppers!

That is really cheap for a set of tires either way. Even if they aren't the best out there right now.

[humjaba]

(01-26-2010 07:33 PM)dave99rt Wrote:  i paid $264 and then did the $80 rebate online.

what size? i got valve stems as well so that was an extra $12