Tire Recommendations

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Okie doke. Looking to get new summer and winter tires for the new 06 (have HX MXM4s on there now).

Probably getting Bridgestone PE960AS 245/45/R17s at Sam's (about $20 more than either TireRack or DiscountTire but with the free lifetime servicing) and Michelin X-Ice Xi2 215/55/R17s at TireRack (can't seem to find them anywhere else).

Any potential issues with the alternate sizes? Also, would it matter that the 215/55 X-Ice has a 94 load index compared to the 95 of the stock?

I guess other choices would be the Michelin Pilot A/S Plus for summers and Blizzak WS-60 and LM-60 for winters.

TIA!

 

[spoold]

not a big deal on sizes. the 245/45 will cause your speedo to be reading 2.2% too fast. the 215/55 will be perfect in that aspect though.

the load index difference wont have any real bearing or affects unless you're car ways a lot more than stock. no biggie.

i run 235/55 winterforce snow tires. mainly because they were the cheapest size and despite the added slight 4x4 look of being almost an inch larger in diamater, they're snow tires and i'll burl through anything with them.

i too will will be looking at some 245/45s next spring for summer tires to replace my 235/50s though. maybe some 255/45 if i can confirm fitment clearance on stock wheels.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Oh yeah, in case anyone asks, I'm sticking with the stock chromes (and a set of the same design painteds for winter) since I can't find anything I like in a 17x7.5" size.

 

[WINSTON]

I just orded the 245/45 17 Dunlop SP Sports from TireRack.

Great reviews for an all-season tire both on the net and on this forum.

 

[LongIslandLSE]

Here you go, LS tires.

 

[LongIslandLSE]

..

 

[spoold]

haha sweet camper trailer and swingset

 

[milehighmikey]

I'm running the 245/45-17 in the Dunlop Sp Signature and they are reading around 3-4 mph faster on the car's speedometer than the roadside radar signs say I am going. I purposely set cruise control to hold a steady speed on flat roads when I see one of those things, and my car will say 42 and the sign will say 39, also I set it for 37 or so on cruise and it read on the radar as 33.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Wow! That's a huge difference. Shouldn't it only be ~2.2% :
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[cammerfe]

I run 245-45 ZR-18 Pilot P-2s on Verde Kaos rims. Buy from Discount Tire and get lifetime everything.
KS

 

[99 KOBRA]

I put Goodyear Eagle A/S tires on my wife's '04. They're great for this car.

 

[pektel]

I just bought a pair of Fuzion ZRi's for the fronts. 245/35/19. Going to do the same for the rears soon. No complaints, but I've only driven 600 miles or so on them so far.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Just FYI : Sam's has $70 instant savings on all Michelin tire sets right now and there's a $60 Michelin family and friends rebate floating out there.

I'll be trying to double-dip on 2x sets of X-Ice Xi2s (1x 195/65/R15, 1x 215/55/R17).

 

[lsintoronto]

I run Yokohama YK520's as all season tires - had them about 4 months now. Work well but a little noisy.

I have the Blizzak WS-60 for winter and they have been a great tire through 2winters now. Depending on how much snow and ice you get, I would go with the WS-60 versus the LM series tires as I believe the "performance" winter tires don't work as well in deeper snow or icy conditions, on rear wheel drive cars. They appear to be designed for light snow areas.

I've seen too many BMWs and MBs on these performance winter tires stuck on hills when the LS on Blizzaks made it up with minimal trouble. If I get out to help I check which tires they have or check as I'm driving past. We have not gotten stuck even in snowstorms.