Miata Mailing List: January 1994, Message #32
sponsored by



     


   From: paul@rational.com (Paul Jasper)
Subject: Tires
   Date: Tue, 4 Jan 1994 21:37:01 -0500

No, not another "what tire should I buy?" request...

I had my 75000 mile service today and asked the dealer to check out
the suspension system as I've been noticing that the car skips on
bumps and follows pavement seams more than I recall that it used to.

The dealer reported that the suspension is in good condition,
the struts are not leaking and there are no indications that anything
needed replacing.  The steering is good and tight and there's no
obvious misalignment.

However, he did notice my Yokohama A509s, which I've had since around 
60000 miles, and pointed out that their rating is too high for the car:
he said their weight capacity, as written on the side wall, is
1160 pounds, whereas Mazda recommends 580 pounds.  He said this would 
give a tendency to bounce on rough surfaces and that they've seen
this before with over-specified tires recommended by the Miata Club.

In their favor, he did say they would be good strong tires that would
last very well and would give good performance on a racing track.
He didn't recommend that I change them as they still have plenty of
life left in them.  He suggested I could get a stiffener/tracking bar 
as they'd seen good improvements in handling using these (they're a
standard, welded-in component of newer models, but are available as
third-party add-ons for older models like my 91 - see ads in Miata
magazine).

I don't race my car - just regular 80-mile per day commuting on 
the Bay Area's pocked and pitted freeways.

So... has anyone else had similar experiences with Yoko A509s, or other
tires generally approved of on this list?  Similar feedback from
other dealers?  Comments anyone?

P.S. I actually went ahead with an alignment anyway, since I've never 
had one.  The dealer invested in a hi-tech, laser-guided alignment
machine about a year ago, so I'm surprised they've never suggested
doing this before - in fact they weren't at all pushy about getting
this done.  Funny, I usually expect car dealers to try to sell me
anything they can...

-- 
-- Paul Jasper
-- RATIONAL Software Corporation
-- Design Support Tools
--