Miata Mailing List: November 1995, Message #256
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   From: a.mccombs3@genie.com
Subject: Wet Traction
   Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 20:22:19 -0500

Gary Feldman writes of the abysmal wet traction on his original
Bridgestones.  When we first got our Miata, it also had Bridgestones on it,
and believe it or not, I think these were the original tires - with 77,000+
miles on them!  When I got them replaced, they checked the date code, and
the tires were manufactured a few months before the build date on the car.

The thing that led to replacement was a similar situation to Gary's.  The
tires never had much wet grip, but by treating the car rather gingerly in
the rain, we were coping.  (The tires still had about 1/8 inch tread left,
BTW.)  One evening I rounded a curve a few blocks from home, that we both
drive regularly.  The road was damp to wet, but no standing water.  (This
curve is an easy 30 mph curve in the wet with my current Dunlop D40s, BTW.)
I was traveling at something around 20 mph, due to my knowledge of the poor
wet grip of the Bridgestones, when all four let go simultaneously.  The car
just did a beautifully neutral, four wheel drift toward the outside of the
curve.  Fortunately, the grip came back before I ran out of road (but also
before I ran out of curve, strangely).  Very shortly after that, those tires
got replaced.  I don't recall the designation, other than that they were OEM
Bridgestones, as I recall.

Better tires will make a WORLD of difference - especially in the wet!

                                                --Jack M. & KANSEI--