Miata Mailing List: November 1998, Message #1159

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> When I went to Sam's club today, I asked the salesperson about tires
> for my car. The only two they had for my vehicle were a set of
> Pirelli's and a set of Generals.  They wanted about $56.00 a tire
> for the Generals, and $60.00 a tire for the Pirelli's.

> What's your opinion of these tires? I don't remember what the model
> name or # was.

Pirelli makes a lot of different models of tires.  Some are better than
others.  From the price of the Pirelli's I'd guess that they were talking
about the P600.  I have not heard wonderful things about this tire.  I
don't know anything about General tires.

Probably the best place to start your search for tires would be the
product reviews on http://www.miata.net.  This way you will be able to
see what kind of experiences other Miata owners have had various
tires.

> BTW...I have begun to notice that on dry pavement, my tires,
> although they don't break loose, just don't feel as secure as they
> used to (stock Bridgestones). What bugs me is that they have still
> so much tread on them!  I shouldn't have to replace them at only
> 12,900 miles!!

You may try your tires at different inflation.  Some tires handle more
accurately inflated a little higher than the recommend 26 PSI.

> The salesman said that the tire recommended for my car has an "H"
> rating.  What does this mean? AND, if I'm going to be driving my car
> hard, now that I know how, should I get a performance-grade tire? I
> still kept the messages many of you have sent me regarding my
> initial tire question.

An 'H' rated tire is capable of safely traveling 130 MPH under perfect
conditions.  The mere fact that a tire has a high speed rating does not
indicate that the tire will handle well.  The lowdown on speed ratings
and other tire information is available on the Tire Rack web site
http://www.tirerack.com.

> I just would like a consensus on the Pirelli/General's.

Overall, Dunlop D60's seem to be the most popular all-season tire for
Miatas with 14" wheels.  Even if Sam's doesn't carry the Dunlops they
are pretty widely available at tire stores and you can probably find
a pretty good deal if you shop around.

Good Luck!
--
Bruce Jackson  -  Sr. UNIX System Administrator  -  The M/A/R/C Group
b.a.jackson@ieee.org