Best Street/Track tires for a NA Mata?

Hi, just recently purchased an 1993 NA miata I have AGX adjustable shocks and stock springs. I am looking at getting a set of Konig Flat Out 15x8 25mm offset wheels and 225/45/15 BFG radial rubber. Would it make more sense to get 205/50/15 rubber?

Also with the wheels, do those 15x8 wheels make sense or would it be a lot better to get the 15x9 wheels? I do have factory springs and I have a 1.6 L non turbo NA. I plan to mainly use this for weekend cruising, and HDPE events.

Any advice would be appreciated, also I'm new to the forum.

I can say that on the track, in a non FI Miata, the 205 is usually faster. Often slightly cheaper as well.

I'm running 205s on 15x7s on a 1.8l NA Miata for HPDE/PDX with some road use and they offer enough grip. For 225s you probably want 15x8 wheels but I wouldn't bother going that wide unless you have established that you have a problem getting the power down, which is unlikely.

I've had AGX adjustable shocks on an NA and they weren't exactly my favourites so you might want to do something about them in the medium term. I'd also consider upgrading the sway bars, that makes a big difference.

On Tirerack they are about the same and the 225 has both the RS3 and Radial available. 205 has niether of those all though there may be some other sufficient ones?

a 205/5015 on a 15X8 is going to be just as fast and decently cheaper. Also I had to roll my fenders to clear 15X8 +25's with 205 RE-11A's on my NB so consider that you'll have to roll even more to clear 225's on an NA and wont be able to go as low if you ever decided to spring it.

BFG rival, Direzza Z2, Bridgestone RE-11A are all good 205/20/15 tires for track days. As far as I can tell there is hardly any difference in performance between them. The rival might have an overall edge though.

The Rival is the stickiest of those, the tradeoff is that it has the most jokey tread pattern and therefore the least wet grip.

I'm running 205/50/15 S-Drives on 15x8 Konig wide opens(25mm). I had to remove the fender liners and roll the fenders a bit. The tires are stretched slightly, but nothing crazy.

I ran 205/50 15 on 15x7 wheels with Bridgestone RE-11s. They were great on the road (inc. rain) and track. Sold them to someone on here IIRC with about 10% street tread remaining.

Great 205's on 15x8 it is! Ill step up to 225 if I ever decide to turbo it. So would the agx's work okay with any other lowering spring/perch then the factory na springs? Also are there any cheaper alternatives to carbotechs? I was thinking about stainless steal lines and xp10 and xp8 for the miata. What would some better alternatives price wise for a non turbo 1.6 l miata?

Hawk black or HP+. Unless you are talking about a track only pad. Then Hawk Blue.

The Direzza ZII are a good tire in that size also.

Are carbotechs expensive? They will last forever on a miata, plus their dust is not corrosive like hawks so it wont ruin your wheels.

I run the factory LS optioned bilsteins with 550f/350r eibach ERS springs. Cheap and handles brilliantly. You can get them from autozone for a pretty affordable price.

I know the HP+ are very capable of locking up the Miata fronts in autocross and produce an unusually high amount of dust. I've been much more comfortable under braking (far less lockup and more consistent braking distances) with cheap StopTechs in the front and HP+ in the rear. That said, I really don't think either would be remotely ideal for track.

For track use, keep that front/rear bias in mind and get appropriate brakes that work at temperature. There's no sense learning your brake points if they're going to change after a few laps due to fade. I've only heard good things about the XP8/XP10 combo from my local track nuts but don't have my own experiences to share.

AtticusTurbo27 wrote: Are carbotechs expensive?

Oooooh yes they are...

I ordered EBC Yellowstuffs for mixed street & track pads.

I've been using HP+ front and rear on various track Miatas without issues.

lol I mean I have a set of carbotech's on my car right now, I went from tracking a WRX to tracking a miata, so everything is cheap from my perspective!

All i know is i run xp8's all around and have no complaints, no fade and good life out of them. The dust sucks but you just aren't going to get a good track pad that doesn't dust like crazy.

you guys make me think I did something wrong....

I running 16" x 6.5" (2001 miata wheels) with 225/55/16 starspec z1's.....on my 1990 supercharged miata.

Something wrong.... Not really. You could be loosing some time on the transitions and overall "feel" by running a narrow wheel.

If it makes you feel any better, we are running 225 on a 6 inch wheel. It works, but we ARE looking for a wider wheel.

Rob R.

AtticusTurbo27 wrote: I run the factory LS optioned bilsteins with 550f/350r eibach ERS springs. Cheap and handles brilliantly. You can get them from autozone for a pretty affordable price.

Atticus, can you please elaborate on this setup? Are the LS Bilsteins different than others? Are both the shocks and springs available at Autozone? What was the approximate price? Thanks,

I heard that there was a magazine that recently did a test on the very same tires and wheels question.

iceracer wrote: I heard that there was a magazine that recently did a test on the very same tires and wheels question.

Oops, which issue?

I bought a set of used BFG Rivals for my Miata, and was way impressed at Mid-Ohio. I've not driven the used Bridgestone RE-11As on my MINI in anger yet, but on the street in the rain, they feel great. I wouldn't trust the Rivals in the same way.

I cannot state enough how impressed with the Rivals I was at Mid-Ohio, and the wear over five sessions was essentially negligible.

LainfordExpress: 205 or 225? What size wheels?

205/50R15 on OE 15x6"s.

I intend to try them out in the new SCCA "E Street" class, hence 15x6" instead of 15x7". I bet they'd be event better on 7"s.

Actually reading your post more closely...

I'd go with 205s on a 15x7" no matter what, 949 6UL's in Bronze or Anthracite depending on vehicle color, or the TR Motorsports whatevers if cost is a major concern.

My Miata ('94 R that has a damn healthy engine... only 28,000 miles) didn't really overwhelm the rear tires. All that extra width comes at a cost of weight, frontal area, and actual money as well.

Go with 205s, be happy.