Winter tires for a Miata

With tempatures finally solidly below freezing most days, the need for winter tires can be put off no longer. I am going to attempt to DD the Miata this whole winter, so an appropriate set of winter tires must be had. Should I just go to the local tire store and demand their finest? I remember a GRM article on the matter, but sadly I uh, sort of throw my old magazines away

Help me O'GRM Gods!

I have 175/65/14 Firestone Winterforces on my 91 Miata. Through two days of snow I've been pretty impressed.

I used Yokohama Ice Guards on mine cause I got a good deal. They worked quite well.

i have used the firestones winterforce and i swear by them.. had them on my POS ranger and it was just about unstoppable in snow.

I always say the same thing in these threads - what conditions will you really be driving in? Deep, unplowed snow? Hard packed snow? Ice? Slush? Without knowing this I can't make a reasonable recommendation.

I just got general altimax's on mine. (on e30 bottlecap wheels in 175 width)

worked pretty well on snowy roads the other day (and I have no LSD)

viva la tirerack

pigeon wrote: I always say the same thing in these threads - what conditions will you really be driving in? Deep, unplowed snow? Hard packed snow? Ice? Slush? Without knowing this I can't make a reasonable recommendation.

Fair enough. For probably 75% of the time, hard packed or plowed snow. The other 25% will be a mix of everything else as the season goes on. Around here they keep the main thoroughfares pretty well maintained.

Woody wrote:

Looks like what people in my hometown should use. For some reason, that wisconsin town decited to cut costs on plowing. for a while my parent's street was a couple inches of packed snow on top of 2 inches of ice. Blizzaks worked well on my car back then, and now i have some on my RX8. (not a miata, but close enough)

In reply to Drewsifer:

That's what I suspected, though I'd really guess that for the winter it's likely 75% cold bare pavement. I'd go with something cheap like the Winterforce - the Hakka1s I had on my Miata in Buffalo would be a bit of overkill for VA. When I lived in NOVA I just ran all seasons without any issues - any real snow shut everything down anyway.

I hit up craigslist and looked for what I could find in the right size. I bought a set of 4 Dunlop Winter Sport M3 16's for $80 because someone crashed and busted a wheel. Found another wheel for $25 and had a set of nice new snow tires on my camaro.

I had bridgestone winterforces on my miata and that car could stop on a hill and go back up in reverse without so much as spinning the tires. I was impressed.

I can say nothing but good things about the old set of Nokian Hakkas that I found on CL.

I was able to get home in nearly a foot of powdery snow, and even stopped to offer assistance to a couple stuck in their 4x4 S10.

What as these "winter tire" you speak of? I'm glad I live in the South.

Be carefully in that frozen rain.

SillyImportRacer wrote: What as these "winter tire" you speak of? I'm glad I live in the South. Be carefully in that frozen rain.

We'll be watching for you on CNN...

Cooper Weathermaster ST/2 175/65-14 work very well on my Miata in Michigan

They do rub a bit on the fender liner when the suspension is compressed fully

185/60-14 Blizzaks on my Miata. Around here (SE Michigan) the roads are bare a lot of the time, but I find that the winter tires will brake better in the cold than my summer tires do.

We have the General Altimax's on the GP and they are decently good.

I bought Falken Eurowinter's for the Miata. We've already had one bought of ice/snow and it performed wonderfully! Yes, I also have a peg-leg rear. Super cheap shipped to your door by Discount Tire Direct. Even better if you have a DTD store nearby, they have to sell them to you at the internet price.

Whichever you pick try and get them a little taller than your regular tire. Every bit of ground clearance helps getting in and out of driveways

roadsters and snow is a great combination. I can only suggest one thing.. do NOT try driving in the snow with the top down. It may seem fun at the time, but those flakes get EVERYWHERE and when it finally melts, the entire interior of your car will be soaked.

BTDT

Hankook i-Pikes?

Winterforce are good in snow but suck on ice. Had them on my Liberty. Blizzaks on the ZX2SR FTW.

mad_machine wrote: roadsters and snow is a great combination. I can only suggest one thing.. do NOT try driving in the snow with the top down. It may seem fun at the time, but those flakes get EVERYWHERE and when it finally melts, the entire interior of your car will be soaked. BTDT

It also leads to taking a field sobriety test after the police get 911 calls about some drunk fool driving with the top down.

93celicaGT2 wrote: Hankook i-Pikes !

Fixed that for you.

If anyone somewhere near DC has an extra set they're trying to pawn off....

So bumping this after a strange encounter with a Firestone store.

I went there today to price some tires from them. The guy told me that no manufacturer made Winter Tires in my size (205/45R16). I just smiled and walked away. 2 seconds on Tire Rack shows Dunlop makes a winter tire in my size. However I'm thinking my SE wheels are hurting my selection. Doh!