2007 MX-5 - Michelin Pilot SS's??

[twistedwankel]

For a $20 difference on a set of tires, I would rather support Tire Rack (a company that supports motorsports) than... Wal-Mart.

Hey, aren't you supposed to be running a school today?

[Loren]

I'm doing my job so well that I have time for this! Hooray for proper planning and good people!

[twistedwankel]

Got to totally respect a guy who knows how to delegate!!

[twistedwankel]

200+ mile observation on DW tires breakin.

Running 32psi cold in 245/40/18" on certain roads it was like the tires were going out of round slight bounce intermittently.

After two reductions in my Yellow Koni's down 2/3rds from any other "race" tires I've had on there for the street. 1/2 turn from full soft is a nice ride!! AND quiet. Cannot easily adjust the rears set at 3/4 hard.

Even my wife agree it's a bloomin' luxo barge RX8.

So be warned if you have a stiff suspension these sidewalls are stiffer than both my R1R's 140 and RS3's ver 2.0. Koni's only work in rebound so maybe not an issue with normal 2 way shocks?

Also from a posted pix I saw the W looks like it stays on there until close to the wear bars so should be soft for the life of the tire:)

[Ohno ItstheRozzers]

For a $20 difference on a set of tires, I would rather support Tire Rack (a company that supports motorsports) than... Wal-Mart.

I wholeheartedly agree.

So be warned if you have a stiff suspension these sidewalls are stiffer than both my R1R's 140 and RS3's ver 2.0. Koni's only work in rebound so maybe not an issue with normal 2 way shocks?

Also from a posted pix I saw the W looks like it stays on there until close to the wear bars so should be soft for the life of the tire:)

Thanks for the report, Doug. The suspension on my MX-5 bone stock and marshmallow soft. The Koni's will come but not in the near future.

Interesting that you say the sidewalls are stiff. A lot of the older reviews that I read talked about the DW being the exact opposite - strong grip but very soft sidewalls. However, there were talks of Continental changing the formula to make those sidewalls stiffer. Sounds like that's happened.

I have a Discount Tire Co. near my house that has been superb to be over the years. They quoted me $586.36, out the door. And that's before the $70 rebate.

[Loren]

My wife's Miata is a 2007 PRHT Grand Touring, all the bells and whistles. I noticed that the shocks were going south at about 30k miles. Of course, she didn't notice, but I found it annoying and talked her into spending $500 on the Konis. Made a HUGE difference, and they aren't even adjusted stiff. As I recall, I knew my wife would hate them if I put them too stiff... so, I adjusted them to something like 1 turn from soft when we installed them, knowing full well that she probably wouldn't like it. Steering response was phenomenal and the car felt "crisp", I loved it! She hated it, said it upped the steering effort (which kind of is the side effect that she would notice most) too much. I made her live with it for a week, then adjusted them down to 1/2 turn (which is where I wanted to put them, anyway). That felt "better" to her, and "acceptable" to me, so we were all good!

What I'm saying is: Buy the Konis. Maybe even before you buy the tires. You'll be happy you did.

[Ohno ItstheRozzers]

What I'm saying is: Buy the Konis. Maybe even before you buy the tires. You'll be happy you did.

Mine is also a 2007 PRHT Grand Touring! It's got the Bilstein package, which I've heard are both very durable and will last to 100k miles, and are utter garbage and will wear out quickly... So not sure what to believe. But since I've only had the car for about 2k miles (it has 53k right now) I don't know if they were this soft when new or if they're on their way out. Either way, that will be the next upgrade.

TIRE UPDATE: My trusty tire shop currently has the DW's on a 2 week back order. I believe it was Voltaire that once said, "Ain't nobody got time fo dat."
I asked about the Pilot SS's(eseseses). They were only $15 more per tire AND they're currently up for the $70 mail-in rebate as well. So, the Super Sports have been ordered and will be installed in the next few days. I'll be going to an auto-x event at The FIRM this Saturday and I'll have a full report afterwards. Hoping to give the FRS/BRZ crowd a run for their money.

[twistedwankel]

Wise choice given the cost. They are faster than DW.

You ain't showin' nobody nothin' if they are running any serious 200 tires.

Hope you didn't promise your wife a trophy. Or is that Trophy Wife a win on awesome tires?

If it rains you might get FTD?

The Mayor

[Ohno ItstheRozzers]

Haha, I may lack speed, but I'll make up for it in moxie. :-)

And what's FTD?

[Loren]

Fastest Time of the Day.

[Ohno ItstheRozzers]

UPDATE - Put the Super Sports on and went to the event at The FIRM this past weekend. It's apples to oranges when comparing these to the Maxxis "performance" tires that I had, but suffice it to say, the SS's are better in every way. Some notes:

- Pretty quiet. Didn't pick up any noticeable tire noise while driving.

- The sidewalls seem stiff, but they're actually smoother over bumps in the road.

- Grip is certainly better, but they certainly aren't slicks. Eventually, I'll upgrade to a 200 treadwear tire and will be able to compare them.

- They howled more than I expected when pushed hard. But I saw no graining or chunking.

- Air pressures were 40 in front and 38 in the rear. I'm ok with that but need to experiment more.

- No driving in the rain as of yet.

- They're not world-beaters, but they I'm happy with them and will compete with them until they wear out. I'm sure my speed/times will improve as I make some suspension upgrades and become more familiar with the car. The soft suspension and copious amounts of body roll are new to me and make me feel disconnected from the car. I'm also getting used to the car's ability to QUICKLY make you pay for driving too aggressively by either rotating the rear on entry or shoving the nose on exit.

[Loren]

The soft suspension and copious amounts of body roll are new to me and make me feel disconnected from the car. I'm also getting used to the car's ability to QUICKLY make you pay for driving too aggressively by either rotating the rear on entry or shoving the nose on exit.

Body roll is not a problem. UNCONTROLLED body roll is a problem. Don't go nuts with the suspension mods, just get a good set of shocks. Then focus on driving.

[twistedwankel]

3002 mile update trip in cool climate and wet.

Conti DW tires are really happy on FL roads wet or dry and Quiet as can be.

However, When we got to NJ, NYC, CT and MA the permanent construction up there with pavement deviations of 1/2" or more had to be attacked at 60degrees to avoid bending rims or lacerating a kidney. I really wish I'd known just how good Bilsteins are before mounting Koni's to my RX8. I'm stuck with 75% hard in rear which doesn't matter unless on wavy, mismatched northern roads. I fully understand why they all drive pickups and SUVs up there!! Not for snow but for suspension travel and tall tires to soak up bumps. My grandson got car sick when daughter drove him 20 miles in 50F weather.

These tires are sort of like licorice. Soft and pliable at room temp but near or at 40-50 the rubber gets hard and brittle? Definitely not a cool weather tire. They do eventually warm up and are much better. Even at 40F they gripped just fine even on wet leaf and pine covered back roads. They do have awesome MC roads up there:)

Wife decided that RX8 is a superb road car with extra storage for kids and hauling a bunch of stuff in the trunk. We both gave the seats a total thumbs up with four days of constant driving there and back in 10 days. Most impressed by 22-23mpg @ 75mph avg 3800-4000rpm all day long using 89 octane. Mileage didn't matter if 75 or 79 just stayed near 4k rpm. Tried one tank of 92 and made absolutely no difference in economy. Used 3/4 quart (24oz) of injected 5-20 dino oil for 3000 miles which is better than most piston cars can do. I normally use up 4oz doing a FAST xcross with 6 runs in 2nd gear. It's all about the rpms'.

Will be doing a test and tune at Airport in a couple weeks to determine the xcross ability of a 10/32" 340 tread compound. Presently the wear lines stop 1" from the outer and inner edges of the tires:) 245's.

For $600 delivered for a W rated 18"x 245/40 tire that sticks like dry in heavy rain for 6 hours at 75mph no hydroplaning hard braking no issue. I love these things. Just don't go past the Mason Dixon line with them.

The Mayor