Mazda MX5 Tires
On this page you will find the best real world tire reviews from owners of the Mazda MX5.
Do you Drive a Mazda MX5? Why not add your own tire review and help other owners pick the right tire! After all, who knows what the best tire for a MX5 better than the owners?
| Tire Reviewed | Dry Grip | Wet Grip | Feedback | Handling | Wear | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental WinterContact TS 870 P (10) | 89% | 99% | 81% | 91% | 88% | 96% |
| BFGoodrich gForce Profiler 2 (24) | 92% | 85% | 87% | 84% | 89% | 85% |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 (79) | 95% | 92% | 90% | 88% | 77% | 86% |
| Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen 1 (28) | 86% | 90% | 83% | 85% | 88% | 90% |
| Michelin Pilot Sport AS 3 (6) | 97% | 93% | 95% | 93% | 80% | 75% |
| Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 (5) | 94% | 98% | 76% | 82% | 95% | 86% |
| Continental ExtremeContact Sport (13) | 92% | 83% | 83% | 81% | 88% | 87% |
| Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (154) | 94% | 88% | 88% | 87% | 80% | 85% |
| Continental ExtremeContact DWS (9) | 84% | 89% | 80% | 80% | 84% | 90% |
| Michelin Pilot Super Sport (142) | 94% | 84% | 89% | 86% | 82% | 81% |
| Michelin Pilot Sport 5 (41) | 93% | 94% | 81% | 80% | 87% | 84% |
| Vredestein Quatrac (15) | 86% | 92% | 80% | 87% | 91% | 79% |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 (225) | 93% | 90% | 86% | 88% | 80% | 81% |
| Vredestein Sportrac 5 (97) | 88% | 85% | 84% | 83% | 86% | 84% |
| Vredestein Snowtrac 3 (34) | 84% | 91% | 82% | 76% | 83% | 86% |
| Hankook Icebear W440 (5) | 82% | 86% | 80% | 78% | 82% | 88% |
| Falken ZE914 (98) | 89% | 81% | 84% | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 (298) | 90% | 88% | 84% | 84% | 74% | 83% |
| Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 (30) | 94% | 72% | 90% | 90% | 70% | 74% |
| Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 (32) | 88% | 83% | 83% | 80% | 72% | 88% |
| Bridgestone Potenza Sport (80) | 93% | 88% | 91% | 92% | 64% | 74% |
| Uniroyal RainExpert (132) | 85% | 91% | 81% | 76% | 75% | 86% |
| Avon WV7 (14) | 82% | 84% | 83% | 76% | 82% | 88% |
| Nokian WRG2 (72) | 85% | 87% | 83% | 80% | 83% | 85% |
| Yokohama A539 (13) | 81% | 74% | 88% | 86% | 78% | 81% |
| Yokohama Advan A11A (2) | 90% | 75% | 95% | 95% | 95% | 75% |
| Michelin CrossClimate 2 (75) | 87% | 84% | 75% | 71% | 83% | 86% |
| Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (300) | 90% | 88% | 81% | 84% | 73% | 78% |
| Hankook Ventus RS4 (18) | 87% | 73% | 85% | 89% | 86% | 63% |
| Avon ZZ5 (93) | 90% | 83% | 83% | 86% | 70% | 82% |
| Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002 (108) | 90% | 82% | 82% | 80% | 77% | 77% |
| Continental ExtremeContact Force (2) | 100% | 55% | 90% | 95% | 95% | 45% |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional 5 (30) | 87% | 81% | 79% | 85% | 76% | 78% |
| Uniroyal RainSport 2 (226) | 85% | 91% | 78% | 76% | 76% | 80% |
| Bridgestone Adrenalin RE003 (86) | 91% | 78% | 83% | 87% | 71% | 73% |
| Dunlop SP Sport Fast Response (103) | 88% | 84% | 84% | 77% | 76% | 80% |
| Falken ZIEX ZE310 EcoRun (92) | 87% | 83% | 82% | 81% | 78% | 80% |
| Michelin Pilot Exalto (56) | 86% | 81% | 76% | 80% | 83% | 77% |
| Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 (42) | 79% | 87% | 74% | 73% | 86% | 86% |
| Falken ZIEX ZE914 EcoRun (89) | 85% | 81% | 81% | 82% | 78% | 76% |
| Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 (61) | 84% | 78% | 81% | 81% | 77% | 76% |
| Uniroyal RainSport 3 (285) | 84% | 92% | 79% | 78% | 64% | 83% |
| Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance (243) | 87% | 85% | 77% | 78% | 73% | 85% |
| Uniroyal RainExpert 3 (36) | 83% | 93% | 78% | 75% | 66% | 81% |
| Toyo R888 R (24) | 94% | 67% | 87% | 90% | 66% | 66% |
| Dunlop Direzza DZ03 (7) | 94% | 66% | 89% | 89% | 71% | 47% |
| Kumho Ecsta PS31 (58) | 82% | 79% | 76% | 79% | 75% | 78% |
| Dunlop SportMaxx RT (172) | 88% | 85% | 83% | 82% | 60% | 82% |
| Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 (86) | 85% | 79% | 79% | 80% | 76% | 81% |
| Maxxis All Season AP2 (21) | 84% | 80% | 73% | 76% | 77% | 72% |
| Accelera 651 Sport (21) | 82% | 73% | 78% | 79% | 78% | 78% |
| Toyo Proxes CF1 (45) | 85% | 80% | 80% | 76% | 68% | 80% |
| Rotalla RH01 E Pace (3) | 80% | 77% | 73% | 73% | 73% | 73% |
| Hankook Ventus V12 evo k110 (114) | 84% | 75% | 76% | 78% | 74% | 79% |
| Avon ZV5 (112) | 84% | 78% | 77% | 77% | 71% | 77% |
| Kumho Solus HS51 Harmony Sports (5) | 85% | 80% | 65% | 65% | 80% | 90% |
| Kumho Ecsta KU31 (165) | 83% | 75% | 77% | 76% | 72% | 74% |
| Toyo Proxes TR1 (59) | 85% | 76% | 78% | 82% | 73% | 66% |
| Nankang AR 1 (32) | 91% | 46% | 84% | 87% | 73% | 64% |
| Nankang NS2R (57) | 89% | 66% | 82% | 84% | 71% | 56% |
| Yokohama Parada Spec 2 (118) | 92% | 59% | 80% | 80% | 69% | 71% |
| Maxxis MA Z1 Victra (64) | 88% | 77% | 73% | 77% | 71% | 66% |
| Continental Premium Contact 5 (115) | 87% | 82% | 76% | 77% | 58% | 78% |
| Federal 595RSR (50) | 87% | 67% | 77% | 80% | 73% | 58% |
| Landsail LS588 UHP (89) | 81% | 75% | 70% | 68% | 75% | 80% |
| Goodyear Hydragrip (13) | 74% | 88% | 68% | 75% | 70% | 68% |
| Nankang SV2 (30) | 83% | 77% | 74% | 74% | 83% | 74% |
| Yokohama ADVAN A460 (20) | 84% | 74% | 77% | 74% | 81% | 65% |
| Dunlop SP Sport 200 (3) | 80% | 57% | 77% | 57% | 87% | 83% |
| Avon ZV7 (117) | 83% | 78% | 73% | 72% | 62% | 79% |
| Toyo T1R (286) | 83% | 69% | 75% | 74% | 63% | 70% |
| Firestone TZ300 (19) | 81% | 71% | 75% | 63% | 68% | 76% |
| Nexen N8000 (78) | 79% | 74% | 68% | 66% | 68% | 79% |
| Goodyear Excellence (124) | 79% | 71% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 74% |
| Kumho Ecsta V720 (11) | 93% | 54% | 83% | 94% | 50% | 45% |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 (157) | 84% | 78% | 76% | 73% | 60% | 65% |
| Toyo Proxes 4 (45) | 80% | 63% | 72% | 66% | 77% | 74% |
| Continental Sport Contact 2 (229) | 85% | 75% | 76% | 72% | 61% | 66% |
| Debica Frigo 2 (22) | 68% | 60% | 65% | 63% | 84% | 69% |
| Bridgestone Potenza RE050A (211) | 83% | 69% | 74% | 72% | 66% | 59% |
| Pirelli PZero Nero (139) | 83% | 66% | 71% | 71% | 67% | 64% |
| Rovelo RPX 998 (30) | 80% | 62% | 69% | 65% | 65% | 73% |
| Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08RS (28) | 73% | 66% | 73% | 71% | 78% | 68% |
| Kinforest KF550 UHP (20) | 74% | 65% | 70% | 68% | 65% | 69% |
| Firestone Firehawk SZ90 (25) | 77% | 68% | 74% | 71% | 70% | 60% |
| Bridgestone Turanza T001 (103) | 80% | 70% | 69% | 67% | 62% | 72% |
| Dunlop SP Sport Maxx (161) | 79% | 69% | 69% | 67% | 63% | 64% |
| Nankang EX500 (1) | 70% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 90% | 70% |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 (8) | 75% | 68% | 70% | 64% | 66% | 63% |
| Wanli S1063 (80) | 74% | 58% | 63% | 61% | 77% | 65% |
| Nankang NS2 (211) | 76% | 58% | 65% | 62% | 73% | 62% |
| Barum Bravuris (19) | 79% | 57% | 63% | 64% | 65% | 68% |
| Bridgestone Turanza ER30 (43) | 78% | 61% | 67% | 62% | 72% | 57% |
| Avon ZV3 (28) | 72% | 63% | 65% | 66% | 58% | 66% |
| Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT (57) | 74% | 60% | 66% | 67% | 73% | 50% |
| Pace Toledo TL1000 (13) | 71% | 55% | 61% | 59% | 70% | 59% |
| Marangoni Mythos (29) | 69% | 55% | 58% | 60% | 62% | 58% |
| Rapid p609 (33) | 68% | 54% | 56% | 60% | 62% | 58% |
| Firestone firehawk S790 (2) | 65% | 65% | 45% | 75% | 65% | 45% |
| Federal SS595 SUPER STEEL (136) | 70% | 47% | 57% | 55% | 69% | 48% |
| Pirelli P7000 (7) | 71% | 47% | 63% | 57% | 61% | 57% |
| Hercules Raptis WR1 (3) | 57% | 43% | 57% | 63% | 63% | 63% |
| Accelera Alpha (128) | 65% | 44% | 53% | 49% | 69% | 57% |
| Bridgestone Potenza RE92A (1) | 80% | 60% | 70% | 70% | 60% | 20% |
| Minerva EMI Zero UHP (3) | 70% | 70% | 65% | 37% | 33% | 50% |
| Westlake SA 07 (6) | 73% | 38% | 42% | 47% | 58% | 67% |
| Hankook Ventus K104 (11) | 68% | 42% | 50% | 44% | 55% | 61% |
| Maxtrek INGENS A1 (34) | 58% | 33% | 52% | 45% | 63% | 57% |
| Hifly HF201 (33) | 57% | 42% | 49% | 43% | 46% | 55% |
| Event WL905 (129) | 59% | 30% | 41% | 39% | 60% | 49% |
| Infinity INF 05 (68) | 56% | 31% | 42% | 39% | 62% | 45% |
| Fulda Carat Extremo (5) | 62% | 34% | 46% | 40% | 62% | 36% |
| Silverstone M5 Synergy (16) | 58% | 30% | 46% | 45% | 65% | 37% |
| Autogrip F107 (127) | 58% | 27% | 44% | 36% | 60% | 50% |
| Mohawk M112 (28) | 59% | 34% | 44% | 40% | 53% | 46% |
| Wanli S1088 (85) | 57% | 35% | 41% | 39% | 59% | 38% |
Mazda MX5 Tire Review Highlights
Writing about the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 given 94% (225-45-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 8000 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 8000 spirited miles
As recent owner of PS4S tires, I keep myself up to date on tires for my ND2 Miata. That said I decided to switch to the Conti ECSO2 this spring (2023). I'm glad I did for a variety of reasons and the the 2 main takeaways being price and warranty. As much as I loved the Michelins they are always the most expensive and at the peak drop off faster than I'd want for serious touge driving let alone track duty. In contrast I personally felt the ECS hold up better at the limit and the drop off was more than manageable and with a proper street+ alignment could eat up the road for hours of fun. It almost feels like the new updated conti is trying to find it's endurance mode similar to it's bigger brother the endurance 200tw tire ECF. Looking at Conti competitors this tire does the work you'd hope a summer tire would do, but has the longevity to keep you going past what you'd expect. It's wet grip felt on par with the Michelin in almost every way, even in hydroplaning conditions. I've put a good bit of miles on these tires and I'm happy to say I'd easily purchase them again.....not necessarily because it's just as good in dry or wet to the PS4S but because it's a better price, warranty and still provides the driver confidence you'd want out of a proper summer tire. An easy win in my book!
Writing about the Nankang NS2R given 80% (195-55-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 10000 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 10000 spirited miles
I've had these tires on my NBFL miata for around 10000kms, I think theu are very great and awesome value for money. In the dry, with such a light car and not that much power (146hp), it's nearly impossible to get the car back end to slide event with the locked diff. Braking is the smae story, ABS is kicking in very late. I use the car for 80% road, 20% track mainly on the Nordschleife. They perform really well there too. Tire pressure is something to take good look at because you will very quickly feel pressure increasing and grip reducing.
In the wet, it's another story. They work, I was able to drive 600km in the rain on the highway without too much worries but be prepared in the corners to counter steer. Maybe it's because my car doesn't have any stability or traction control, you have to be very careful, especially on road joints in corners where the car just "ungrips" from the road.
The wear is simply incredible, with such a light car and after 10000km of spirited driving and track use, they are only about 40% wear. This is awesome. I had som Kumho road tire before that, at 10000km they were done.
Then, the usual, it's stiff which gives you great feedback through the steering wheel but you feel everything on the road, even the smallest rock (maybe my Bilstein suspension doesn't help either).
Concerning noise, of course you get a lot of noise, especially above 120kmh where you can distinctly hear tire noise.
I would absolutely recommend them for someone who does some track driving, spirited road driving and mainly avoids wet condition.
In the wet, it's another story. They work, I was able to drive 600km in the rain on the highway without too much worries but be prepared in the corners to counter steer. Maybe it's because my car doesn't have any stability or traction control, you have to be very careful, especially on road joints in corners where the car just "ungrips" from the road.
The wear is simply incredible, with such a light car and after 10000km of spirited driving and track use, they are only about 40% wear. This is awesome. I had som Kumho road tire before that, at 10000km they were done.
Then, the usual, it's stiff which gives you great feedback through the steering wheel but you feel everything on the road, even the smallest rock (maybe my Bilstein suspension doesn't help either).
Concerning noise, of course you get a lot of noise, especially above 120kmh where you can distinctly hear tire noise.
I would absolutely recommend them for someone who does some track driving, spirited road driving and mainly avoids wet condition.
Writing about the Maxtrek INGENS A1 given 21% (205-40-17-)
Driving on mostly town for 5000 average miles
Driving on mostly town for 5000 average miles
These are the worst tires that I have ever had during my 38 years of driving. Its extremely dangerous on wet ( even on very slight dampness) ; easily fish tailed / oversteers hence very difficult to correct/control. To summarise it nicely 'Totally rubblish chinese tires'.
Writing about the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 given 97% (205-40-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 3500 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 3500 spirited miles
Snapped both driveshafts trying to do a skid, more grip than the powertrain. 10/10 would buy again
Writing about the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 given 83% (195-50-15-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 3 spirited miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 3 spirited miles
No comments left
Writing about the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 given 97% (205-40-17-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 200 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 200 spirited miles
Incredible tires. Upgraded my 2002 MX5 from Toyo proxes to these and the difference is insane. Slides are perfectly controlled, feedback and grip is excellent, road noise is low, comfort is good. After having used Michelin PS4 for quite a few years on other cars I am happy to say these tires absolutely blow them out of the water.
Writing about the Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08RS given 67% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 4800 spirited miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 4800 spirited miles
I have a MAZDA MX5 NC with OHLINS suspension and YOKOHAMA ADVAN NEOVA RS 205/55/16. I wore them 2 years ago and unfortunately what I read was confirmed.
Before I had a SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI with BRIDGESTONE RE070 225/45/17 which I was very happy with once I put them on 3 times and had them as a benchmark but….
YOKOHAMA's grip is nothing special for the class. They hold like conventional tires. The frame is average. Neither hard nor soft. They are comfortable and quiet on the journey, but unfortunately when cornering when they slide, they hiss annoyingly. Sometimes they make the car relatively unpredictable, compared to the previous tires I had. I thought something was wrong with the alignment. I did it again which didn't show anything. In fact, I made it less aggressive to make the car less overstear and safe, but again in some cases it has a sudden overstear behavior that surprises and is not controlled, especially when I insist on the gas, while it didn't have it before. I read that others have faced the same issue and that's why I'm reporting it.
I wouldn't buy them again!
Before I had a SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI with BRIDGESTONE RE070 225/45/17 which I was very happy with once I put them on 3 times and had them as a benchmark but….
YOKOHAMA's grip is nothing special for the class. They hold like conventional tires. The frame is average. Neither hard nor soft. They are comfortable and quiet on the journey, but unfortunately when cornering when they slide, they hiss annoyingly. Sometimes they make the car relatively unpredictable, compared to the previous tires I had. I thought something was wrong with the alignment. I did it again which didn't show anything. In fact, I made it less aggressive to make the car less overstear and safe, but again in some cases it has a sudden overstear behavior that surprises and is not controlled, especially when I insist on the gas, while it didn't have it before. I read that others have faced the same issue and that's why I'm reporting it.
I wouldn't buy them again!
Writing about the Continental ExtremeContact Force given 91% (225-45-15-)
Driving on track for 4000 spirited miles
Driving on track for 4000 spirited miles
Been using these on my track day Miata. My first impression was how little heat they require to get working. You can attack out of the pits better than on other lapping tires, and they don't suffer from heat as much as the autocross/time trial tires do. It will give up some time to the super 200 tw tires, but if you're more concerned with a consistent tire that can hold up to the abuse of 20-30 minute sessions, the Conti is excellent. Street manners are fine, not dissimilar to the other tires in the category. They suffer in the cold, and are ok in the wet. No real draw backs to this tire other than the cost.
Writing about the Michelin CrossClimate 2 given 83% (195-50-16-)
Driving on mostly motorways for 9000 easy going miles
Driving on mostly motorways for 9000 easy going miles
Mostly driven on motorways, with some blasts off roundabouts and country roads; plenty of grip in the dry, and great in the wet having driven through two rainstorms in the last two weeks.
Writing about the Continental ExtremeContact Sport given 91% (215-45-17-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 30000 spirited miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 30000 spirited miles
These tires are awesome. took them to the tail of the dragon and stuck to the road like glue. Also, road the dragon in the rain, and the grip still felt great. After my runs i can see a bunch of stuff stuck to the tires so they get real sticky when warm. Will buy again next summer
Writing about the Accelera 651 Sport given 66% (225-45-17-)
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 spirited miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 spirited miles
need a bit of warming up for them to start performing how you'd expect
These replaced outgoing R888R’s. Initially feel is they warm up very quickly which is great, very responsive on the turn in but felt a bit more understeer than I got with the Toyo’s.
Feedback through steering wheel is great and can feel where the car is at all time.
Outright grip I’d say initially Toyo seems better BUT I’ve only put about 500 miles on them and a travkday at abingdon which is very poor tarmac/concrete surface so not a fair test.
Would I buy again? I’ll have to do another 2 or 3 trackdays on them as the Toyo’s gave me around 5000 road miles and 3 trackdays (averaging around 200 miles driving each trackday). But initially I’d say yes.
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