First time buyer: Wheels and Tires?

[ishtvan47]

So I've just bought my first Spider '80 FI, and I need to put new wheels and tires on it. I think I'm opting for the 15" Rotas I've heard so much about. But what about rubber? Does anyone have 195/55-15s on their car? I want to keep close to original wheel size and not too wide that they rub. Plus, I'm looking for something with good handling that I might autox. Has anyone tried out the Yokahama S.drives? Saw these at TireRack.

Any suggestions on rims and rubber would be helpful.

[ga.spyder]

I run 205/50x15 on mine,with no rubbing issue.There is a recent post by holshot with pix of his w/15'' Rotas with 195/50 rubber.The 55 aspect ratio will be a little taller than the 50's,so the speedo error will be a little more.The 50 series on the 15'' wheel is almost exactly the same height as the stock tires that came on the car.
I have had no exp. with the Sdives,but they have a good reputation.I went with Kumhos,which arent rated quite as high,but are a lot less money
Craig

[ishtvan47]

Thanks Craig.

What were the stock wheels on an '80? Weren't they 165/80-13s? If so, my wheel calculator (http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html) tells me the 195/55-15s are a perfect fit. Not sure if I'm doing the math right.

Steve

[ga.spyder]

Steve
I am not sure of the stock size on the 80.I think the 82's had 14'' stock,but again I am not sure.I have seen that wheel calculator before,and it is spot on.If it says it's a perfect fit ,then go for it.Definitely no rub issues.Good luck
Craig

[kilrwail]

I use Yokohama S-drives on my Porsche, which is on track about 90% of the time. They are excellent in both dry and wet conditions and remain sticky in the dry right past the wear bars. They're not as fast as R-compounds, but I only need one set of wheels