5 Ways New Wheels And Tyres Have Transformed My Mk1 Mazda MX-5

A few weeks ago, I bought myself a Mk1 Mazda MX-5/Miata. It was completely stock, with standard suspension, original wheels and nothing in the way of performance upgrades. I immediately fell in love with the car (he’s called Phil), but I knew that it could be better.

And so it was that a wish list of performance upgrades was planned, with a video series (coming soon) to track the build from start to finish. I say finish, but you know better than most that no project car is ever really completed…

Included on the list of upgrades are suspension mods, a performance exhaust, chassis bracing and engine tweaks. But first, the cute Daisy wheels needed to be replaced. After looking for rims that I thought would stand out a bit, I became the proud owner of a set of bronze-coloured Rota BM8s. Finding tyres was easier: they had to be Uniroyal Rainsport 3s.

Yesterday (Wednesday, 18th March at 10:56) the new wheels and tyres were on the car. And fair play, they’ve made one hell of a difference to the MX-5. Here are five things that I’ve noticed:

1. That's a strong new look!

Unless you’re a die-hard purist who buys organic and who wouldn’t dream of watching adult entertainment, you’ll agree that the car looks so much better now. The bronze of the Rota BM8s brings out the red colour of the body, and the wheels finally fill (and spill out of) the width of the arches. I’ve got a set of extended, gold-coloured Titan wheel nuts to keep the rims criminal-proof, and they complement the Rotas perfectly.

The 195/45R15 Uniroyal Rainsport 3 tyres look as aggressive and cool as the wheels and have a slight stretch to them, which I’m a big fan of too. Yes, of course they’re road legal.

2. Hello grip, nice to finally meet you!

Despite the relatively dinky tyre size, the grip levels of the MX-5 have quite easily doubled. And I mean that in all seriousness.

Before, with my mish-mash of crappy tyres and differing pressures (probably) on each corner, the MX-5 used to slip and slide all over the place. It was so bad, in fact, that I was convinced that the rear springs had snapped. In the wet, the rear would step out without warning, and in the dry, a tickle of the flimsy accelerator would send me sideways at any given corner or roundabout…

‘But that’s awesome, Alex’, I’m sure you’re thinking. And in a twisted way you’re right, but when the car begins to slide without my say so, awesome is the last thing I’m thinking. It’s a good job I’m such an amazing driver, otherwise I would definitely have died more than once.

The benefit of grippy tyres like these - Rainsport 3s have an A rating for wet grip - is that I’ve finally seen just how good the MX-5 chassis is by being allowed by the tyres to plant the throttle through corners. Last night, on a drive with Gabor in his new S2000, we were both impressed by the speed I was now able to carry through the bends (and how I didn’t need to brake through roundabouts anymore).

3. Firmer ride and better handling

Yes, I know, the ride height ‘needs moar low’ and yes, I’m aware that Marty and Moog must never see this image of my MX-5 failing the patented MCM Shoe Test twice, but from a purely dynamic perspective, the car already feels much sportier. The ride is firmer than that given by the oven-glove tyres I was rolling on before, which has seen an improvement in the handling and, particularly, my confidence behind the wheel.

The wheel and tyre change really makes the car feel like it’s sitting on new suspension…until you look at ‘dat gap.

4. Hard braking now means exactly that

Despite being fitted with ABS, the wheels on my 1995 MX-5 had a tendency to lock up under hard braking. I’m glad to say that this problem hasn’t happened with the new tyres. Sure, I’m only one day in with the Uniroyals, but I did test the braking performance. On a closed road. With adult supervision. Obviously.

5. I feel like I'm part of the 'scene' now

I’m sure lots of you are cringing, but I like that fact that I’m now part of an admittedly vast group of people who all want the same thing: to make their MX-5 as good and as unique as possible. Some guys I know through MX-5 parts company Moss have big, carbonfibre wings for no other reason than aesthetics, while others have full roll cages, Megasquirt and superchargers.

For me, I want my MX-5 to be my perfect car. It’ll be faster, leaner, better looking and more comfortable inside than it is now, and who knows, maybe I’ll even consider forced induction further down the line. For now, I’m loving my new wheels and tyres!

Below is a gallery of the wheels and tyres transformation: