Miata Winter Tire Recommendations

[cutaway]

What winter tires do you guys recommend for a Miata? I am looking for the highest performance available, while still being able to occasionally drive in the snow.

[kyle.bowker]

Any "high-performance" winter tire will do. They're all about the same in my opinion. Bridgestone or Dunlop or Michelin; its all a matter of personal brand preference and budget. You should be able to get 3-4 seasons out of a set of winters no matter which brand. I think the biggest issue now is simply finding the right size winter tire that is in stock and within your price range as quantities are running very low this late in the season. The best time to buy winter tires is no later than October.

If it was anything other than a Miata I'd tell you to just get whatever is on sale and immediately available at the tire shop closest to your house but Miatas tend to be a little bit more sensitive to tire choice. Even so I imagine you're just looking for a decent tire to get you back and forth to work this winter and no matter which winter tire you choose you won't feel as connected to the road as you do on Toyo R888. Winter tires tend to have a cushier ride and isolate you more from the road. We live in an area that is mostly dry with only a few bad winter days and even if you do travel up north you'll be fine so long as the roads are decently maintained (ground clearance will become a bigger issue than which winter tire you have on your car during a heavy snow fall).

[Gonz]

I've got a set of Continental Conti EXtreme contacts on my wRX now. I put these on for the winter months. They can get through light snow and still offer pretty good grip when it's dry and damp.

Allthough grip is good, it takes some "re-adjustment" to get used to them after running summer tires, especally if you were runnig R comps! It's quite easy to drift the car or break traction with a quick start, especially when turning at the same time. Entrance ramps are a lot of fun once you get used to this.

If the weather gets real bad, i'll probably throw some extra weight in the trunk.

[NAautoxer]

i've run BFG Traction TA's in about 6 inches of snow on mine. completely controllable.. but, then i decided to go home when the fire truck had snow chains...