I'm in the market for new tires for my '06 Miata. The OEM tires are size 205/50R16. I'm not opposed to straying slightly from the stock tire size if there's a really good tire that's not offered in the stock size.
For reference, here's a
list of tires in this size offered by Tire Rack. My three key objectives for these tires are: (1) decent all-season traction, (2) minimal road noise, and (3) low rolling resistance.
Currently, I'm considering the following tires, but feel free to suggest other tires that are available in a suitable size.
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Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 (H-rated)
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Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (H-rated)
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Continental ContiProContact (V-rated; the H-rated version is not available in OEM size)
According to Consumer Reports, the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max has Excellent rolling resistance and Good road noise isolation. Consumer Reports rates the V-rated ContiProContact as having Good rolling resistance and Good road noise. To my knowledge, Consumer Reports has not tested the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422.
Does anyone have experience with any of these tires? Am I missing any other good options?
P.S. Some might say that a Miata deserves sporty summer tires. Here's my counter-argument: the Miata is 100x more fun than any other car I've owned. I don't think mushy tires could divide the fun factor by 100.