First, some philosophy based on personal experience: Lighter wheels cause less vibration problems Lighter wheels have better ride quality on rough roads Lighter wheels have quicker, easier steering response Heavier wheels are not necessarily stronger Wider tires are not necessarily sticker Second, some direct recommendations: If you're on a limited budget, the Stock 1994-1997 Miata alloy wheels (7 spoke, 14x6") are the best bang for the buck going. They're light, strong, and cheap (~$400 a set in the used market.) Tire selection is fairly abundant, and relatively cheap - my top two favorites are the Dunlop SP8000 in 195/55-14, and the Yokohama A032R in 185/60-14. If you're ready to dive in to the $1500-$2000 level, Volk TE37 wheels in 15x6.5" would be my next choice. Tire selection in 195/50-15 is abundant, and the forged aluminum wheels should be both strong, and about the same weight as the stock alloys. In my opinion, the Miata doesn't need tires wider than the 6.5" rim will handle, so the extra weight of a 15x7" wheel is un-justified. I almost went this route, until I got the A032R tires for my 14" rims.

Third, my experience:

I seem to have had an unusual amount of experience with tires on my Miata, considering that I only have 70,000 miles on it. The original idea was to buy the base model, then upgrade to 15" alloy wheels.

I did this almost immediately, getting a set of Fittipaldi 500 15x6.5" wheels and Michelin MXV2 195/50-15 tires. The tires were a deal from a local Tire Kingdom, about $70/tire when they listed at the time for about $120 - they made all kinds of assurances that the tires were not seconds, just overstock items. They attempted to balance them several (like 5) times, on the car, etc. etc. and never did get them right. I was totally exasperated with the Tire Kingdom organization, to this day, I highly recommend boycotting these clowns. Watching the tires on the balance machine, they had close to 3/4" of runout. I never could use these tires on the highway, but around town they weren't so bad - good grip wet & dry, and they looked really cool. They lasted about 20Kmi, but the last 5K were really not the same, the grip was gone (G-analyst rated braking at 1.0G new, 0.7G at 18Kmi).

The Miata community seemed to have a love affair with Dunlop at the time, so I chose Dunlop D40M2 195/50-15s for my next tire. Wow! what a difference round rubber makes! These tires have the best grip of anything I've ever had on the Miata (G-analyst rated braking around 1.1G when new). I was really happy with this setup for 5000 miles, then the vibration came back. This time it was a warped wheel. Candidly, I did tap a curb with the right side once - I remember it vividly. I found the damage from that contact, some scratching and about 1/8" of warp in the rim. This did not cause any noticeable vibration. However, some time later, the left rear wheel developed a 1/4" warp of mysterious origin - no contact this time, and it caused the vibration. Fittipaldi/OZ wheels US distributor is located in Miami, so I went to see them. They make absolutely no structural warranty- would not even entertain the thought of replacing my warped wheel, but since the clearcoat was cracking on all 4 (within 1 year of purchase), they did offer me a good deal on new wheels - I only replaced 2, since only 2 were warped. Warped wheels gone, vibration gone - magic! 5000 miles later, the vibration was back, this time both rear wheels (the new ones) were substantially warped, more than before. I retired the 15" wheels and put the stock steel rims & OEM tires back on. Maintenance note: the lugs were always tightened in an X pattern with hand torque tools, even at the tire shop - I always crawl over speed bumps, avoid potholes, etc. and only contacted the one curb - there's just something wrong with the Fittipaldi wheels.

Switching back to the OEM tires was a dramatic change, all of a sudden, the car was fun to fling through corners again. The tires were 185/60-14 (of course) Bridgestone SF325s (I think.) I ran these down 'til they were gone - around 47Kmi, the "Miata shimmy" showed up, I think it is due to alignment this time.

In the interest of short term economy, my next tires were Yokohama A509s, again in 185/60-14, this time from Tire Rack. (The D40M2s were from a local NTW.) Dealing with Tire Rack has always been a positive experience, they can get the tires I want delivered to me cheaper (even after $50 for mounting & balancing) and faster than any local dealer. Also, buying from Tire Rack means that I take the loose rims & tires to the tire store in the truck, they never touch my car - call me paranoid, but rolling out the floor jack & torquing 16 nuts is a lot easier for me than the stress of watching "the new guy" lift my car and wield the air wrench. About the Yokos: excellent grip for a 185 tire, as they should have with a 160 treadwear rating! I autocrossed on them when new, they did have more tread squirm than the bald Bridgestones, but otherwise were good. Initially, putting the newly balanced wheels on the car improved, but did not cure the shimmy - it was back with a vengeance between 65 & 70mph after about 2Kmi.

Before the Yokos wore out, I bought a set of '94 stock 14x6 Miata alloy wheels, these are the superlight (10.5lbs) ones with 7 spokes. I fitted these with Dunlop SP8000s in 195/55-14. There is just the slightest bit of rub in the front wheel wells at full lock steering, something I've never had with any other tires. I haven't G-Analyzed this setup yet, but it "feels" better than anything I've had before. I think that ultimate grip is probably less than the D40M2s, but the turn-in and the way the tread takes a "set" is far more confidence inspiring than any setup I've had to date. The lighter wheels have reduced the shimmy effect quite a bit, but it is still there.

I neglected to rotate the SP8000s, and the turbo power managed to turn the rear tires bald within about 10Kmi. Rather than replace two, I decided to go with 4 new Yokohama A032Rs in 185/60-14. These are treadwear 60 tires with good performance in the rain, and excellent stick in the dry. As a race tire, they are seriously maligned by the press. Racers I've talked to with experience on both the A032R and the A008R, say the 008 is a clearly superior race tire, in the dry. Compared to the SP8000s, the A032Rs are a clearly superior race tire, period. The A032Rs are streetable, and I've heard reports that they last 15,000 miles or so. I've gone 3,000 miles on mine, including 8 minutes of autocross track time, and I haven't worn them down past the shallow "check" grooves yet. They do have a buzz/hum on the highway, similar to offroad truck tires. If you're looking for a highway tire, the A032R isn't the choice, but if you want to drive to work, in the rain, on the same tire you race on, this is definately the ticket. The A032Rs are somewhat unusual in their pressure requirements - they seem to like about 25psi for autocrossing, more than that and they bubble up like a balloon, wearing out the center of the tread.

Autocross notes:

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