BUKOWSKI

Ok. Givin' up & askin' you all!

[I searched the forums, but most threads referenced larger 205 tires or P5 data.]

So, we've got a 2000 ES, which has 16" wheels (right?!), - even though Tire.com pops-up offers sized in 15" radius...

Need winter tires: prefer they are slimmer than 205s.

Recommendations, please? Thanks, all!

PS. Is it just me, or are these 4 lug, odd-sized rims hard to find an assortment of tires for?

DaleK

If you have a 2000ES with the factory rims, they should be 15" with a 195/55/15 tire. This is reasonably readily available. 185/60/15 would be pretty close in diamter if you can find it. To find a skinnier 15" tire would be difficult though. The 2001+ ES cars have the 16" rims with 195/50/16 tires, which can also be found in winter tires.

BUKOWSKI

OK, DaleK. Thanks!

I could swear the LX & DX Pros wore 15" shoes in 2000 & ESs got 16"ers.

I appreciate the response, though! Seems I asked to daft a question herein to get much attention.

No worries. I'll check into it further. Great sig BTW.

chiproes

I have a 2000 ES as well; yep, they're 15" wheels.

Some folks recommend Falken Ziex for the Protege; the guy at the tire shop was trying to sell me Cooper Zeons.

Anybody have any opinions?

BUKOWSKI

You're both right-on! They're 15"ers! Thanks for the info....

So, recommendations?!

Will 205/60/15s or 205/65/15s fit?

vtaero

I have the 2000 ES with stock wheels also. I have found that the Falken Ziex is a great tire. I would recommend it to anyone. It handles well in wet and dry weather and it is also a quiet tire. The original tires (Potenzas) were horrible in the rain and snow, but the Falkens are great in the rain (haven't had snow yet) and much quieter while retaining most of the handling ability in dry weather too. Any questions about the tire, just ask.

P.S. I have the stock tire size. 195/55/r15 V rated.

BUKOWSKI

Solid words. I'll look into the Ziexs, vtaero. Thanks much.

Q: How do I figure out the range of tire sizes that will fit on these 4 x 100 rims?

DaleK

Go here.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

This is a handy little tool to make sure that the tires are the right diamater. As for width, you will need to check that the tire manufacturer lists your rim width (I think the Proteges have 6" wide rims) in it's range of rim widths for the tire size.

BUKOWSKI

G.damn, that is handy DaleK! Thanks again!

A new fav!

So, did I miss a sticky or FAQ, - offering the stock wheel, rim & tire sizes?!

Anyways, I'm up to 5.3% off on tires I thought I'd throw on the back two wheels for winter. I don't see a problem... but thought I'd run it by you!

==> Do you figure there's anything wrong with running wider, deep tread tires back there, since it isn't effecting the speedo??? [2 thin treads up front (195/55/15), 2 wide & agressive rears (205/60/15) with weight in the trunk for keepin' her in line.]

Thanks for the input, all!