In March of 2017 I was complaining about a vibration between 45 and 55 mph. I had put the wheels on the balancing machine during tech day and discovered that two of the wheels appeared to be out of round or slightly bent. I proceeded to have them straightened, by Stevenson Mazda (thanks Howard) – which by the way was cheaper with the club discount than if I’d taken them to the wheel guy myself.
The straightening seemed to work but there was some concern that the Falken-Z912’s tires may have been worn unevenly. Since I knew I was about to need tires anyway, the Falkens were 19,000 miles old and the wear bars were becoming visible. They had been a great performance tire, very sticky and very responsive. But I don’t tend to drive aggressively so I was looking for an improvement in wear, ride and especially noise.
Howard (Stevenson Mazda) hooked me up with a full set of General Altimax RT 43 Grand Touring tires (for my Grand Touring Miata). He was able to beat the Tire Rack price so I was thrilled. That was 18 months and about 6,000 miles ago. I can tell you that the Altimax RT 43 tires are a lot quieter, a little softer ride, a little less responsive (but my driving style isn’t especially aggressive so I don’t care). They make driving the car more enjoyable for my copilot without diminishing my fun quotient. At 5,000 miles they still look new so I’m guessing that they will last longer than the 19,000 miles the Falkens turned in.
Ken Schiess – 2006 Miata (NC) Grand Touring
Tech Column – by Ken Schiess
As we approach Tech Day it seemed appropriate to write about some of the challenges one could encounter with the NC model. First is the top. As the NC’s age, (the newest now 5 years old and the oldest 15) tops begin to reach end of life, especially if they have been exposed to the…
Tech Column by Ken Schiess
In March of 2017, I was complaining about a vibration between 45 and 55 mph. I had put the wheels on the balancing machine during tech day and discovered that two of the wheels appeared to be out of round or slightly bent. I proceeded to have them straightened by Stevenson Mazda (thanks Howard) –…
The Mazda Miata Gets a Carbon Fiber Removable Hardtop by Justin T. Westbrook
Taken from 12/18 Jalopnick News: The 2019 Mazda Miata was, of course, one of the best cars we drove this year. To celebrate this illustrious win, Mazda showed off a new carbon fiber removable hardtop at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Just kidding, Mazda doesn’t care about us. But they do care about choices, and…