go for 50 lower profile tyre and 55 front 50 rear or otherway about wont matter aslong as its same size on 1 axle its not ilegal but i will say once you see 55 on front 50 on rear and notice the smaller tyre looks stupid you notice it everytime wich made me change mine lol

Cheers for the replies guys.. I think I may have to go with PE2s in a 50

All very true FWIW but in the interests of balance there are some downsides, which might or might not matter depending on individual circumstances.

The rolling diameter of 50 profile tyres is smaller than the 55, which means, according to the tyre calculator at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html , the tyre revolves 889 times per mile for the 50 profile compared to 860 revolutions per mile for the stock 55 profile tyre.

What this means is if fitted with 50-profile tyres the speedo would over-read by 3%, meaning the car would be travelling another 2mph slower than the indicated speed at around 60mph (as speedos typically over-read by 3 - 5 mph with stock tyres it could mean the speedo could actually over-read by up to 5 - 7mph depending on a bunch of variables). The car would be effectively slightly lower geared and would have higher engine revs for the same speed resulting in slightly worse fuel economy offsetting the cheaper initial purchase price of the tyres over time. It will have slightly better acceleration though!

Of course if used as a track slag none of this matters, but if being used for a longer commute these might be factors to consider.

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Cherry Rallye SOLD

I must say I changed my tyres from 50 profile to 55 and it made a huge difference to the balance of the car in corners, it was much more adjustable, predictable and enjoyable on the higher profile tyres.

Now, I don't know if this difference was due to switching to the profile that Pug originally specced for the car, or whether it was because I previously had different makes of tyre front and rear on the 50s, then consistent toyos all round on the 55s.

Just my experience there, but regardless of profile or tyre brand, I'd definitely recommend having the same tyre on all four corners to better experience how well-balanced the car can be.

Other than cost i cant notice any difference. But as above, pe2s ftw.

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See the sheer power and might of the lesser known burrowing owl.

I'm just throwing this out there ... has anyone tried the new Toyo R1R?? I'm planning on getting myself some PE2's to go with the new wheels as i only seem to read brilliant reviews of them. But the new toyos seem not bad either

I've done many thousands of miles on both profiles and with both Toyos and PE2s.

I can say that without any doubt 55 is superior and the Micheliins are in a different league to Toyos. Worth the extra money, skimping is a false economy.

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Hens teeth rocking horse poo Cossack Ph1.3