Buger

Hi everyone,

We appear to have a hint on the Mazda concept car. It will run on Michelin(R) PAX(R) 225x750R540A tires. A quote from the website (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...1865826&EDATE=) is below:

"Other automakers featuring Michelin(R) or BFGoodrich(R) brand tires at the 2003 NAIAS show include... <snip> ...Mazda ... <snip> ... The vehicles include:

Mazda
* Concept Vehicle
Michelin(R) PAX(R) 225x750R540A

Brian

Buger

From (http://www.michelinman.com/differenc...ax_system.html)

The Pax System delivers:

Security of Zero Pressure Technology
Improved road handling and cornering
Better balance between handling and comfort
Reduced fuel consumption
Reduction in rolling noise

Will this be a sports car tire? What the #@#$ kind of size is 225x750R540A?

zoom44

jesus buger how do you find this stuff??

Buger

It appears to be a low profile tire that offers short sidewalls, run-flat capabilities, great handling, better fuel economy and emissions.

Michelin estimates rolling resistance is approx 10% better than other tires with optimized rolling resistance and supposedly guarantees a range of 200km at a maximum speed of 80 km/h with zero pressure.

wakeech

zero pressure technology (run-flats), with a focus on fuel economy, reducing road noise, and comfort?? doesn't sound like a sports car tyre to me...
well, i could be wrong, but compromises don't make it faster, that's all... it IS a really low sidewall, making lots of room for rather enormous brakes...

nostatic

ya, a 225 width tire is pretty skinny as far as modern day sports cars are concerned. hell, my '02 audi a4 has 235s on all four wheels in stock form. doesn't sound like shoes for an rx-7.

P00Man

what if its a MOTORCYCLE or something even stupider lol, not that i have anything against bikes, things are great, just an idiotic suggestion blahAHAHA hopefully those are 285's blahaHAHAHA wow, tahtd be a pretty big tire no?
________
Coach Purses

wakeech

just 'cause the tyre's "thin" doesn't mean it doesn't provide much lateral grip, especially if the car is only 2600 lbs...
but, what was the width of the FD tyres?? 255?? i can't remember...

BryanH

Is that so? A Low-Emissions Tire eh? What's next, an Ultra-Low Emissions Tire (ULET)? :D How about a SULET?

wakeech

OH bleep!! IT JUST bleepIN" HIT ME!!!

the MIATA ON THE RX-8 PLATFORM CONCEPT???? those tyres would seem to suit it rather well, for an increasingly faster, larger, and more opulent car, yes???

R.Cade

The 3rd gen 7 came with 225's also.

New Miata is a good guess, could still be a 7 though.

Putting wide tires on a light car makes it want to hydroplane in the rain, not good for average joe. I ran 245/275's on my 7, awsome in the dry, scary in the rain!

Buger

Can't sleep again Wakeech? I believe the last rx-7 had the below wheel/tire sizes:

TYPE RB - . 225/50R16
TYPE R - ... 225/50ZR16
TYPE RS - . F 235/45ZR17 R 255/40ZR17

:D That's what one of the press release things said. It does seem to be stretching things a bit when less rolling resistance is marketed as better emissions. :D

Rich

Nooooo! The Miata is already too big and too opulent. For a car of its mass, even the 16 inchers that are on the sport package are too big and heavy for performance. Mazda has said quite a few times that they agree that the Miata has gotten too far from its initial roots, although I doubt they have the cohones (sp?) to do the right thing for performance and go back to 15 inch wheels. They do say that the next generation not going to be heavier.

wakeech

well, it's hard to sleep when i get so excited, sorry for the profanity...

anyhoo, if the last 7 ran on 225's, then it's completely feasible to imagine this as another 7, maybe in the vien of the FC??? bigger, comfier... a cruiser with plenty of go on the straights and corners?? hmmmmm, it would be nice... :D

zoom44

i picture wakkech singing carly simon "anticipation... anticipation is making me... F***ING CRAZY!!!":D

Toadman

Sounds like a LEV vehicle tire. Maybe a hydrogen-powered Renesis platform?

zoom44

and that would make sense. one of the recent press releases about the history of the rotary mentioned the use of hydrogen in rotary as being very possible i tmay have even said that they had tried one already

wakeech

if that were true... oh dear lord, our (my) prayers are answered... combustion into the era of zero-emission vehicles... :D i simply cannot wait for the turbo rotaries running on hydrogen... :D

and how did you know i like carly simon??? (i don't think i know many of her songs... i've only seen her on that CD commercial for moldy-oldies...)

cueball

As some of us already know the car unvieled was not a RX7, but a mini-van car type thingy.