I have owned a 1991 Miata for 5 years; there is one turn that I consistently can run at 60 mph. I recently bought a 2000 Corvette convertible (love it) but I tried the curve at 60 and it went sideways before either I or the stability control fixed it! I was not expecting this at all. The front tires are new but the rear tires probably only have 25% tread left. So what's up? I know new tires would be better on wet roads, but on dry roads, I would think less tread would actually be better. So what do you think? (Also, the Corvette only has 21,000 miles; could these be the original tires and do they get hard as they get older? (Has Goodyear run flats.)

 

There is a learning curve going from a Miata to a Corvette.
Plain and simple.

Get some nice rubber and some good shocks.
The Corvette is very capable of doing the curves.
Mr.Bill

 

Yes, rubber, like plastics lose plasticizers over time and hardness steadily increases. Besides you should not keep tires more than 6 years from date of manufacture.

That being said, I must also remind the corvette folks that the lighter the sportscar, the faster it can conquer tight curves. There is a very curvy road, not too far from my house. One afternoon as I was traversing those curves at a good clip, a Miata blew by me like I was a slug. Of course, if I were on a track, I'd have reeled him in and rendered his headlights as tiny blips in my rearview mirror but as I said, lighter cars love those tight curves.

 

I was helping my 8th grader study some laws of physics for a science test last night. Several of those basic principals would have explained this. Get new tires and you will still have more mass with an equal amount of velocity going around the same corner without an equally offsetting amount of friction. I would still leave the rice rocket at home.

 

I will say the Miata is a blast to drive, and is well balanced but I don't get the back end to come around; the whole car just drifts. Used to have a 69 Mach I way back years ago and the rear end coming loose didn't bother me so much. It was kind of fun with the Vette but not sure I should be reliving my youth in my new toy. But I was surprised that it did what it did, and a little disappointed.

 

I had an 06 Miata GT and it would out corner a Vette in tight turns, at least until the apex. But, once accelerating out of the turn the Vette should make short work of the little car. I've heard that the early Miatas corner even better than the one I had.

The car was fun but just too small for me.

 

I believe a set of c6 z51 sways bars, solid end links, and better tires will make that change.

 

In the case of the OP's post, I would say the tires are a huge factor in the lousy performance. The Goodyear runflats have extremely stiff sidewalls and when new are terrible tires compared to almost all others. Being older only makes them even worse. The first change here this car needs is a new set of better tires, preferably not runflats if you want greatly improved ride and handling. I would do that before any other suspension improvements. When I had my first C5, a '98 coupe, just changing to Firehawk runflats made it drive like a different car, improved in every way.

 

This is not the car.......either the tires at 25% or ...hmmmm just the learning curve on how to drive a vette....mine rides like it is on rails and yes I have driven a Miata but c'mon really? unless it is tricked out there is no comparison!

 

I would beg to differ. I have both. A 98 coupe with Z06 sways and shocks running on Michellin runflats and a 01 Miata with 20% stiffer springs and Koni adjustables. I tracked both cars in their stock configurations as well as their now mildly adjusted setups on the same days (my wife goes too, so I get to jump back and forth between the two all day long). I don't consider either one as having had more work done to it vs. the other. Both have also been lowered about an inch.

Having only 25% of the tread left on the rears means that they are significantly less grippy than the fronts and that would most certainly upset the balance of the car in the conditions the OP was describing. New tires (matched with the fronts) would certainly settle the rear end down. The OP obviously has to take into account the differences in driving the two cars in terms of torque available at lower rpm's. You can pretty much floor-it in a Miata coming out of a corner and you really don't have to worry about losing the rear end. Not the same in a Vette. The driving styles/demands are different in that respect.

I would also add that I wouldn't ever underestimate what a Miata can do in it's element. It lives and breathes for the kind of tight curvy roads that Vettes start to feel a little big on. Weight matters. A lot.

To the OP, bottom line, the driving style as others have said is a bit different, but I wouldn't worry that you've taken a step downwards. Once you adjust to it and deal with those rear tires, you'll find that you've actually taken a step in a different but equally fun direction.

 

dont forget c6zz06 shocks

 

oem tires on a '00?? lol

 

I still have the original tires on my 02.

I'm still tying to decide on a tire/wheel combo.

And I have only had the car since last September. Didn't want you to think it's been 10 years and I still have not made up my mind yet.

 

Its like comparing apples to oranges, take both to a road course where there is more than one 60 mph. curve and see who excels. I have a hard time comparing a Mazda ricer to an american made Corvette....

 

Definitely no offense intended but I'm surprised you're surprised. The right go kart would go around that same corner faster than your Miata. Like some have said, it has as much to do with physics as anything else.

 

Another factor that no one mentioned was ambient temperature. How cold was it when the problem occurred ? As the temp drops below 40 deg, the Goodyear runflats start to loose traction quickly. Combine temp with old hard tires and you have a very slick combination.

 

TIRES: an issue here, proper balance and grip are a question.

OTHERWISE: Newton's Laws are also in play. The Miata is a lighter car, inacting different forces in directional change. Comparing the two is not a fair comparison based on one turn. The trade-off is always weight vs power. Let's be fair here.

 

Many variables here:

-Old tires(dry rotting/etc)
-Lack of tread as OP stated
-Pressure in tires
-Temperature of road surface
-Current alignment of Vette
-Throttle control around curve
-Whole different vehicle

 

I had a slightly modded '96 Miata and I can confirm, it cornered and handled like it was on rails. They make incredible autocross cars for the simple fact that they are light, nimble, perfectly balanced and have a very simple but most effective independent double wish bone suspension with coilovers front and back. Don't forget, the first generation Miatas are almost perfect copies of the original Lotus Elan. Of course, they lack the engine power to run with a C5 but they will corner faster every time. As mentioned, it simply comes down to the laws of physics. Of course, I sold mine to buy a C5. Why? Well, I did look like a circus bear in a toy car driving around in the thing. It just lacked ooomph and was definitely too small for comfortable cruising. However, I may add a race version to my stable one day. Maybe with a 5.0 or LS1 engine conversion........

 

Lack of tread alone is not an issue.

New tires will actually squirm more than a shaved or worn tread tire will. That is why race classes that have to run a DOT type time will have them shaved down to the minimum allowed tread depth.