1994 Mazda MX-5 miata tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 185/60R14 OEM | 6x14 | 4x100 | 40mm | 82 | H |
| 185/55R15 | 6x15 | 4x100 | 40mm | 82 | H |
| 195/50R15 | 6x15 | 4x100 | 40mm | 82 | V |
| 205/50R15 | 6.5x15 | 4x100 | 42mm | 86 | V |
| 205/45R16 | 7x16 | 4x100 | 38mm | 83 | W |
1994 Mazda MX-5 miata wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 4x100 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 54.1 mm |
| Source | bolt-pattern.com |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Mazda MX-5 Miata, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Mazda MX-5 Miata →
Compatible alternative sizes for 185/60R14
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
165/75R13 |
0.02% | winter narrower | Safe |
155/80R13 |
0.10% | winter narrower | Safe |
155/55R16 |
-0.12% | plus 2 | Safe |
215/40R16 |
0.14% | plus 2 | Safe |
205/60R13 |
-0.24% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 185/60R14 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 185/60R14 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 165/60R15; one rim size up, 0.24% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 155/55R16; two rim sizes up, -0.12% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 1994 mazda MX-5 miata
The 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata ships from the factory on 185/60R14 tires mounted on 6x14 wheels, with a load index of 82 and a speed rating of H. 5 approved fitments are documented for this model year, allowing some flexibility between performance, comfort, and winter compounds. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Mazda MX-5 Miata comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number, in this case 82), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard, here H), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 1994 mazda MX-5 miata
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Reported across: 1994 – 1994 (1 year)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 54% of these reports; about 3.6× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 13 reports covering every model year of the Mazda MX-5 Miata that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 54% | 15% | 3.6× |
| Tread or belt separation | 15% | 13% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 15% | 8% | 1.8× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 8% | 20% | 0.4× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 8% | 6% | 1.3× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Mazda MX-5 Miata. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
I BOUGHT FOUR DOUGLAS PERFORMANCE GT-H 185/60-14 DOT PJF8 1YLR FROM WAL-MART. THESE TIRES ARE MADE BY GOODYEAR IN USA. WHEN THEY PUT THEM ON THE RIM A BOLT WAS FOUND MOLDED IN THE SIDEWALL AFTER IT WAS NOTICE NOT TO HOLD AIR. IT'S A GOOD THING IT DID NOT HOLD AIR CAUSE I'D HATE TO FIND THAT AT INTERSTATE SPEED. THE TIRE ALSO HAD CHALK MARKS SMEARED OFF THE SIDE. SO SOMEONE AT THE FACTORY PROBABLY NOTICED IT WAS BAD AND ANOTHER INSPECTOR OK'ED IT TO BE SOLD. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY DROPPED A BOLT IN THE MOLD.
1 BULGED SIDEWALL AREA + 1 SOFT AREA OF OPPOSITE SIDE WALL + 1 PUNCTURE OF TREAD;WARRENTEE DENIED BY SEARS EMPLOYEE {AUTHORIZED?} TO REPRESENT MICHELIN DISCUSSION ON INTERNET HTTP://WWW.MIATAFORUM.COM/UBB/FORUM3/HTML/002362.HTML. *AK (TIRESIZE: 195/50 R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 195/50 R15 )
NOT SURE IF TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. TIRE BLEW ON PASSENGERS SIDE FRONT RESULTING IN CAR GOING INTO SPIN AND EVENTUALLY ROLLING. HAVE ALL TIRES AND RIMS. ALSO HAVE PICTURE OF VEHICLE AFTER ACCIDENT. CURRENTLY IN PROCESS OF REPAIRING. *AK (DOT NUMBER: H46KCCA444 TIRESIZE: P195 50R15)
WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE, MY REAR NITTO 450 TIRE HAD A TREAD SEPARATION FAILURE WHICH CAUSED MY 1999 MAZDA MIATA TO LOSE CONTROL, SPINNING OUT FROM THE LEFT LANE ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC DURING RUSH HOUR, FINALLY HITTING THE EMBANKMENT ON THE FAR RIGHT SIDE. THE NITTO TIRE WAS EXAMINED AND DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED BASED ON TREAD SEPARATION. THE TRAUMATIC INDICIDENT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT HARM TO THE MYSELF.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
Where can I buy tires for my 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Mazda MX-5 Miata is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.