Not a thread per se, but it's being documented on the FM site as well as the Targa Miata site, Facebook and a couple of RSS feeds. I can put together a summary on the GRM forum if people are interested.
Question for those who have played with them: if I can manage to squeeze Big Fat Tires under the car without wreaking havoc with the suspension, would a Star Spec or an R1R be the tire of choice?
Wait... RA-1s are 100 treadwear... if you have to stay over 140 to be legal, how were you running them? I'm guessing a rule or class change?
If you like the RA-1s, my thought immediately jumps to the Toyo R1Rs.
Of course, my immediate thought, which is probably totally wrong, was a high-performance all-season like an ECSTA ASX. You'd give up a little in terms of dry performance, but it seems like a much better tire for the less-than-optimal conditions. The thought of driving my RA1s over gravel makes me shudder.
I don't know Miatae enough to suggest sizes, my overly generic recommendation would be to run as light of a wheel that's large enough diameter to minimize sidewall slop and wide enough to run a tire that still gets you good enough footprint at 100-110% of the wheel width. (I know, duh, right?)
Yes, rule change in 2009.
The gravel isn't widespread, but it does get spit on the road as people take creative lines. The faster you are, the further back you are in the running order and the more you have to deal with. Gravel on pavement is not like driving on gravel roads, it's like driving on ball bearings. You need to be set up before you get there, and I don't think your tires will make a lot of difference.
In reply to Keith:
Thanks! Excited to see what you guys are up to!
Well, since it's back from the dead, I'll give some closure to the thread 
I'm running the R1R in a 225/45-15, wrapped around 15x8 949Racing 6UL wheels. The recent tire tests in GRM make this look like a good plan - even though the Hankook seems to score a bit better in both the dry and the wet, the driving descriptions back up the sort of behavior I'm looking for. My track testing so far has been in really hot conditions on a tight track, and I think I've been overheating them as they feel great for the first lap then they get slimy. I'm settling in on a hot tire pressure of about 31 psi.
I'll know for sure in three weeks!
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