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2744 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2008 at 9:48 AM
You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: cajungreek (Mar 15, 2006 4:48 pm)
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Replying to: njerald (Mar 16, 2006 1:58 pm) I found the Mazda part number for the mp3 changer with Bose HU and driver information system (BS0D-79-EGX) and the salesman verified that it was a valid part number but that the part was not actually available yet. It stinks that the changer is not what was represented to me. Regardless, I get the car on Saturday. |
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I am putting new treads on my car for the summer, when I take the winter set off. The Goodyear Eagles suck, they will work well on my dock on the lake, that's about it. The selection for 205-50-17 is small. A guy at a tire store told me I could go up "plus zero" to 215-50-17. He said no problems doing this, and there happens to be a much better selection at this size. Can someone explain this to me in terms I can understand, how this works? I know this (the first #) is the distance between the side walls of the tire, but just "don't get it".
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Replying to: dride (Mar 17, 2006 9:52 am) here is the link to the explanation. From this explanation your the "plus zero" tires will be 10 mm wider and the side wall will be 5 mm taller so from the top to the bottom of the tire will be 10 mm taller. Here is the same thing from tire rack http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=7¤tpage=33 |
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A true Plus Zero sizing would maintain the same diameter of the tire.. In other words a plus zero alternative for 205/50-17 would be 225/45-17 (which might require wider wheels).. The Minus Zero alternative would be 185/55-17 (which probably doesn't exist). These sizes would have the same diameter and circumference as your stock tires.. The size your tire dealer is suggesting is a taller tire... which simply put.. is the wrong size. As far as few choices? 205/50-17 is also the stock size for the BMW 330i.. There are tons of tires made in this size.. They tend to be H-, V-, and Z-rated and fairly expensive... but, believe me, you have plenty to choose from... Go to tirerack.com and plug in your size... you can see all of the choices. What the guy at the tire store is really saying? "I don't carry that size in stock, and I'm too lazy to look into it for you." regards, kyfdx Host-Prices Paid Forums
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Replying to: kyfdx (Mar 17, 2006 11:01 am) Originally, back in 2004, there were even less to chose from. A couple were added, including Continental (which are oe on BMWs) The 3 different oe size wheels Mazda uses are within 5mm of each other, height wise . That would allow for not only a cleaner appearance in fitting within the wheel well opening, but also allows Mazda to keep 1 speedo guage for all styles (i, s, sp). 215/50-17 adds an average of 12mm to the overall wheel height. Fills the wheel well better, but scrapping may be an issue (though, I doubt it). Also, the speedo is off a bit (I think with this size tire the speedo would read lower than the actual speed). Also, fitting this tire on the oe rims (6.5") is tight, but will work. 225/45-17 adds 20mm of width. Using the 6.5" oe rims is inexcusable. On the other hand, the speedo would be accurate. But the scrapping issue arises again, not only for scrapping inside the wheel well (especially where the suspension is in a compressed state), but also scrapping while turning the wheels in either direction. |
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I went with 215 50 17 Kumho ASX - Discount Tire price was $95 plus $2 disposal + $11 install total with tax $462. Which is a drop from a few months ago - they were $119 each VS $95 now. The Goodyear RSA were over $800. ($177 VS $95) You need to look at the specs for each tire - not all 205 50 17 are the same size. For example The 205 50 17 Goodyears have a diameter of 25.4 Kumho 205 50 17 diameter is 25.1 The 215 50 17 Kumho ASX diameter is 25.5 In my book .1 of an inch is not much of a change. But I would bet that the stock Goodyear tires have LESS revs per mile (how many times the wheel must turn) than the LARGER diameter Kumho. The sidewall of the Kumho is softer - more flex - this reduces the actual diameter of the tire after it is installed on the car. I have only driven about 80 miles - so its too early to tell if the Kumho were the right choice - but I do know that the ride quality is MUCH BETTER - I glide over the expansion joints in the road now - before I got a LOUD THUMP THUMP on ever one. When I first left the tire shop I though (for a few seconds) whats that funny noise coming from my engine? Then realized - IT WAS JUST MY ENGINE - that I could now actually HEAR because my tires were not making a HUMMMMING noise. I am pretty sure I will give up some cornering at the limit - but so far they seem to grip as good or better than the Goodyears. My only concern - because the side wall is so much softer - is what happens when I hit a big nasty pot hole? Do I bend a wheel? Pop a tire? I am still using 32 PSI - the Kumhos are rated to a MAX of 51 PSI - I may - after a few more miles - change to 35 PSI and see what it does to the ride / handling. So far I am very happy.
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Replying to: dride (Mar 17, 2006 9:52 am) |
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Replying to: dride (Mar 17, 2006 9:52 am) We replaced the OEM goodyear RSA tires,on our 2003 5 door,with Michelin Pilot Sport AS and the performance was radically improved. We chose to install 225/45/17's which fit the OEM wheels perfectly and maintain the speedometer accuracy perfectly, as verified using a GPS computer in the car. You will get the same performance gain with OEM sized 205/50/17 Michelins. You cannot beat Tire Racks prices- But if you do not wish to buy there, you can get the same price-when you factor in shipping,installation, and road hazard warranty at Sams club |
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Actually the host is off by a little - and you would be better off using a 215 50 17 than a 225 45 17 - at least if you plan to use stock wheels. If you take a 205 50 17 tire the rim (wheel) width range that is recommended is between 5.5 and 7.5 inches. But in order to actually end up with the width that is in the spec (8.4 inches) it must be installed on a wheel that is 6.5 inches wide. This is called the measuring wheel width. BTW the Mazda3 uses 6.5 inch wide wheels. If you install a 205 50 17 on a WIDER wheel the installed tire will be a little wider than spec - install on a wheel less than 6.5 it will make the tire less than spec. So putting a 215 50 17 tire on the Mazda3's 6.5 inch stock wheel you will NOT end up with a tire that is 8.9 inches wide (as listed in the Tirerack web site) - but something less - The measuring wheel width for a 215 50 17 is 7 inches - I will guess it will end up about 8.65 inches. So Putting the Kumho ASX 215 50 17 tires on I figure it increased the diameter buy 0.1 of an inch and the width by .25 of an inch which is only 1/8 of an inch wider on each side - Not enough of a change to worry about. Now putting a 225 45 17 on a 6.5 inch wheel is NOT RECOMMENDED. Not saying you can't do it - you can do just about anything you want to - but the recommended wheel width for a 225 45 17 is between 7 - 8.5 inches. The measuring wheel width for this tire is 7.5 inches. Strange thing is - the actual width of a 225 45 17 tire on a 7.5 inch wheel is only 8.8 inches - if you put a 215 50 17 on a 7 inch wheel it will actually be wider than a 225 45 17. The only problem with cramming a 225 45 17 on a 6.5 inch wheel is after 10,000 or so miles (if you run 32+ PSI) you may see that the tread in the center of the tire will be wearing out a little bit faster than the side tread - similar to what you get if you over inflate a tire. All things considered though it will not make that much difference. I admit I am a little bit of a freak when it comes to tires - but I never understood why so many people get so worried about CHANGING THE SPEEDOMETER because they put on a little larger tire. Really most of the time one size up only changes the reading by 2% - so when the speedometer says 75 MPH you are really going 76.5 - I would guess than many speedometers are off by more than that - even with the stock size tire. As far as changing shift points (auto tranny) the difference is so small you will never even see a change.
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