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Mazda 3 Tire & Wheel Questions

435 messages,  Last post on Jan 13, 2013 at 9:50 AM

You are in the Mazda3 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Mazda MAZDASPEED MAZDA3, Tires, Wheels, Hatchback

Messages Page 13 of 45

#113 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [pthirth] by blanca58

Sep 28, 2008 (2:26 pm)

Replying to: pthirth (May 22, 2008 7:13 pm)
Recommend that you not buy a Mazda. Bought a Mazda 3 2006. At around 17,000 miles I began to have problems with the tires. After complaining several times to the dealer, I was referred to the Toyo Dealers to address the warranty. I ran into major problems with them in honoring the warranty and ended up buying 4 new Firestone tires at 21,000 miles. Again at around 20,000 miles, I began having the same problems. I had the tires aligned, rotated and balanced every 3,000-6,000 miles and nothing improved the wear of the tires. Neither the Mazda dealership nor the main Mazda offices were willing to do anything to remedy the problem or find a solution. I finally traded the car in in 2008 and don’t plan to ever buy another Mazda in my life. I have read blogs on both the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 with the same problems.
Unless you are rich and can afford tires every 17,000 miles, it is not worth the trouble you will incur. You will be zoom zooming every 17,000 miles to a tire store.

#114 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [blanca58] by roadburner

Sep 28, 2008 (8:37 pm)

Replying to: blanca58 (Sep 28, 2008 2:26 pm)
Unless you are rich and can afford tires every 17,000 miles, it is not worth the trouble you will incur. You will be zoom zooming every 17,000 miles to a tire store.

 
Interesting, I have a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3-with 25,000 miles on it-which I drive pretty "briskly" as the Brits put it. On top of that, the car has spent 4 hours lapping Putnam Park Sports Car Course. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires still have 2,000-3,000 miles left on them.

#115 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [blanca58] by autonomous

Sep 29, 2008 (2:59 pm)

Replying to: blanca58 (Sep 28, 2008 2:26 pm)
At around 17,000 miles I began to have problems with the tires... referred to the Toyo Dealers ... ran into major problems with them in honoring the warranty ... ended up buying 4 new Firestone tires at 21,000 miles. Again at around 20,000 miles, I began having the same problems
It sounds like the Toyos lasted 21K. How long did the Firestones last?
 
had the tires aligned, rotated and balanced every 3,000-6,000 miles
Having an alignment done every 3K to 6K miles sounds costly.
What are your expectations in terms of tire life?
25K miles? 30K miles? 40K miles? more than 40K miles.
How would you characterize your driving and braking style?

#116 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [autonomous] by roadburner

Sep 29, 2008 (6:30 pm)

Replying to: autonomous (Sep 29, 2008 2:59 pm)
Having an alignment done every 3K to 6K miles sounds costly.
What are your expectations in terms of tire life?
25K miles? 30K miles? 40K miles? more than 40K miles.
How would you characterize your driving and braking style?
 
I'd also suspect that tire pressures were checked on no more than an annual basis.

#117 of 435 Tires and Rims by pfcv

Oct 04, 2008 (12:37 pm)

Came with 205/55r16
 
How big can I go with out modifying
 
ex: 205/70r16 etc.

#118 of 435 Re: Tires and Rims [pfcv] by roadburner

Oct 05, 2008 (4:22 pm)

Replying to: pfcv (Oct 04, 2008 12:37 pm)
How big can I go with out modifying
 
Why in the world would you want to go from a 55 aspect ratio to a 70 aspect ratio?
In any event, the techs at Tire Rack will be able to answer your questions.

#119 of 435 new tires for 2006 Mazda 3 by grace10

Oct 06, 2008 (1:52 pm)

I need to replace the tires on my 2006 mazda 3 and they are very expensive... i was hoping someone knew any other tire names and makes that can be put on this car that are not too expensive OR other rims that could be put on this car..

#120 of 435 Re: new tires for 2006 Mazda 3 [grace10] by autonomous

Oct 06, 2008 (2:11 pm)

Replying to: grace10 (Oct 06, 2008 1:52 pm)
I need to replace the tires on my 2006 mazda 3
What does your car currently have? I would not recommend switching rims if you want to save money. If your driving is not "sporty" then you can choose a lower speed rating; the speed rating is often indicated by the letter (other than R which stands for radial) shown in the tire coding. For example,. 205/50/16 V is a faster tire than a 205/50/16 H tire; generally, faster tires are more expensive than slower tires.

#121 of 435 Re: new tires for 2006 Mazda 3 [autonomous] by grace10

Oct 06, 2008 (2:37 pm)

Replying to: autonomous (Oct 06, 2008 2:11 pm)
The tires that are on it now are Goodyear P205 50R17 88V. I am not really looking for speed I am more looking for how long they last and price. Is it in my best interest to look into switching rims because the snow handling on the ones i have now are terrible.

#122 of 435 Re: new tires for 2006 Mazda 3 [grace10] by autonomous

Oct 07, 2008 (3:23 pm)

Replying to: grace10 (Oct 06, 2008 2:37 pm)
The tires that are on it now are Goodyear P205 50R17 88V.
These are performance tires (note the "V)" and not intended to be driven in the snow.
 
Is it in my best interest to look into switching rims because the snow handling on the ones i have now are terrible.
What many of us do is buy a separate set of winter tires with rims. The advantages of doing this are:
- you save your regular alloy rims from winter damage,
- the switch from summer to winter tires is quicker and cheaper
- you can downsize your tires as well as your rims to save money.
 
By buying the tires and rims at the same time, you can get a package deal which should be lower than if you bought them separately. Your winter package can be downsized by at least 1 step; meaning that you can go from a 17" rim down to a 16" rim. Any reputable tire dealer should be able to advise you. Some good choices for winter tires come from the usual suspects: Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama, and Toyo. Personally, I have been using BF Goodrich Winter Slalom. Some rate them as a lower rank of winter tire but I have had no problems with them for the last 5 winters. They come in a variety of sizes, are widely distributed and are cheaper than the first tier of tires. Also, don't wait too long before buying winter tires as they run out of sizes by late Novermber. Good luck!

Messages Page 13 of 45

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