Ask the Car People.SM


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 40 of 44

#386 of 435 Short list update... by shipo

Aug 20, 2011 (10:10 am)

As some of y'all know I'm running down the last few thousand miles of life on the 205/50 R17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires mounted on my 2009 Mazda3 and am actively evaluating what I'll buy to replace them. To date I have about 46,000 miles in the Michelins (which I had mounted on my car when there were only 714 miles on the odometer, the OEM Goodyears were absolute junk), and while it seems likely they'll last until the 50,000 mile mark, winter will be looming large by that point and with the thin tread (not yet to the wear-bars) I wouldn't trust these tires in so much as a dusting of snow.
 
So, with the above said, I've been planning on either a second set of Pilot Sports (which have gotten considerably more expensive over the last three years), or a set of Continental ExtremeContactDWSs. A recent check of tires meeting my requirements (i.e. good handling, long life, passable in snow) revealed a new player on my radar scope namely the Yokohama AVID ENVigor. The reports seem to indicate the Yokos will outlast the Michelins, will handle nearly as well as the Michelins (something the Continentals cannot claim), and yet will cost a bit less than the moderately priced Continentals. Suddenly my short list looks like the following:
 
1) Yokohama AVID ENVigor at $119 per tire
2) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus at $195 per tire
3) Continental ExtremeContactDWS at $131 per tire
 
I know several folks with the Continentals and they've been very happy with the tires, however, the numerous complaints of soft rolly-polly sidewalls has me a bit apprehensive given that the roads around here in New England are anything but straight. With the good handling reports and good treadwear ratings the Yokohamas are generating, that tire has materialized out of nowhere to be placed on top of my short list.
 
I'd love to hear from anybody with experience on the relatively new to the market AVID ENVigors.

#387 of 435 Re: Short list update... [shipo] by autonomous

Aug 22, 2011 (9:44 am)

Replying to: shipo (Aug 20, 2011 10:10 am)
205/50 R17
Have you considered downsizing to 16" winter tires? The Mazda3 easily accomodates a 2055/55/16 tire. This could save you a few dollars.

#388 of 435 Re: Short list update... [autonomous] by shipo

Aug 22, 2011 (9:53 am)

Replying to: autonomous (Aug 22, 2011 9:44 am)
Nah, I've gone that route on other (RWD) cars; I don't like the trade-off when the roads are clear in the winter (which is most of the time, New Hampshire really gets after it when comes to snow removal).
 
As for savings, given that the Yokos are reasonably inexpensive to begin with, I don't see how I could amass much savings. Now on my BMW which came with summer performance rubber worth $350 per skin, yeah, the trade-off made huge financial sense.

#389 of 435 Re: Short list update... [shipo] by autonomous

Aug 22, 2011 (2:30 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Aug 22, 2011 9:53 am)
given that the Yokos are reasonably inexpensive ... I don't see how I could amass much savings.
I see your point (especially if you had to purchase 16" rims as well as tires).
 
Here is a tire site with quite a few user comments on the Yokos:
http://www.1010tires.com/tires/reviews/Yokohama/AVID+ENVigor
 
As you noted, snow handling does not seem to be its forte.

#390 of 435 Re: Short list update... [autonomous] by shipo

Aug 23, 2011 (11:03 am)

Replying to: autonomous (Aug 22, 2011 2:30 pm)
Snow handling isn't exactly the forté of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss which are currently on my car and they've served perfectly well. When you consider the number of my miles driven in the snow during the winter is a bare fraction compared to the number of miles driven on cold but otherwise clear roads, and considering that if snow is deep enough to really be an issue I can work from home, winter tires don't seem to be very cost effective for me.

#392 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [speedster3s] by shipo

Aug 26, 2011 (1:39 am)

Mazda isn't the only manufacturer which configures their cars with rear camber set up for racing so nothing new there; I rather doubt the class action suit will yield much of anything except for some profits for a few lawyers.
 
FWIW, I've owned several cars from different manufacturers with rear camber settings tuned for racing and which are notorious for generating rapid tread wear, cupping, and tire noise, and I've found that running a set of high performance All-Season tires typically renders the issue moot. In the case of my current car, a 2009 Mazda3, I chucked the factory tires (205/50 R17 Goodyear Eagle RS-As, quite possibly the same tires you have on your car) after only 714 miles in favor of a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires and as of this writing they have 46,000 miles on them and are just about spent. The good news is that while the Pilot Sports aren't the quietest tire out there, they were constant in that department from the day I put them on until the day they come off (in the next couple of weeks); the other bit of good news is that the tread wear is pretty even on all four tires from shoulder to shoulder in spite of the fact that I only rotate them every ten to fifteen thousand miles or so.

#393 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [speedster3s] by autonomous

Aug 26, 2011 (9:46 am)

Gaithersburg Mazda ... said it’s because I didn’t rotate the tires often enough (supposed to do every 3,000 miles they say) ... I rotated my tires at 17,000
 
Tires are a tricky issue. Isn't the dealership quoting what is in the Driver's manual? If you decide to change the rotation period shouldn't you accept the consequences (e.g. premature wear)?

#394 of 435 Re: New Mazda3 comes with CHEAP tires [autonomous] by shipo

Aug 26, 2011 (11:10 am)

Replying to: autonomous (Aug 26, 2011 9:46 am)
Given that the same post from speedster3s is elsewhere on the internet it seens as if the OP is more interested in making noise than looking for help or answers; I doubt we'll hear from him again.

#395 of 435 Re: All Season Tires? [JBaumgart] by karena1

Nov 01, 2011 (2:58 pm)

Replying to: JBaumgart (Aug 16, 2011 9:44 pm)
I need to replace the tires on my 2008 Mazda 3. The dealership tires are totally unacceptable for here in MN. I'm still deciding on tires vs a tire & wheel package. My biggest question is how do I retain TPMS capabilities? I can't tell if it's a tire thing, a rim thing, either, or both.
 
As long as I'm showing my ignorance, I'll also ask for thoughts on changing from the 205-50-R17 size tire to a smaller size. Smaller wheels & tires are cheaper, but I haven't found much solid information on what the tradeoffs are. I don't drive the car much over summer (the Miata is so much more fun!).
  
Performance driving isn't an issue here - just getting where I need to go safely.
 
Thanks,
 
Karena
 
p.s. I'm looking at Blizzaks, and any advice on how much loss I would incur by driving them ~800 miles/year over summer would be appreciated.

Messages Page 40 of 44

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement