Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda 3 Tire & Wheel Questions
273 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 10:33 AM
You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
I have a two week old Mazda 3S GT with Goodyear V-Rated 205/50/17's. As usual for a Goodyear tire, the handle alright, but I really hate the road noise. I have driven vehicles both large and small and for the last 20 or so years relied on Michelin tires. with only 1500 miles on the clock, I already hate the road noise on anything except really fine asphalt. Even the Mazda service department has told me that these tires will be doing well to get 24,000 miles before needing replacement. Is it too much to ask that I want wet and dry traction, great handling, reasonable tread life and a quite ride. I don't need to drive 149 miles per hour (V-Rated Tires) and I have been told that the car has a top end limiter set at 120 anyway. Can someone give me a recount of their replacement experiences that turned out well.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: tallcity (May 31, 2008 11:06 am) |
|
|
|
| Just released, this Ultra High Performance Tire is designed for high grip in wet and dry plus decent mileage. The UTOG rating is 340 AA so it is softer and higher performing than the G009 but better wearing than the RE050. Plus you get Bridgestone's latest technology and tread pattern. Looks like a great tire to me. | |
|
|
|
Replying to: pthirth (May 22, 2008 6:13 pm) The rear wheels have a negative camber that can cause the inside edges of the tires to wear excessively. The problem could also be exaserbated if you routinely carry a lot of extra weight in the rear seat and trunk because the wheels tilt progressively inward as the rear suspension compresses. When tires wear in this manner, they may begin to cup (develop flat spots) on the inside portion resulting in that thrum-thrum sound you mentioned. Rotating the unevenly worn rear tires to the front, unfortunately, increases the noise level inside and if you rotate them at the dealer recommended intervals, it makes it more difficult to tell if the wear problem is on the front, rear, or both. Before replacing my short-lived OEM tires I had the dealer check the alignment and was informed that the rear camber was not adjustable, only toe in, and it was normal for the tires to wear unevenly on this car and blah blah blah just live with it. I've searched through various discussions here and elsewhere but have been unable find any solution. Mostly just confirmation of what the dealer told me. The only suggestion I could make at this time is to make sure that your alignment is adjusted to spec and be religious about checking your tire pressure. The 12000 mile tire warranty does seem a bit pathetic, even for soft compound performance rated tire. But it's probably a non-issue unless you can show the uneven wear is being caused by defective tires rather than the car. Good luck.
|
|
|
|
Are you talking about the economy car, a Mazda 3 sedan? Or does "M3" mean M3 as in BMW? If you're talking about the Mazda, just get a good set of tires, make sure it is set to factory specs for alignment. It will be fine.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: indydriver (Jun 13, 2008 4:30 pm) Agreed. On most of the other boards the econobox Mazda 3 is called "MZ3", and the hot hatch Mazdaspeed3 is known as the "MS3". There is only ONE M3, and it isn't built by Mazda. As for tires, the OEM Bridgestone 050As on my MS3 are still wearing evenly at 18,300 miles. Well, three of them are anyway; the LR tire was taken out by a nail in the inner sidewall. I'm spending a few days at Putnam Park in a few weeks so I'll report back on how well they do after several hours of hot laps...
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: roadburner (Jun 15, 2008 5:11 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: tom1sharon2 (Jun 11, 2008 1:33 pm) Then after buying a new set of Michelin tires I go to a different Mazda dealer to have the alignment checked. All of a sudden the alignment is way off. So they did the alignment and now 25K into the Michelins I am seeing the same issues again. I stopped by the tire dealer where I purchased the Michelin tires for their opinion. Basically knowing I have the tires rotated regularly (by them) they thought this to be some sort of alignment issue. In the their words, "the tires are setting on the surface evenly". So I contacted the service manager at the original Mazda dealership and explain my problem. He seems eager to help and makes an appointment to look at the car. Yepper, same old BS again plus this time he added that the tires I have on the car are too big and have a very aggressive tread pattern which causes excessive wear. Funny that the tires are the exact same size as the OEM tires and the tread pattern is just the Michelin rain tread pattern. So then I called a person who used to be a service writer at a Mazda dealership for his opinion. He tells me the Mazda3 is notorious for tire wear and rear brakes. Known problem! He told me to call the service manager at the dealership to discuss. That was a mistake as well since I heard the same spin on the tire wear situation but in a more civil manner than that from the service manager at the original dealership where I bought the car. Funny how well trained the service people are at these Mazda dealerships to lie though their teeth to cover up a known problem and just pass it on the customer. How stupid, like I will buy another Mazda after this headache! |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: indydriver (Jun 16, 2008 1:18 pm) Saturday dawned clear and warm...  Photo Courtesy of PHOTOMOTIONONLINE.COM As the ambient temperature approached 90F the limitations of the stock rubber became evident. After about 15-20 minutes of track time the tires started to go away. Tire pressures were 35/38 cold but they just tended to overheat if I started to really push. And I certainly wasn't driving that hard; I barely saw 110 on the main straight. I could have easily hit 130 had I wanted to. If I keep the sled I'll definitely need a tire trailer as well as a set of R compound rubber and track wheels. I also need to sort out the traction control and perhaps upgrade to more suitable brake pads. The stock pads worked fine but I'll want something with a bit more bite to complement the upgraded tires and the higher speeds they will allow.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda 3 Tire & Wheel Questions
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Mazda MAZDA3
2009 Mazda MAZDASPEED MAZDA3
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
