Mazda 3 Tire & Wheel Questions

igozoomzoom · April 2009

My '06 Mazda3 s 5-door had Goodyear Eagles standard and they barely lasted past 30k miles. I took it to a local Goodyear shop and learned replacing them with the same tires would be almost $1000!

The guy suggested Dunlop SP Sport Signatures (almost half the price of the Goodyears). I've put another 38k on the car since then and couldn't be happier. The ride is better, handling is still great and they're wonderful in the rain. They have a 60k treadlife warranty, too.

vovani · April 2009

and may i ask why you took the OEM tires without even trying them out??

i've had my 09 Mazda3 HB for over almost 2 months now, put over 600 miles on it.. drove in the heavy rain at least 3 times.. no issues at all.. i drive fast, never turn my radar detector off.. specifically tested hard stops to check them out, no problems..

am i doing something wrong? although i haven't had a chance to drive these Goodyear RSA's in the snow yet..

shipo · April 2009

I took the RS-As off of my 2003 Mazda3 i Touring after 714 miles, that said, I ordered my new tires from TireRack the day I bought the car. Why? Primarily due to the nearly universal negative reviews on the RS-As. It turned out to be a good thing I did too, because in the week it took to get the tires and get an appointment scheduled to have them fitted, we had a fair amount of rain and snow. My complaints regarding these tires are 1) they were very twitchy and skittish on dry pavement, 2) they felt more than a bit slippery in rain, and 3) they were positively diabolical in the snow (I couldn't even get up my street one evening and had to leave the car there until the snow plow came by, and there was only an inch on the ground).

Long story short, Eagle RS-As are possibly the worst tire I've ever had on a car, and given that their price is somewhere north of $200 per tire, they could possibly be the worst deal in tires in the history of the automobile.

Best regards,
Shipo

vovani · April 2009

thanks for sharing your experience with your OEM tires..

however, I noticed yours was 2003 model.. is it possible that the manufacturer improved quality of the tires considerably in the 6-year timeframe due to numerous complaints from customers and push from Mazda?
anyone with 2009 model want to share their experience with OEM tires?

thanks!

shipo · April 2009

Woops! Sorry, my bad. My Mazda3 is a 2009 model purchased new in mid November of 2008.

Best regards,
Shipo

hiwaystar · April 2009

I pick up my new 2010 tomorrow and am a little concerned about snow handling capabilities of the car/tires in Wisconsin. Luckily (or not) we may be in for a late season 6" snowfall on Sunday so I will probably find out early on if my decision to buy the "fun" mazda3 rather than the fully loaded and substantially discounted 2009 mazda tribute AWD was a poor one.
Tirerack has no reviews or test data on these new OEM tires so perhaps I will be the first.

roadburner · April 2009

I wouldn't sweat it; at worst you might need to buy a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires for @$1000 or so. The Pirelli PZero Nero M+S all-season tires fitted on my Mazdaspeed3 worked fine in the snow and slush.

evoi · April 2009

Are you doing something wrong? Yes, you are driving too fast. :sick: :sick: :sick: link">

roadburner · April 2009

Are you doing something wrong? Yes, you are driving too fast.

I agree; I usually keep my Mazdaspeed under 85 mph- unless I'm at the track...

sonnyrocker · April 2009

I have the stock 17" Goodyear tires which came with my 2009 3i touring value.
What are some good budget tires on the market which are good in rain and snow?
We don't get a whole lot of snow and when we do, the roads get clear quickly. I am more concerned with good traction in rain, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg on new tires. Any suggestions?

shipo · April 2009

I have the same car as you and I have to say that first off, there is no such a thing as a "budget" tire sold in the 205/50 R17 size. That said, if I was looking for a low cost tire in this size, the following three tires get pretty good reviews, are low cost (relatively speaking) and would make my short list (in order of which I'd most likely buy):

$104 -- Dunlop SP Sport Signature
$119 -- Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum
$113 -- Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid

Best regards,
Shipo

sonnyrocker · April 2009

Thanks, Shipo.
I usually replace 2 tires at a time, its easier on the wallet.

igozoomzoom · April 2009

The stock 17" Goodyears barely made it to 30k on my '06 MZ3. I replaced them with Dunlop SP Sport Signatures and have almost 40k on them with no complaints. It still handles great, but the ride is a little better than Goodyears. They're MUCH better in rain than the stock tires, too!

I bought them from my local Goodyear store and paid $420 OTD for the set of four. They come with a 60k treadwear warranty, too!

mazdazed · April 2009

Check the pricing and reviews on the General Altimax HP's. I am planning to replace the Goodyears on my 09 ITV with those when the time comes. The best tire for the $ I have found so far.

shipo · April 2009

The problem is that the General Altimax HP is not available in the 205/50 R17 size.

Best regards,
Shipo

mazdazed · April 2009

One more reason for me to switch to 16" wheels. The 16's will still handle plenty good for me and will ride better. Hopefully quieter too. The tires will also cost less. I tried to get the dealer to offer my 17's as a swap with someone buying a 3 with 16's but no takers.

shipo · April 2009

For cost of new 16" wheels I'm thinking it's just cheaper to put on good seventeens and be done with it.

Best regards,
Shipo

mazdrvr · May 2009

I'm about to replace my Toyo tires (crappy in my opinion) and I have narrowed my selection down to 3 choices and would like to hear any feedback/advice from you guys (pros & cons, reduced mpg, etc).
I have a 3s sedan w/16's and going to go replace w/ 215 55 16. I'm not an aggressive driver but like good cornering & want good traction (for when it does rain here in the desert as well as for windy conditions).
1. Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
2. Goodyear Eagle GT
3. Yokohama YK520
Thanks in advance!

igozoomzoom · May 2009

Have you considered the Dunlop SP Sport Signature? The original Goodyear Eagles were shot on my '06 MZ3 (17") at less than 30k. The Dunlops were quite a bit less expensive than replacement Goodyear Eagles ($450 vs. $800). It's been almost 40k since I got them and I'm very pleased. Handling is almost as good as with the OEM Eagles, but ride quality, wet-weather traction and road noise are all significantly better!

BTW, the 16" s has 205/55/16 standard...are you sure you want to go up to a 215? It'll throw speedometer calibration off by 1mph or so...just FYI.

mazdrvr · May 2009

Never thought about the speedometer calibration part... so it will be increased by 1 mi?
Will it affect my mpg?

**did you guys just stick with the 205 width?

I guess the 1/2" on the 215 might not make the biggest difference; I was thinking of better road grip & I like the look of a wider tire.

autonomous · May 2009

Regarding sizes 205/55 or 215/55 for a 16" tire: you may not have a choice as some brands have a limited selection of sizes. I went up to a 205/50/16 V rated tire for my Protege5 (OEM 195/50/16) and have had no problem. I agree with you about the better road grip and better look of the larger tire. You may want to check with a tire specialist or post a question at the Tire Trends site for an "expert" opinion.

shipo · May 2009

If you want to stay with your factory wheels and yet go to a wider tire, you should consider tires in the 225/50 R16 size as they have a virtually identical outer diameter and as such will not affect your speedometer and odometer.

Best regards,
Shipo

mazdrvr · May 2009

Thank you all for the input.
I didn't know about the 225/50/16 size... I'm actually looking into tires in that size, thanks!

mazdrvr · May 2009

Sorry guys, more questions...

1. will there be any issues w/rubbing, etc w/ the 225/50/16?
2. are you satisfied w/ the factory size 205's (handling, etc) or did you go wider?

I've been researching different tires, reviews, etc... & my head is spinning from too much info, lol. I want to save some $ but want good performance tires so i'm trying to decide weather its really worth getting the wider tires. (dang, I really wanted those Michelins but they're expensive!)

shipo · May 2009

I've got 205s on my Mazda3 and they're proving to be extremely capable in the handling department, and unless I decide to "track" my car, I doubt I'll ever need anything wider (although I do like the look of wider rubber).

As for rubbing, I seriously doubt there'll be any issues as I've read about folks going with 235s with no issues (unless they lowered their car as well).

Best regards,
Shipo

chicagopro · May 2009

I just purchased a new 2009 3i TVE, and I have to say that these are the noisiest tires I've ever heard (17" RSA's). So noisy, in fact, that the car sounds like my old Protege with the shot bearings.

Went back to the dealer today. "Noise? Really? Hmm...I don't think I hear anything...why don't you keep it a few more days, and see what you think..."

Did anyone else here have an issue with tire/wheel noise right off the bat? Thanks!

shipo · May 2009

I only had the RS-As on my 2009 3i TVE for a week (714 miles to be exact), and when I had them replaced in favor of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, I noticed an immediate improvement in noise.

Best regards,
Shipo

chicagopro · May 2009

Thanks for the prompt reply, Shipo. I wish I could change out these tires right away to see if that makes a difference, but that's a luxury I can't really afford. Oh, well.

bjspiess · June 2009

I have a Mazda 3...I want to get new tires. The factory tire is the Goodyear 205/50R17...am I able (without changing the wheel) go to the Kumho 205/55R16?

shipo · June 2009

No, absolutely positively not, you cannot make that tire change. If you want to go to go with the 205/55 R16 tires, you need to buy new wheels. By far your best bet would simply be to buy a better/more cost effective set of 205/50 R17 tires than the lousy Goodyear Eagle RS-As that came on your car.

Best regards,
Shipo

bjspiess · June 2009

Great Thanks for the info...is the Komho Solus KH 205/50R17 93V a good tire...I know the crappy Goodyear is 89V. Is that a problem?

silvermzda3 · June 2009

you can check tire sizes and what the effect will be on the speedometer as well as compare dimensions at the following site.
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos
I have found this handy as different sizes will give you more options and better price points.

teacher23 · July 2009

Hi, I need some advice. I recently took my Mazda3 to get its 15K mile service, and my front tires were in the "yellow" indicating that I would need new tires soon. I then took it to a tire shop so they could make a recommendation and they gave me the run around with why my tires are wearing out so quickly.

I don't drive fast, or take hard, fast turns. In addition, most of my commute is freeway driving. I am probably the most boring mazda3 driver. The tire store told me that if I had rotated my tires every 5K miles, that I could have maybe gotten 25K miles on the tires. But to have to replace my front two tires at 16K miles, seems ridiculous.

Not sure if this has anything to do with it, but my tire pressure light has gone on 3 times in the last few months. I then put the appropriate amount of air in my tires. I live in SF, CA, so I don't deal with harsh weather conditions.

Do you think there is something wrong with my car that caused the front two tires to wear so quickly?? Should I get it checked out?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

igozoomzoom · July 2009

Depending on how persistent (and insistent) you're willing to be, you could start with the trying to make your dealership replace them. Have you rotated them at all? If not, the dealer will most likely refuse to warranty them and use that as an excuse.

The original tires on '06 MZ3 s 5-door were rotated ever 7,500 miles from the time it was new. Even so, at 28k they were trashed! It never occured to me that they could be worn out with so few miles on them. I took it in to the Goodyear shop for an oil change and tire rotate/balance and a few minutes later, the manager was showing me that two of the tires had worn into the steel belt! The tread was separating from the sidewalls....I was a little freaked out by it.

My car has the 17" alloys (your's are probably 15" or 16" unless you have an i Touring Value model- which has 17"). The cost to replace all four tires with the same exact Goodyears that were on it was over $1000!!! And they'd have done the same thing in another 28k miles or so....no thanks!

I went with Dunlop SP Sport Signatures which cost just under $600 for all four, out the door. I have put about 43k on them since then and they still have plenty of tread life to go!

Quick question- are your tires wearing on the inside or outside edge or is it more consistent wear across the entire tread patch? Wearing on the edges is a sure sign of an alignment problem- usually costs about $50-$75 to correct that. The car might also have a tendency to pull or drift to the right or left if the alignment is out.

roadburner · July 2009

I think that the key is that you failed to rotate the tires every 5K AND you waited for the TPS to tell you when your tires needed air. I rotated the OEM Bridgestones on my Mazdaspeed 3 and checked the air pressure at least monthly- as a result I got almost exactly 25K out of them- and that included a three day track event.

autonomous · July 2009

Agreed.

Tire rotations may seem to be a pain to have done but without them you risk shortening the tire's lifespan. If you're keen and frugal, you can rotate the tires yourself.

Underinflation runs the risk of damaging the tires from the inside (basically destroying the tire's structure). Checking the tire pressure monthly takes only a minute or two.

davedf · August 2009

my son's 2008 mazda3 sport has 6000 miles and needs new front tires. the dealer says the alignment is OK and not the cause.
he says the car is being driven 'aggresively' because the back tires are OK.
we do understand these tires wear out quickly, but 6000 miles is ridiculous. though our son [18 yo] drives fast, we have not seen him floor the pedal and squeal out or anything of that nature. we do live on a hill.
is it possible that his fast driving is causing this wear?
suggestions for they say it is not under warranty for this.

shipo · August 2009

Most likely it's just the piece of junk Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires that came from the factory. Before I bought my 2009 Mazda3 I'd read so many complaints about these tires that I ordered a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires and had them swapped onto the car after the first 700 miles. The difference was immediately apparent as the car was much easier to control both in a straight line and when carving through the turns.

As for mileage, I now have over 17,000 miles on them and they look like they've maybe consumed a quarter of their tread. To my way of thinking, if I get anything over 40,000 miles out of them they will owe me nothing when I finally do replace them.

Best regards,
Shipo

davedf · August 2009

but only 6000 miles???

shipo · August 2009

Yup, I've actually heard from some owners that have had to replace the front tires in even less distance than 6,000 miles.

davedf · August 2009

ouch. has anyone be able to get Mazda or the tire company to warranty them or is that a lost cause?

shipo · August 2009

Probably a lost cause, that said, if Goodyear was to come to your aid, they'd probably want to replace the worn out rubber with more of the same. The fact is, the Eagle RS-As are a piece of junk, and while a different size and grade of that tire may do well on police cars and such, it is totally inappropriate for the Mazda3. Do yourself a favor and buy a decent set of tires from either your favorite tire shop or from http://www.tirerack.com, and don't look back.

Best regards,
Shipo

rbucc1 · August 2009

I've been disappointed with the tire on my 2006 M-3.
I complained to the dealer and they said the Alignment must be done annually, I had the alignment done twice and it was in-spec both times. I was told I needed to rotate the tires more, I followed the 7500 miles in the manual.
I put Kumhos on and did not rotate at all. Have about 25k miles on them. The fronts are wearing well. the backs are cupping on the inside, the specs call for too much positive camber and the shocks are probably not helping. The suspension is a weak part of the design in my opinion.

shipo · August 2009

"The suspension is a weak part of the design in my opinion."

That depends entirely upon your perspective. The suspension on the Mazda3 is tuned for handling (at the expense of some tire wear) and it shows as this car will easily run rings around the likes of a Civic at the track. That said, I've never heard of a FWD car that wouldn't cup the rear tires if they were never rotated, and that goes back to the dawn of the FWD revolution that took place back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Best regards,
Shipo

autonomous · August 2009

put Kumhos on and did not rotate at all. Have about 25k miles ... the backs are cupping on the inside
Why aren't you having your tires rotated?

frankchen009 · August 2009

Hi,

Does anybody know what is the material used for the wheel of this vehicle? Aluminum or magnesium? I plan to use the all wheel cleaner from Meguinar's. But the direction says don't use it on magnesium wheels. Thank you.

roadburner · August 2009

I use several Meguiars products, but Eagle One makes the best wheel cleaner.

frankchen009 · August 2009

OK, I will answer this question by myself. Based on the manual, the wheel is aluminum alloy wheel.

bgf · September 2009

Anyone tried the 2010 17-inch OEM Yoko AVID tires in the snow yet? I'm hoping that some earlier buyers from late 2008 to early 2009 tried the tires in the snow.

bgf · September 2009

So did you find out how the tires did?

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