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>>make tires wear out faster.
Your arrogant statement here is contradicted by a fact which has nothing to do with magic: the rear camber on this car is purposely set to wear out the tires on the inside edge.
Having recently spoken with 2 dealers, a service manager, and a regional service manager, I conclude that Mazda does this on purpose. One service person said quote "well, that's just the price you pay to get that ZOOM-ZOOM, you know?"
The outside edges of my tires appear to have maybe 20 or 30k more life left in them, they look new... but the inside edges have NO tread left. And this is after the dealer charged me to align it, and told me that the VISIBLE negative camber is within specs. Tell me again how this car has nothing wrong with it? nothing "magical" that would consume tires prematurely? IT'S RIGHT THERE, YOU CAN SEE IT.
Oh it's my fault? Please explain how my driving wears out the tires only on the inside edge. I'm a 40-something with a kid, I race no one.
Rotate the tires? sure, if you want ALL FOUR to be worn on the inside and need replacement at what should be HALF of their life.
>>Every vehicle on the road does go out of alignment from time to time.
>> That's the nature of automobiles.
Sure it is, but some cars are designed with negative camber to increase handling; this wears out tires on the inside edge, and requires the owner to buy lots of tires. Several models of BMW, and a couple Lexus models are built this way, according to my friend the service manager.
Funny you didn't mention that... spoken like a guy who sells tires... "it's your fault... cars do that... just get over it and buy more tires..."
So at your shop, when you charge people to "align" their wheels, do you mention to them when their car cannot actually be "aligned" in cases like the Mazda3? That camber angle on the rear of the Mazda3 is not adjustable, and that, even when it's within the factory spec, it's design will wear the rear tires unevenly? And: Do you think 40k is really great tire mileage on a car that weighs only 2800 lbs? I guess for you, more miles out of a set of tires is not actually desirable.
Funny thing, if you read the message boards, late model (8th Gen I believe) Civics have the same problem with the shoulder of the tire wearing out early due to the rear camber settings.
FWIW, when I bought my Mazda3 I'd read a lot of tire related issues and opted to chuck the factory tires after only 700 miles. I replaced them with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. At this point I have over 35,000 miles on the Michelins and the tires look easily good enough to last beyond the 50,000 mile mark.
Not quite true, but really, really close. If we think of alignment to only include Camber, Caster, and Toe, then that is ture.
But if we include such items as akerman, scrub radius, and trail, then those ARE affected by changes in tire size - and sometimes those changes will have negative affects.
I chose the V-rated Dunlop SP Sport Signature. They were just under $150 per tire OTD. The lower speed rating translates into less road noise, improved ride quality, better wet weather traction without losing the razor-sharp handling capability! They just passed the 50k mark and still have at least another 5k left in them. I haven't experienced any abnormal tire wear on my car, thankfully. Another benefit of most V-rated tires is that they include a treadlife warranty (60k miles on my Dunlops). Very few, if any, Z-rated tires have a treadlife warranty because they are considered 'high performance'.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Got Goodyear Eagle GT tires. 33,000 miles later on these 50,000 mile rated tires, the car won't go in the snow.
I'm middle aged (47) and I had two Proteges before this 3. If this is the result of Mazdas now being "Zoom Zoom" cars, this will be my last.
Sad: As the traction control did nothing to get me up a snow covered hill today, a Toyota Corolla passed me.
Guess my next car will be a Subaru.
To be sure my Pilot Sport A/Ss have just seen their last winter, however, they still have more than enough tread depth to make it through to next November without needing to be changed out. By then the tires will have an easy 50,000 miles on them; not at all bad for a tire that is a "Performance" tire first and a long-lasting "All-Season" second.
I'll keep you posted.
I thought that it was due to the amount of driving I do. HOwever, I have since discovered that Mazda 3 has an internal problem with cambering which leads to the tires getting scalloped. this cambering apparently is not a "design flaw" as the mazda people have told me that it was designed with this in order to take the corners better. HOwever, this EATS up your tires. They suggested that I buy from them, a $500 dollar sway bar kit that would correct " MY " problem.
Has anyone else had this experience with the Mazda 3 eating up tires?
When I went to look at the Mazda, I was upfront with them about how much mileage I will be putting on the car. I was told that the Mazda 3 was the perfect car for that amount of mileage and would serve my needs well. This was at a mazda dealership.
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alignments every other gas change? and the car can' be aligned? wth? of course, they will sell me a 500 dollar kit to fix my problem.
FWIW, tire scalloping seems to be nothing new for any number of cars set up with good handling characteristics; my BMWs were a prime example. With relatively soft winter tires and summer performance tires both of my cars experienced tire scalloping within 10,000 miles. That said, when I chucked the soft compound tires in favor of all-season rubber with a tread wear rating of 500 or better, the problem was solved. When I bought the Mazda I just "assumed" the problem would be similar to what I experienced with my BMWs, hence the installation of the Michelins on my brand-new car.
+ Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
? Continental Extreme Contact DWS
? Bridgestone Turanza 400 (2011 OEM)
On a dedicated Mazda forum a number of folks have installed the Continental ExtremeContactDWS tires on their Mazda3s and Mazda5s (same basic suspension, same basic tire issues) and while the jury is still out due to this being a relatively new tire, all reports so far are positive.
In my case, in spite of how well the relatively expensive Michelin's have performed, and in spite of the fact that I've never really been a fan of Continental tires, I'm tempted to give the DWSs a try.
At this point I'd give the Conti's a conditional "+".
The stock Goodyear Eagle RS-As that came on many 17" wheeled versions of the Mazda3: A hard and fast minus (can we rank them really bad, kinda-sorta like "---"?)
While I have no personal experience with them, every report I've read about the Toyo Proxi (sp?) tires seem to be pretty negative as well: Another minus.
At this point I don't forsee any change in wheel/tire size at any time in the future.
- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ($164)
- Michelin HydroEdge ($141)
- Continental ProContract ECOPLUS ($131)
- Continental Extreme contact ($124)
- Hankook Optimo H727 ($117)
Realistically, I'm focusing on the last three due to price (might consider one of the Michelin's if there's a compelling reason to). I've noticed that with the Mazda 3's lighter weight, wet/safety is the biggest priority, but I'd like them to last.
Consumer Reports seemed to favor the Mich. HydroEdge, Cont. ProContact, and the Hankook Optimo H727 for wet conditions. I'm no expert so appreciate any shared experience/advice. Thanks in advance!
Is there a speed rating that you're considering? For example, would a "H" rated tire be adequate, or would you want more performance with a "V" or "W" or "Z" rated tire?
Have you checked Tire Rack? It seems to me to be the best site for tire reviews. For example, you can enter your specs and see the results or you can select the Survey Results tab and then Standard Touring All Season to find a chart listing recommendations by hundreds/thousands of users.
Tip: Buying a set of tires can save you money as many brands offer discounts for a set.
+ Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
+ Continental Extreme Contact DWS ("conditional" rating)
? Bridgestone Turanza 400 (2011 OEM)
- Goodyear Eagle RS (OEM on earlier Mazda3)
- Toyo Proxi "every report I've read ... seem(s) to be pretty negative"
The Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss on the other hand are a well known entity and have been around long enough to have any number of Mazda3 drivers put in excess of 50,000 miles on a single set with no complaints. Hence their top ranking.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=124
There is a difference in tire wear for those who do the majority of their driving as opposed to those who do city driving. Long distance driving seems to wear out the tires far faster than city driving. I have been told by Mazda dealers at one city that the Mazda 3 is only good for city driving, short distance.
It would help us all if ppl posting would tell us the sort of driving they do.
I do long distance driving and my tires wear out due to scalloping at about 12 000 miles.
The list is whatever we want it to be. I'm gathering opinions to hear what other Mazda3 drivers have experienced. I've added yours!
+ Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
+ Continental Extreme Contact DWS (some say "conditional"; some say "extremely happy with them")
? Bridgestone Turanza 400 (2011 OEM)
- Goodyear Eagle RS (OEM on earlier Mazda3)
- Toyo Proxi "every report I've read ... seem(s) to be pretty negative"
I live in DC, and thus the traffic is very difficult. Lots of stop and go, but also some highway. DC is not your average traffic city - it's 2nd worst in the US after LA. So there is probably more wear than you might otherwise have, and this should be taken into consideration when compiling statistics.
What would you say is your proportion of city vs highway driving?
Based on your post it sounds like city driving may be predominant.
How would you describe your normal driving style?
For example: relaxed, aggressive, average?
Do your tires show any special wear patterns/characteristics?
Now with mileage in the low to mid forty-thousand mile range, all for tires are so evenly worn from shoulder to shoulder it's difficult to identify any one tire or any one spot on one tire that is more worn than the rest. All this with only the occasional fifteen-thousand mile "front-to-rear" rotation.
I'm personally very aggressive, having learned to drive in NY. I think my wife also is aggressive - you really have to be in DC.
I have not noticed any unusual or uneven wear, but I'd say this is more of an alignment factor than a driving style factor.
The issue is not one of alignment: the design of the vehicle itself has the wheels at a negative camber. The wheels are set up just off perpendicular- with the lower half of the tire being further away from the car than the upper part of the time. so it slants out a bit- sort of like those home made go-carts I used to make....
Mazda says that this is to give better traction on the road when taking corners. HOwever, Mazda admits that this negative camber definitely leads to uneven wear relative to the inner and outer edges of the tires. They DO wear out faster. Mazda dealers have admitted to this. I have been told by the Mazda people that the Mazda 3 was designed to be a local commuter car- not good for long distance driving. They will sell you an aftermarket stabilizer bar at 600 bucks to counter the effects of the negative camber. They insist that you change and rotate/or the tires at every 12- 18 000 miles.
The best tires for the mazda 3 for highway driving seems to be those michelon pilot Sport A/S.
Your Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires served you well.
Agreed, alignment is a big factor in unusual tire wear. However, I believe a driving style that is not smooth (example, jack rabbit starts, frequent emergency stopping, abrupt turning) eventually shows up in tire wear. I suspect many of us Mazda drivers see "aggressive driving" as "fun driving".
Thank you from the rest of us on the road!
Our 2007 Mazda 3 ... seen about 70% highway, 20% suburban (35-45-ish) and 10% city (30 and under, w/stop and go) ... odometer at just under 50,000 miles ... on to our second set of tires, but I have put winter tires on the vehicle each season, from about Dec. 1 to March 15.
So, with winter tires for 4 years, would you calculate that the original summer tires have had over or under 40K of usage?
With the changeover each fall and spring I really didn't keep track, but if I had to guess I would say the original Goodyears didn't quite make 30,000. I happened to have those same tires on a previous vehicle that I owned (an Infiniti FX45) and I would guess they only lasted around 30,000 miles on that one also.
Seems like the OEM Goodyears are not stellar from a point of durability.