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Comments
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
My car is 2009 Mazda 3
FWIW, I've run the last 45,000 miles on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss (which I had mounted when there was only 714 miles on my car), and I'm "T-Minus" about 5,000 miles from the next set. My current "Top-Two" are as follows:
- Continental ExtremeContactDWS ($139 per tire)
- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ($171 per tire)
The thing about the Pilot Sports is that even though they are considerably more expensive than pretty much any other tire in the high-end All-Season category, they've performed so well on my car I'm going to have to do some serious soul searching before I buy something else.
Agreed. Tire Rack is a great site for researching tire and wheel information; their ratings eliminate some of the guess work in finding a good tire. Be aware that there are brands that are not included in their listings (such as Toyo).
If you pick a well-known brand, it is likely that it will be sold in several stores which will enable some cross-shopping. Don't be shy to ask for a discount, especially if you are buying a set of 4 new tires, for example a $100 off a set is not unusual; some places offer the 4th tire free which is even better.
A few comments/questions:
-- If you are only planning on keeping your car for another twenty to thirty thousand miles, either tire will be more than acceptable.
-- If you are planning on keeping your car longer (but not so long as to require yet another set of tires), the Bridgestones will be looking pretty thin by the time you're going to want to sell your car and that may negatively impact your sale price.
-- If you are planning on keeping your car long enough to necessitate buying another round of replacement tires, then the Continentals will probably work out to be less expensive per mile in spite of their higher up-front cost.
-- For my part, I won't even consider the Bridgestones for my Mazda3, the new tires will either be a set of Continental ExtremeContactDWSs or a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss.
Edit: How do you figure the Continentals (at $131 per tire) will cost $200 more than the Bridgestones (at $110 per tire)? By my math there is only a difference of $84.
Continental ExtremeContactDWS
Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid
I have to pay more than $650 if I order the Continental DWS online and plus mounting and balnce because Costco doesn't provide the service for other tires which not sold by them.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=HPAS
The Continentals are listed as the top choice for Ultra High Performance All Season tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS
In other words, both tires are excellent choices but you get what you pay for.
Good question. According to the ratings, the noise level is "good" not "unacceptable" so I would be surprised if the Potenzas are so loud that you will not be able to hear music. But, if you are concerned you know there's another option that is "superior" according to the results.
The Mazda 3 must be the loudest car I've ever driven. I can almost never hear the bass with it at max, there must be zero sound insulation in this car. So I can understand your worry. I personally can live with the noise because I bought my Mazda for the safety rating and handling - but it is annoying.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=ST
The tires on the front are fine - my wife has the car serviced, I wonder if they were never rotated? Does anyone know whether it is advisable to put new tires of a different type on the rear (such as the Pilot Sport), while keeping the same older tires on the front? Will this cause additional wear on the new tires? - Thanks.
On a car like the Mazda3 it is not a good idea to mix tire types, your best bet will be to buy a set of four and be done with it. FWIW, I'm about the replace a set of Pilot Sport A/Ss on my Mazda3 after over 45,000 miles; I'll either opt for another set of Pilot Sport A/Ss or a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWSs.
FWIW, for my tires I simply order a set from TireRack.com and then take them to my dealership to have them mounted and balanced; they're easily competitive with the local tire shops on the mount/balance price.
I run the same tire size on my 2009 Mazda as you run on yours and my current set of Pilot Sport A/Ss have just over 45,000 miles on them and are beginning to show their age (or more correctly their miles). I'm currently leaning toward the ExtremeContact DWSs when replacement time comes in the next four to five thousand miles.
Thanks.
Interesting. Tire Rack classifies them as All Season tires. How would you rate their performance in the winter snow and sleet? Would you say they are as good as dedicated winter tires?
On the subject of all-season vs dedicated winter tires, I'd say that while you may live in an area where you can generally get by with all-seasons, as I do, dedicated winter tires will always give you better snow performance without question
Agreed. That's what I have always understood.
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.
Have you considered downsizing to 16" winter tires? The Mazda3 easily accomodates a 2055/55/16 tire. This could save you a few dollars.
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.
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.
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.
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)?
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.
Your speedoameter wil be unaffected and you'll gain a bit of better traction. The idea is that snow has such poor traction that if you can get down to the pavement - even a tiny bit - will result is more traction.
TPMS? The dealer ought to be able to get the right sensors - and prgram them so your car will function as before.
But it isn't recommended to use winter tires over the summer. Winter tires are designed for winter use and not only will they wear rapidly during warmer weather, there is a chance that the heat generated will be too much for the tire during the summer months. Tire failures are something to be avoided.
The best source of tire information that I have found is at TireRack.com. If you do a search for TPMS you will find a lot of useful information.
Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) are inside each wheel attached to the valve stem. When you buy new wheels you will need to transfer your old sensors or buy new ones. I've never bought ones myself, but I understand from others that they can be pricey.
In most cases if one is planning to have new tires with TPMS and also changing tires for winter vs. summer driving, it is strongly recommended to buy a tire+wheel package. In such a case, the advantage of having dedicated tires+wheels for winter driving is that the seasonal change-over is much simpler and one avoids wrecking the sensors.
I don't drive the car much over summer (the Miata is so much more fun!)
Have you considered using the Mazda3 strictly for winter driving with winter tires and using the Miata the rest of the year?
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.
My understanding is that driving winter tires during the summer wears them out more quickly since the tire compound has been engineered for cold not warm weather. Mind you 800 miles is not a substantial distance, so you may be able to get away with minimal deterioration.
My son owns a 2006 Mazda 3. Last winter, he ran up on a snowbank and got one of the wheels wedged in the bank. When he freed the car, it apparently pulled out some clips/clamps that hold a plastic piece located above the wheel. It has shifted and is apparently rubbing up against the tire when he turns the wheel in particular directions.
Are those clams obtainable from the dealer? If so, are they easy to mount. I would hate to have to take it to the dealer for them to do the work unless necessary.
Thank you!
If you mean the plastic rivets / grommets holding the plastic underbody to the vehicle, you can likely find something similar in a hardware store or have a local garage take care of it. I would just mention it the next time you bring the car in for service; I'd be surprised if they charged anything to fix the problem.
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
this was last year.
Less than 12 months later- one of these tires just came apart. it tore itself apart. the mechanic couldn't believe it. however another guy there said that it is becoming quite common to see this with the mazda since there are now so many of them on the road.
the mazda 3 simpy eats tires. it is due to the scalloping caused by the off centre angling of the tires - done to get better traction and corner hugging.
NOise issues- unbelievably loud. there appears to be no sound proofing / insulation. the drone from the tires drowns out the stereo. Ear plugs are needed.
Example: model & year of Mazda3, tire model-size-speed rating (e.g. V), tire installation date, number of miles driven on tires, approx % highway vs city driving; average speed driven.
it's better if you take the time to read through all the pages. it gives a breakdown ( no pun intended ) on the quality of tires and life expectancy of each.
the gist of it is :
mazda knows about this issue.
the mazda has off-set the alignment of the wheels for
1. slow
2. short trip
3. city driving
the tires scallop due to the off-set and then start making the loud looping ' whoop whoop " sound typical of scalloped tires.
My experience driving a Mazda Protege5 and now a Mazda3 is that the tires are a very important element in the "zoom zoom" characteristic of the vehicle. For example, the Protege5 came equipped with V rated performance tires which not surprisingly wear much quicker than touring tires.
Many people posted comments about various tires and whatever else.
It is a given fact that the tires will wear out given the amount of driving being done on them.
the issue is not exlcusive to the fact that that they are wearing out although that is a part of the issue.
It is that they are wearing out unevenly on the tires. they scallop. they are loud.
and
it doesn't matter what tire you put on the mazda - they all wear out faster than normal, on average. given relatively same driving qualities and quantities.
tires have a lifetime of 80K - the tires are completely shredded at 40k. These things are not anomalies or outliers- these issues are happening with too many mazda owners to be easily dismissed as unimportant or insignificant. But this is what the dealers & mazda shop ppl do when you go in to complain.
and
then the issue is the denial from Mazda and their blaming the driver on something that they know all too well is that contributing factor- the off-set cambering to their tires contributes to uneven wear.
and.
they will offer to 'fix your problem " with a 500.00 dollar package deal.
It would appear that the sales staff have been trained to behave in a certain manner when confronted by a mazda owner who has experienced these issues- arrogantly deny the problem or any knowledge of it.
all work must be done by mazda certified dealers. which leads to another problem.
Are you referring to a specific tire with a stated lifetime of 80K miles or are you talking more broadly? In my experience, many tires would not satisfy this criterion.
I agree. Frankly, if I get more than 35K-40K miles from a UHP all-season tire on ANY of my vehicles I'm more than happy.
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