Mazda MPV: Problems & Solutions

julyar

About your putting gas mileage into perspective, $30 or so a month is probably less than what Javadoc spends on his mocha!! How about those of us working in an office who go out to lunch every day (I try not to, for more reasons than one). Lets see, your cheapo local chines place will run you about $5-6 including tip, so lets say that is $25-30 a weeks, say about 45 weeks a year for vacation and stuff, so now you are looking at 1125-1350 a year divide by 12 and you get around $100 a month on eating out expense! So the $30 a month difference is no big deal, right? For me is a lot less than that because we are getting about 17 mpg around town, and drive about 12K a year, so I won't lose any sleep over the little difference.

javadoc

That's a good point. The impact of your fuel economy is all relative. I don't track my mileage more than just as an indicator of a possible problem, and because I think it's interesting. BTW, $4x30= $120/month in mochas. ;-P

Of course, mileage is going to be a moot point for me until March/April, as the cars are warmed up so much in our winter wonderland. I just have to keep the 5gal can full for my snowblower. I plan another escape to Disneyland this winter, or I'd go insane.

--java

adurham

I just purchased an MPV 3 months ago and ever since have had a problem with a popping noise coming from somewhere underneath the front end of the vehicle. I have only heard the noise when going under 30 MPH and mostly can hear it when stopping and going. I thought I might have seen a posting on this when I first purchased the vehicle of a couple of people who had the same problem and had found a fix. I have had my car into the dealership only once and they found nothing. I called Mazda customer service and they said they didn't know of anything. It doesn't seem to be making any difference in the driving of the vehicle, but because I drive with 2 babies in the car most of the time and one on the way, I would like to make sure that it is 100% safe! If anyone knows of a fix or a known problem, please let me know! Thanks.

MOM

mykidsdriver

I got way more into checking into mileage after reading these posts! Most recent tank got 17.82 mpg in all city driving, Traffic lights at least every 4 blocks (mostly more) and waiting in line needlessly burning gas in a carpool line, waiting for it to move. AC was on constantly. And gas was the cheapest I could find in central Florida (Costco). By MPV standards, I am gathering this is average/good city mileage.
I am frankly more concerned about the popping noise, which Mazda pretends it's never heard of. And, of course, it won't do it when the dealer has it.
I hope all of us with this popping problem will call MazdaUSA and maybe something will be done as a recall. Seems to be VERY widespread problem.

javadoc

I thought it was found that the tie rod ends were the culprit to folks' front end popping. I'll have to look back in the forum to see.

--java

cmuniz

Going from memory, I believe the problem is with the "inner tie rods". There are several earlier posts concerning this and it would be worthwhile finding them and printing them out for the dealer.

mkinnan

I just purchased a 2000 MPV DX that I really like. My question is about keyless door locks. I was told that I could add this feature because I have the power option. However, I overheard a technician say it might interfere with the radio or something. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, I have noticed that almost every post is about an EX or LX, but no DX. I think I'm the only one who has purchased a DX. Love this Van!

superbondo

when are they going to fix my bumper??? been talking for several months now! forget about calling MazdaUSA because nobody knows what you're talking about, and forget about printing out info from the net and show to those numbskull service people, I did it once and they looked at me funny like I was stupid or something.

All in all, bad ownership experience, will never buy a Mazda again because:

* poor fuel economy
* poorly designed bumper
* underpower, probelm merging onto freeway
* crappy FORD engine, I thought it was Mazda engine when I bought it, salesman lied about it
* air conditioning not cold
* irratic transmission shifting
* defective tires
* one day tires will blow up on freeway like the Ford SUVs and I'll be dead
* stupid service writer
* poor dealer service
* vechicle getting worse pulling to the left
* unscrupulous dealer pumped up service contract and being rude then refuse to cancel it

piece of crab reminds me of 95' Ford Winstar, am looking to sell it for cheap see if anybody wants it

kelly5mpv

I too have a DX. I say that verrry quietly because everyone else has a LX or ES. With 2 kids in catholic school, a 11 month old baby, and a stay at home wife, that was all we could afford. However, I love it. As far as keyless door locks, We had an alarm installed on it the day we brought it home and it has that option now. The way it's set up is that you just get out of the van and in 1 minute all doors automatically lock and the alarm sets. When you want to get back in, you hit the button the doors unlock, you then get in start it and put it in gear and all doors lock. From what I understand this can be varied a number of ways by the people who install the alarm. The whole system with starter cut-out and balance sensor (so you can't jack it up or tow it) was about $350 installed. As far as owning a DX.......maybe we could start a support group.

marcb

..me three! got the DX with only the power option and an aftermarket alarm installed. kelly5mpv, my wife also stays at home until the daughter is full time in school. i also started my daughter in christian school, bought a house, ang got the MPV all within months. so when we got the MPV we went really cheap and even leased to make the budget fit.

mkinnan... i dont know if my radio reception is affected by the alarm, but my old 1990 nissan axxess had better reception with that printed antena in the rear window. this thing seems to only use the aerial antena and looses a slight reception even travelling between buildings. but i havent really cared since i have a tape and cd always stuck in their slots and going rather than the radio.

mkinnan

Is your keyless remote from Mazda or is it 3rd party?

marcb

and i dont even get the keyless, just the alarm.

pricetag

Posts #333, 338, and 350 deal with popping issues. I also have the same problem. I've called Mazda corp, been to the dealer twice, however my front end still pops.
I posted earlier (#477) trying to get information from madgalaxy and morrish1 who had the inner tie-rods replaced, which seemed to be the fix.
Madgalaxy and Morrish1 where are you!!!

pricetag

Be careful with the automatic locks with your children. I had the same feature on my Camry--- got out, and by the time I walked SLOWLY around to the other side, the doors locked (and yes, I left the keys in the ignition). Thank good-ness I didn't have my child in the car. I disconnected that feature after that.

slikrik

hello there fellow mpv owner. it's been a while
since i last posted here but my concern this time
is starting the engine. my mpv takes a little longer to crank compare to other cars i have owned. is this normal? pls. reply. thanks.

bvictor

I am interested in anyone else having tire failures. I drove approx. 2,500 miles this summer to Arizona and back to No. Ca. My 2000 MPV LX had approx 9200 miles going 72 M.P.H. 40 miles from Barstow in 100 deg. heat. The left rear 16" Dunlop let go. Classis tire separation/defect/failure. Dunlop agreed to replace it but now I don't trust the other 3 tires. 25% failure rate justifies a recall in my industry. If it was the front tire that failed, who knows what disaster could have happened.

I read one post here mentioning tire defects, is it the Dunlop? I really feel I should make a big deal out of this since the hardship on me and my family in the desert changing to the "donut" tire, finding a tire store in Barstow on a Sunday in July..the replacement tire is a Master Craft since Barstow Tire did not have matching Dunlop, etc..

vtac1

Check post 495 for a list of most popping sound letters.I gave my van 5000 miles and it has not gotten any better.

javadoc

Mrs. Javadoc has been complaining that the her van will stall on her sometimes, just after start-up, before she's put the car in gear or touched the brake. She'll start it, and then two seconds later, it'll stall.

I had the local dealer check it out in April, and they "couldn't get problem to present itself." So, we haven't let it bother us, too much. But, I've been driving the van around this week (haulin errands and the like) and the thing is dang annoying. I'd say it stalls four times a day, and it doesn't seem to matter if the engine is warm or cold. Our Contour (same motor) did this, but the source of the problem was never found either.

Advise, oh sage MPV owners?

--Java

caniel

Just a suggestion. What amount of pressure is in your tires? Many of them came shipped from the factory with 50+ psi. The Dunlop's are rated for that pressure, but the MPV tire recommendations claims that 35 psi is the correct pressure for tires on this vehicle. If it was extremely hot, and the tires were already overinflated, that could have caused excessive pressure build up and BOOM! I'm not an expert! Just a thought about possible causes. Cheers,

bvictor

Caniel, thanks funny you should ask..the tire air pressure notice from Mazda was received in the mail after the incident occurred.

However, my wife took the MPV in for oil change just before our vacation. The dealer claims to have readjusted the tire pressure to 35-36 psi.

The Barstow tire guy said the air pressure in the remaining 3 tires was ok (36 psi).

Maybe the tires were weakened by the high air pressure to start with?? In any case, I am not comfortable with the remaining tires and wish there was a way to get them replaced (at no charge)

shelby12

Please bear with me, this is long...never actually used a bulletin board before. I am considering buying a 2000 LX or ES. Need the sunroof; Pacific NW gets a bit gray in the winter. No kids, just the dog, who loves her crate so not worried about her ruining the leather seats I am considering. Dilemma is all these issues there seem to be...ie tie rods, tires, wind noise etc. Have been driving a 91 Chevy S-10 extd cab with a camper shell, that I really love. But at 225,000 miles (very few minor repairs), it is time to consider a replacement. Occasional family passengers and camping are the main reason for a van (I prefer to sleep out of the rain). Thought about the Tribute but a bit too short in length, and I camp in campgrounds, so 4WD not necessary. Worried about the humming engine on the MPV that I experienced when I test drove it. My 4.3L V-6 Chevy still has lots of power so the MPV sounds like my sewing machine. But I do like all the MPV offers in it's versatility after checking out the Honda and Toyota vans. I am pretty mechanically inclined, but am not interested in getting greasy despite all the training my husband provided. Bottom line is: The thought of car payments after having none for several years has me very picky about my next car purchase. My Chevy didn't have great reviews but it has been one GREAT truck, I could have been in commercials, like the Toyota truck "Mileage" ones of long ago.
I prefer to rely on real sources; honest public opinion...Are you owners happy, or having second thoughts? Would most new buyers be happy with an MPV knowing how to take care of it? Or are these "problems" too much of a headache? My Chevy still looks good, but is getting a little too tired to be long distance reliable, and the there are parts of the beautiful Northwest still to be explored. Is the MPV up to the task? Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, is Edmund's pricing guide realistic? "Shelby" Shepherd (SS)

acedillo

Hi There:
I own a MPV 2000 (built in May 2000) and I found that the tire pressure was 50 psig on all of them. I then proceeded to adjust the pressure according to manufacturer specifications (35 psig). Does anyone know why is the pressure set that high by the manufacturer or dealer?.
Another thing I noticed is that if I turn ON the A/C when the engine is still cold, the cooling vans turn on, if the A/C is turned OFF then the fans also turn OFF. I’m assuming the electrical cooling fans turn ON when the engine is at certain temperature.

Regard

adrichar

(Slikrik), I also had the longer than normal cranking problem you mentioned. The dealer replaced the fuel pump and the problem was resolved.

jb03

Hi Shelby, thanks for posting. I think you'll find that most of us here are very happy with our MPV purchases. I have none of the above problems except for a very slight (almost imperceptible) vibration at about 70 mph. I think that you'll find that this MPV problem forum is the original one for the 2000 (it's not a 2nd or 3rd list of problems). Everything posted here is cumulative from more than a year, unlike some of the other manufacturers you mentioned.

I could be mistaken, but I believe most of the problems posted here are for earlier manufacture date vans. It appears that most of us with later manufacture vans (mine is 4/00) have not experienced many of the problems posted here. The MPV does have a small, high-revving engine, but it does an adequate job and seems to get a little smoother as I add on the mileage. Sure, I would love an extra 30 hp from a larger engine, but that won't happen for another year or so. Aside from that, this is a great van as I'm sure you hear from a majority of the posters. I wish you the best in your decision making.

Regards,

JB

julyar

I am yet another happy MPV owner. We have had none of the problems mentioned here, but if and when you test drive you should look for all the problems mentioned. We love the van, and the only reason people who did not buy it have given has been the smaller engine and less power. I don't drag race on the streets (okay maybe a little) and the MPV suits me just fine. It is not the fastest van out there, and the engine revs to get the power it needs, so if you are travelling in the hills, expect it to get around 4000-5000 RPM on steep hills to maintain its speed, especially if fully loaded. We went to tahoe with my wife and 2 children and the back of the van filled up to the roof with the back seat folded under and there was no hill there where we couldn't maintain speed or even accelerate.

The other issue has been the size. For me and my family, we are normal size individuals not too large not too small, and there is negligable difference between the MPV and all other vans (yes including the ODY) as far as headroom and legroom for all passengers. 6 will travel comfortably for many miles, 7 is a bit tight and I would not recommend for long trips. The only significant difference maybe cargo space where the 14" extra inches for the ODY may be significant enough to make a difference, but since it is the 2 of your + dog, I can't see that being a problem.

Now, you like to keep cars for a long time, so reliability maybe an issue, and there is no real good answer for that, but one thing we know is the engine is among the best Ford has ever produced and it is used in the Contour for a few years. so, you should be able to get some track record from that.

I hope this helps.

P.S. As far as pricing, you should be able to get invoice - $1000 these days, possibly even some special financing on top of that.

madgalaxy

Any one else's exhaust smell real strong and is smokey. Even after idling for 10 minutes it does it on mine. Could it be related to the PCM recall?

tboner1965

What color is the smoke, blue, black, white/grey, green? I doubt it is green, but blue, black, or white/grey are possible.

Blue = burning oil.
Black = mixture too rich.
White/Grey =

a) normal when engine is cold.

b) coolant leaking into engine if engine is warm.

TB

david153

We have had our ES for five weeks and put 2000 miles so far. We have experienced no problems to date. We just went this past weekend to the Pocanos (mountains) in Pa. and the MPV was great negotiating the hills. Going up hill at times I took the MPV out of overdrive. There is no doubt the engine is no power house like my Nissan Maxima, but certainly acceptable. For value I think the MPV is superior to Toyota & the Honda, i.e Invoice minus $1000 (give or take a bit)

javadoc

Seems some folks are talking about their 1-2 shifts lately. I took the wife's van out for some drives the past week, now that the van has 11,000 miles, and I noticed a few things:

1.
When I last monitored the tranny's shifting, at around 7,000 miles, I noticed that the 1-2 shift was "quirky." The tranny seemed to hang onto first longer than you'd think was correct. I'm sure most folks know what I'm describing. Anyhow, that was the first observation...

2.
Last week, I spend a couple hundred miles of in-town driving with MochaVan. Now, with 11k miles, I've noticed that the tranny shifts MUCH better on the 1-2. I think this is because things are now worked in well. It's like the rough edges have been smoothed.

I think the folks concerned about the 1-2 shift will notice smoother shifts after 10,000 miles. I'm putting Amsoil in the tranny in a few weeks, when I change the motor oil. I'll see if that smooths the shifting even more.

--java

adamhut

The dealer I use for service (I used carsdirect.com for purchase) finally “fixed” the lean in my LX. They replaced the front and rear right coil springs and lateral links. Although the lean is still perceptible in my opinion, the dealer claims it now within specs. The dealer called Mazda’s TechLine to get instructions and the parts FedExed for next day installation

At the same time, they did an alignment that fixed the very slight pull to the left and the slight vibration that was developing, and getting worse, when driving at 74-75 mph.

FYI - I recently got four full sheets of sheetrock, or drywall depending upon your vernacular (4’ X 8’), into the back of the MPV – third seat tucked down, middle seats removed. True enough they weren’t in the van lying flat and the rear hatch had to remain open, but on a diagonal with some wood to support the “up” side, they went in (and stayed in) without a problem. I only had to drive 4 or 5 miles from Home Depot to my house, and driving with the back lid up also proved not to be a problem, i.e., it stayed up even over bumps in the road like railroad tracks at 25-35 mph.

All in all, I’m very happy with the car after 5 months and 5k miles. More HP might have been nice on a few occasions, but overall the engine/tranny is satisfactory. My biggest beef is with the cheap carpeting…

Adam

shelby12

Shelby is the dog...whom life seems to revolve around. She and I both appreciate the responses to our questions. We have test driven the MPV, at least I did (twice so far), Shelby stayed in the Chevy, although she did try to get in to the van when we were on the lot. Guess she is ready for more room in her old age. I am pleased to hear the HP is sufficient. I too am "usually" a law abiding driver. Not too worried about the hills - have gone 20 mph over the Siskiyou Pass in a U-Haul ...now that was sloooow; so nice to hear the van can keep up with traffic. I had figured from the posting dates that some of the issues I questioned had been resolved. I have requested a quote from three local dealers - or at least "Shelby" did (she is my red flag for any unsolicited mail, her name means "mailing list" in direct marketing lingo). Sorry if any of you earn a living in that industry! She even gets credit card offers, which we burn... still need to check on insurance rates with my carrier, but am fairly certain I will go with the ES if I get a good deal when they unload the 2000's. Have heard that 1K under inv was out there, my local dealer has inventory I am sure they want to see driven away. Is Edmunds inv $ in line? Dealers always say the internet lies - but I think I am smarter than that.
No significant changes for 2001 right???
A belated thanks for the feedback, been enjoying the Oregon sunshine.
Shelby's "Chauffeur".

sc8

I can't seem to find plain steel rims
for winter tires.

Anybody find any?

Mazda doesn't know if the 626s rims fit
on the MPV.

Anybody got this figured?

mkinnan

I have a little paint that chipped off of my dashboard. I saw an earler post about this problem, but never heard how it got resolved. Has anyone had this problem? The dealer has no clue,
what else is new.

jb03

In response to your post regarding pricing, the Edmunds invoice pricing is correct. I would also recommend configuring the vehicle you want on Carsdirect.com which stays pretty current with any invoice price changes. Carsdirect will show you MSRP, Invoice & Carsdirect Price.

Most of the recent posters including myself have received invoice minus $1,000 or better. Unlike some posters, I received both the $1,000 dealer incentive AND the Mazda financing. A co-worker, who also bought a van nearly identical to mine, brought his own financing and received $1,750 off of invoice. It appears though that invoice minus $1,000 is becoming the norm on 2000 models.

I wish you the best in your (and Shelby's) selection.

Regards,
JB

aling

Check out Tirerack.com for inexpensive alloy wheels, or the plain steel wheels. Tirerack also sells the winter tires + steel wheels as a winter package.

Good luck!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

javadoc

I use the stock rims from my previous model 4x4 MPV. They bolt right on (same pattern and hub center) and the offset is soooooo close to the same I'm not concerned at all. You could probably find them at your local junk yard, alloy or steel.

One caveat: The dealer didn't want to warranty my broken lug locks because I wasn't using the stock wheels. I let it slide, until one broke when I put the stock rims back on last spring...Got them all replaced by the dealer.

Ugh, who the heck brought up the *S* word anyway? Snowed here yesterday, 2 inches. Thank God it melted!!! I'm scurrying to get snows mounted for my other car.

--java

shelby12

Received two on line quotes today...one was 150 over inv less 1000 rebate, other was 750 over, less rebate. My financing could go either brought with or through dealer. And I thought that the low fi specials ended Oct 2nd??? Is Portland the wrong part of the country or what? I know it's all preliminary, but I don't have the energy to do the "haggling dance". I will check out CarsDirect site also, thanks for the tip! Only ever bought my Chevy new..easy deal, and negotiated a Lexus for my sis...also easy. Both good deals. Why does this time feel like it is going to be an adventure? Does the e-mail starting line take away a dealer's ability to appeal to emotion? Leaving me to,(God forbid) think rationally! I am in no hurry, and not too color sensitive, so thinking I have the advantage. Is it stupid for me to bypass Dealer financing though...will it come back around? Assuming of course that a stable price, rebate remain. I can do the math, just not a big gambler. As before, thanks for the feedback!

javadoc

The offset for the 16" wheels is 50mm. I put the snow tires on the van (Nokia Hakkapaliitas...only ones I run btw), and that's what I've found. Also, a neat DIYer note:

If you have a large floor jack (I have one of those cool NASCAR ones), you can lift an entire side of the van up to change the tires, by lifting at the front jack point. Saves alot of time during the change-over. I've done this with those big floor jacks you can buy at Costco. You know, the ones that will crush your toes nicely if you're not careful.

cheers!

--java

cinka1

Hi, my dog's name is Cinka - I do the same thing and live in Oregon, too. I have decided to wait til next summer when rumor says the engine will be upgraded. I am in love with the van, but years ago I bought a Jeep Cherokee Larado with a 2.8L engine. The next years model had the 4.0L so when it was time to trade it off - every dealer without fail knocked of many $$ for the smaller engine. I was so sick of hearing... "ohhhhh... you have a 2.8L, that will be hard to move." It was just the perfect excuse for the dealer to snake the deal. I don't want to hear that again in 5-8 years down the road. Been there, done that, ain't gonna do it again.
If you do buy, let me know how the deal goes and who treated you good, I am open to who we deal with as there are no local Mazda dealers in our area.

sc8

Thanks so much for your research. I owe you.

I ended buying dealer "take-off" steel 15" rims
for $55 CAN a piece. Now I have to go through
the research hell of buying snow tires.

People are pushing me to ice radials like
Michelin Alpins. $100 Can at Costco.

Tell me about why you go Nokia. I wonder
if I can even find them in BC Canada.

javadoc

It's hard to describe the difference between the Hakks and other brands. My wife described it well. We had 10 inches of snow one day, and I had just bought our first ever set of Hakks, for her car (she was grumpy about the price, at the time). I had some Blizzaks on my older 4x4 MPV. When we got home from work, I said, "Man, the roads were horrible today. I slipped around like crazy." She replied, "Oh, I hadn't noticed anything with the roads being bad." So, that's the only tire I'll be buying.

You can go to http://www.nokiantyres.com/indexen.html to read about hakkapeliitta tires. I'm using the Hakk-1 tire for both of my cars. Click on the product links, and then click on a tire, and you can read tons of literature about tests performed with many other brands, and make an educated decision. A good alternative is a Pirelli snow tire. Check out the test results for the Hakk Q. It's an independent study between the Pirelli, Mich, Blizzak and Hakk tires. New Blizzaks actually do better, but the Hakks last up to 3 times longer, up to 140,000km.

You can click on the DEALERS link, and it'll hook you up to a dealer near you. There's tons of dealers listed for BC, so take your pick. I sound like a commercial. Hope this helps! Oh, I've paid $85 each for the 195/65 R15 tires, as a price reference.

--Java

cinka1

I heard about the better engine on the MPV V list. Someone had an insider rumor about different engine offered in April-June 2001. Since my finances are tight at the moment - aren't they always - I decided to wait. I made that decision earlier, so this was icing on the cake. I am so excited at getting the new van I could spit! I want to get it before the dog shows pick up in the summer.
Hey guys, thanks for the fog light info - now I don't need to buy that when I get the van. Will pick them up later and not pay interest through van payment $$. Any other easily added on later tips are greatly appreciated!!

aling

I had the Bridgestone Blizzak MZ-02s for one of my vehicles, but I wouldn't recommend them unless you drive frequently in the snow. They wear out extremely quickly on dry/wet roads because of the soft (and sticky) tire compound.

I now have the Michelin Arctic Alpins (they're cheaper at Canadian Tire, BTW) and not only do they perform just as well, but they handle noticably better on all surfaces (not as sqirmy) and don't wear out aas quickly. Note that the Automobile Protection Agency in Canada also recommends the Michelins for the same reasons.

Hope this helps!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference

auerbach

Does anyone else have this problem? I know its not major - just annoying on a new minivan.
Usually happens when the windows are rolled down about a quarter of the way. I also noticed the driver side window moving a lot due to wind buffeting.
Any one else??

crissman

I too have an occasional rattle in the back windows if they are down a few inches and the road is rough. At first I noticed it alot. Now after nearly a year I hardly hear it at all.

auerbach

I guess if you don't notice the noise anymore it hasn't gotten any worse? That's my main concern - that the ratting gets really bad. Like my 91 Accord - you would swear the windows are about to jump their tracks.

sc8

Thanks, J, for your references to Scandinavian
tires. You sound like a Mazda and Volvo driver.

My dealer and the boys at Costco love ice
radials.

Me, I'm a stud, that is a believer in the studded
snow tire.

The most common accident where I live is the rear-ender. I need the traction on ice, especially
before intersections. I like the ice radial for
my trips to the skihill and those transitional
slushy days.

What is your opinion?

By the way, these tire shops know how to ding
you for balancing, mounting, etc.

sc8

I like the Alpin, too. And I agree that
Blizzaks are too soft.

Any other tires, you like?

For Arctic alpins would be 511.91 mounted with
tax.
Hankook 400 Ice tire go for 439.52 out the door.

javadoc

To stud or not to stud, the eternal question when talking about snow tires. Well, besides trying to be enviro-friendly, I opt for studs for the same reasons you do sc8: ice traction. Bar none, that's your best bet to stop on ice. Sure, the modern tires (pick any brand) all do a good job on ice, but nothing stops you like those little steel buggers. I'd say, if you have lots of snowy/icy weather, get studs. I should set up a webcam pointing to the intersection in front of my window. It's a nice gradual slope with a traffic light at the bottom. Lots and lots of those minor rear-end collisions in the winter. Good distraction, but...

Sure, studs wear the streets, costing the DMV more, and ultimately the public, but the overall savings is greater when you take into account an accident you could have avoided. No price, safety. Btw, the EBDS on the MPV works very very well in slippery situations to give you brake power where you have grip. Nice safety feature. (I'll have to see how my Volvo does with traction control, EBDS, winter mode and Hakks. I hope I'll have grip like Spiderman this winter.)

The Mich tires fared well in the test I read, I believe. I think they were rated to last well, and handle good. No experience with the Hankook tires.

My 2 cents (2.8 cents in Kanuck money)

--java

aling

The Arctic Alpins are my first choice for winter tires. You should check out the prices at Canadian Tire. I'm pretty sure that they are less expensive than $100 per tire for the MPV's tire size.

I'd get the better known, and proven (in tests) tire, even if it is a little more. After all, the tires are the only part of your vehicle that are actually making physical contact with the road.

Hope this helps!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference