Stock Tire Brand and Model for 2.5 GT?

Dunlop SP Sport 5000. 215/45R18

Darn, was afraid of that :( Looks like ill be swapping those out before they get close to end of life. Looking at the reviews on TireRack they seem to be horrible.. might even swap them out right away for the new Pilot Sport A/S 3, if anyone is curious they have a 70 dollar rebate on them right now.. To bad my 3 isn't supposed to come in until end of December probably...
 
Last edited:
I had a strange discovery, guys.
The tires on sGT are labeled as Dunlop SP Sport 5000.
However, I went to tirerack.com, and found the image of tire to be very different from what I got.
With some digging, I found the thread pattern is the same as SP 5100, though it says 5000 on the sidewall.
Not sure what kind of game Dunlop is playing here. It also says "Made by Sumitomo Rubber" on the sidewall.

Anyway, we have Dunlop SP Sport 5000 tires, but the same thread pattern as the 5100.
Strange.....
 
I had a strange discovery, guys.
The tires on sGT are labeled as Dunlop SP Sport 5000.
However, I went to tirerack.com, and found the image of tire to be very different from what I got.
With some digging, I found the thread pattern is the same as SP 5100, though it says 5000 on the sidewall.
Not sure what kind of game Dunlop is playing here. It also says "Made by Sumitomo Rubber" on the sidewall.

Anyway, we have Dunlop SP Sport 5000 tires, but the same thread pattern as the 5100.
Strange.....

I noticed that too, I don't have a Mazda 3 but was looking up pictures of the tires.. the tread looks nothing like the SP 5000's. I don't see much in the way of reviews/specs on the tirerack website, they even only had the 5100s in one size only and it wasn't the size that comes on the Mazda 3.. Perhaps they are so new that Dunlop labeled them 5000's to start but they will become the 5100's? One thing is for sure they aren't the old Dunlop 5000's. My guess though is they probably aren't much better then the 5000's.. will still probably look to replace them relatively soon after purchase.
 
It's just sad Mazda would choose such a junk tire for a great car.. Reminds me of my 2002 WRX, came with Bridgestone RE-92's which were horrible!
 
Selling OE tires is a sneaky marketing strategy.
First, the tire company sells the tire dirty cheap to automakers.
Automakers would take the offer since this saves them tons of money.
Then, the tire company raises the price on the market. (case in point is $169! for such a bad tire?!)
You can't imagine how many owners when it is time to do so would choose to replace with OE tires and believe that this is the right thing to do.
That is when the tire companies get their money back.
 
Selling OE tires is a sneaky marketing strategy.
First, the tire company sells the tire dirty cheap to automakers.
Automakers would take the offer since this saves them tons of money.
Then, the tire company raises the price on the market. (case in point is $169! for such a bad tire?!)
You can't imagine how many owners when it is time to do so would choose to replace with OE tires and believe that this is the right thing to do.
That is when the tire companies get their money back.

A sucker is born every day I guess.. probably more often then that. Wish people would do some research before falling for stuff like that.. thinking they have to get the same exact tires.
 
I had a strange discovery, guys.
The tires on sGT are labeled as Dunlop SP Sport 5000.
However, I went to tirerack.com, and found the image of tire to be very different from what I got.
With some digging, I found the thread pattern is the same as SP 5100, though it says 5000 on the sidewall.
Not sure what kind of game Dunlop is playing here. It also says "Made by Sumitomo Rubber" on the sidewall.

Anyway, we have Dunlop SP Sport 5000 tires, but the same thread pattern as the 5100.
Strange.....

Mine say 5100 on the tires not 5000
 
I've been reading around, these tires have pretty bad reviews. Mostly bad in snow/icy places. Doesn't snow here so we'll see how it handles in the rain, when it rains. I'll probably change them out next year.
 
People just expect the car company to know best. To make things worse the owners manual says that changing the tires can cause the airbags to not function. People will believe anything and others will do anything to cover themselves.
 
Its in the owners manual page 2-41 under the "to prevent false detection by the airbag sensor system, heed the following:"
 
Its in the owners manual page 2-41 under the "to prevent false detection by the airbag sensor system, heed the following:"

The way I read it, it means tires of diff spec (up-sizing or else)
Yes, I can imagine that some owners might read it as not to change brand/model of tires.
 
The way I read it, it means tires of diff spec (up-sizing or else)
Yes, I can imagine that some owners might read it as not to change brand/model of tires.

It's just one of those things that are in there to cover themselves. I wouldn't worry about it. Later in the manual it suggests that winter tires may be necisary and should be used if they are
 
I'm on the fence of changing these tires too, but with only few miles on it and little or no people with the GT reporting problems, not so sure if I should wait or what.

I'm in Texas, so we get no snow here.

I'm afraid that a 225 tire will affect mpg values. It happened to me before on my Veloster Turbo, when I went from 215 to 225.
 
If you change tires from 215/45R18 to 225/45R18, you will see MPG drop due to two factors:
1. 225 has ~2% larger diameter. Your car does not know that. The odo is off. It travels farer than it shows.
2. wider tires are heavier, and have more friction
 
If you change tires from 215/45R18 to 225/45R18, you will see MPG drop due to two factors:
1. 225 has ~2% larger diameter. Your car does not know that. The odo is off. It travels farer than it shows.
2. wider tires are heavier, and have more friction

Yeah, I know that, but doesn't change the fact that still is too early for people to confirm if OEM tires are good or bad. That's basically what. I was saying, and why I'm on the fence of getting different tires.
 

New Threads and Articles

Back