Mazda 3 tires

[joepro]

Hi,

I don't know much about tires, but I've noticed that a lot of you people have been complaining about the goodyear tires that came with the car. I got toyo tires with mine (canada). Are those any better? And why is it that there are so many differences between our cars?

Joe.

 

[michaelyoung]

I believe the Goodyear come on the 17" rims and the Toyo come on the 16" rims.

 

[wongpres]

Toyo's also come on Mazda3's that have 15-inch wheels.

Both the Toyo A-05's and the Goodyear RS-A's are not a particularly high quality tire. Especially in the economy class, most car manufacturers don't install high quality tires from the factory to save a little bit of $$$.

 

[michaelyoung]

$215 doesn't sound like a low quality tire to me.

 

[sndsgood]

215$ where are you getting those prices from. you can get high quality performance z rated tires for around 120$

 

[jtallon]

The Goodyear RS-A is $165 each on www.tirerack.com, not including shipping, for the 17" size. I'd tend to agree that it seems to be a bad deal, given that a tire like the Yokohama ES-100 is $100 each. If the Goodyear really sucks as much in the snow as people say, the ES-100 seems to be a much better deal...

 

[wongpres]

Aftermarket and OEM tires are very different. The same tire for OEM may have much less quality than the equivalent you buy aftermarket (e.g. Tirerack or something). The Toyo's on the Mazda3 is a perfect example, you actually cannot buy that exact spec at tire stores (in fact, I believe you can't buy the A-05 at all). Toyo only makes that spec for OEM's.

Given this, a cheap tire Mazda buys may not necessarily be a cheap tire you can buy at Tirerack. The Mazda3 Goodyear's are an example of this, as jtallon says, this tire simply isn't a good deal.

It's a complicated way how manufacturers choose OEM tires. For example, did you know the Mazda3 in euro-spec 17-inch comes with very grippy Bridgestone's (I forgot if it was RE-40 or RE-50). Much better performance than the Goodyears that N. American-spec get. The reason, Mazda couldn't get away with selling a 'econo-car' with summer-only tires (though they can do it for the RX-8 cause it's a sports car). This is just an example of the number of factors manufacturers have to play with in their tire decision.

 

[Da 6]

you guys complain..the 6 comes with michelins that lets the car plow foreward in turns...loose inside tire on atx...after 1000mi chunks are missing from tread and run $170 to replace(not a good thing....especialy if you went to dealership). The popular buy is Toyo T1 S and the Falken Azens(SP?) Both lighter and more grippier than stock

 

[Manny Fresh]

If you're looking for a good All-Season tire (Canadians, listen up), go with the Falken Ziex's. I've had them for about a month on my 3 and they are great both on dry roads and in the rain. Can't wait to see how they perform next winter. The Eagle RS-A's are s***, and come with an even shittier price tag ($275 CDN on average).

But yeah, next summer I definitely wanna invest in some Falken Azenis. My good friend has them on his Integra Type-R and they really stick!

 

[bvmazda3]

If you're looking for a good All-Season tire (Canadians, listen up), go with the Falken Ziex's. I've had them for about a month on my 3 and they are great both on dry roads and in the rain. Can't wait to see how they perform next winter. The Eagle RS-A's are s***, and come with an even shittier price tag ($275 CDN on average).

But yeah, next summer I definitely wanna invest in some Falken Azenis. My good friend has them on his Integra Type-R and they really stick!

I just looked at the www.falkentires.com site, and they show a Ziex ZE-512 and a ZE-502. Which ones did you get, and what did you pay for them (and from where)?

You say they stick well in the rain? That would be great, because once summer is over we get nuthin' but that stuff until next summer. I can't justify getting a set or tires for dry, and another for rain, so this would work out well if they're good.

Thanks for the help!
Bart