Need Tires Quick

illini97

Member
Hi all, first time poster. I'm actually posting for my wife (since she's alittle computer challenged). Let me just say this little Mazda3 is pretty fun to drive around. I own an Acura TL-S and it doesn't handle curves as confidently as this car sometimes. (rockon)

Ok...here's my question: Does anyone agree when I say the stock tires are crap? She has about 33k on it right now and the tires are nearly bald. So, I just wanted to come on here before I go out and buy her some new shoes. I've done some searches and couldn't really find the straight answer I was looking for.

I want some high performance all season tires that I can drive year round that's also competitively priced. Oh I live in Chicago so the tires need to be good in dry, wet, and snow. What would you guys recommend? My Acura is running on Falken 512s and they are great but I'm not sure if they're also a good tire for the Mazda. By the way, I know the stock tires are 205/50R17. Will I see any fitting issues if I want to up it to 215/50R17?

Thanks
 
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yeah, there are several threads about this, but I will always back my Kumho Ecsta ASX. They are great.

33k is a lot for those. My dad bitched me out cuz he replaced his at 25k and is positive that the 1k I put on that car I just burned them out all the time. He wont believe me that the tires just suck
 
you could always go with some pirelli p-zero m+s. i work with a few guys who have them and they love them.

and yes, the stock tires suck. especially in snow.
 
goldwing2000 said:
You didn't search very hard, didja? (scratch)

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123617510
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122720
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123617629

I'm shocked that you got 33K out of the Badyears. Mine were gone in 15k.

Thanks for the reply. I did find those 3 threads you highlighted as a result of my search but didn't get the warm and fuzzy about the 215/50R17s from any of the replies. Just wanted to make sure they don't rub.

Keep in mind though my wife drives this car 99% of the time so maybe that's why the stock rubbers lasted longer than like say....if I get a hold of it. (wrc)

I drive my own baby hard and loving my Falkens. So, I'm probably gonna get the same thing for her.
 
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to get a definate answer on the sizing, use this

Size ..........Diameter... Speedometer.... Odometer ...Difference
205/50r17 ...25.1" ........60mph ............10,000m ......N/A
215/50r17 ...25.5" ........59mph ............9,845m ........1.6%

As you can see, your speedometer and odometer will be SLIGHTLY off, but with the .4" difference, you shouldnt rub
 
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(broken record)
I love my Kumho Ecsta ASX
I love my Kumho Ecsta ASX
I love my Kumho Ecsta ASX
I love my Kumho Ecsta ASX
 
you guys tootin bout the kumho's remember he wanted all season tires and lives in chicago... (i got family there... cool city for sure) i would check on those pirelli's they got great marks in everything but the snow on www.tirerack.com they got a 7.6 out of 10 with everything else being close to 9 so really nice tires though not as good in the snow...
 
hey i'm still rockin' my stock tires at 37k miles. given they are bald and hitting the wear indicators but they haven't blown off the rim yet! (don't worry i'm getting new ones in january. have to pay off the christmas bills first)
 
illini97, where do you hail from? if you live in IL I can likely set you up with a deal on tires
 
Captain KRM P5 said:
illini97, where do you hail from? if you live in IL I can likely set you up with a deal on tires

I live in Hoffman Estates. I want to get some all-season high performance in 215/50R17. What do you have in stock and price?
 
wish I'd found this site 2 weeks ago...i was in Waukegan for a job interview and would've happily bought new tires then. I might still need a set of rears in January/February. I'd be looking for the Pirellis, as I just put the 205 50R16's on my P5.
 
illini97 said:
I live in Hoffman Estates. I want to get some all-season high performance in 215/50R17. What do you have in stock and price?

i'll pm you tomorrow, sound ok?
 
new shoes

illini97 said:
Thanks for the reply. I did find those 3 threads you highlighted as a result of my search but didn't get the warm and fuzzy about the 215/50R17s from any of the replies. Just wanted to make sure they don't rub.

Keep in mind though my wife drives this car 99% of the time so maybe that's why the stock rubbers lasted longer than like say....if I get a hold of it. (wrc)

I drive my own baby hard and loving my Falkens. So, I'm probably gonna get the same thing for her.

I just got a set of Falken 512's for my msp. We just hit some snow here in NH so thank god I got these bad boys. They are pretty darn good in the white stuff. They grip exceptionally well on dry pavement as well. They include rim protection and look just as low profile as the stock ones the car came with. You can't go wrong for the price either. They're around 80 bucks a piece on tires.com.
 
Dunlop Graspic DS-2 Winter Performance - $129 per tire
Bridgestone Blizzak Winter Performance - $155 per tire
Continental Wintercontacts Sport - $139 per tire

those are winter oriented performance tires, i can get a Firestone Firehawk GTA for $99 per tire which is an all season tire.
 
tsunami said:
you guys tootin bout the kumho's remember he wanted all season tires and lives in chicago... (i got family there... cool city for sure) i would check on those pirelli's they got great marks in everything but the snow on www.tirerack.com they got a 7.6 out of 10 with everything else being close to 9 so really nice tires though not as good in the snow...

The Kumho Ecsta ASX is an all-season tire.
 
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