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Author Topic: Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive  (Read 1817 times)

Offline ragabeat

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« on: June 24, 2005, 11:35:34 am »
I have shopped around for 17" tires, for my 2004 Mazda 3, 5 door and am shocked at the prices I have been seeing. The cheapest i could get was $240 per tire!!! Does anyone have any advice on where I could get a better deal? Why are they sooo expensive?? Or should I just put on regular steel rims and 15" tires to save some dough???
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Offline weebl

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2005, 12:14:29 pm »
That's pretty much expected for large diameter low-profile tires which most cars come with these days.  You could downsize to save a few bucks (but literally, that's all you're likely to be saving, nothing huge), but you will lose all the handling characteristics you've gotten used to, and the car will feel very sloppy (you may end up hating the way it feels after).  I don't recommend it, but if you don't mind downgrading your Mazda3 to the performance level of the base model, it could work.

Check out the Tire Trends website.  There are some not so expensive options available to you.

I'm guessing you are running stock 205/50VR17.  You will want to stay with a "V" speed rating or higher.  Your more affordable choices are:

Kumho Ectsa ASX / 205/50WR17  $159.67
Hankook Ventus K104 / 205/50YR17 (XL)  $157.71
Kumho 712 Ecsta Supra / 205/50ZR17  $143.95
Sumitomo HTRZ II / 205/50WR17  $134.95

All are probably good choices, the only one with an "all-season" designation being the Kumho 712 Ecsta Supra.  All-seasons are really meaningless anyway, and you should run separate dedicated winters (in which case, your downgrading to 15" steels for winter use might be acceptable for the typically slower winter speeds).
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Offline tpl

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2005, 03:14:37 pm »
Wow my bmw 330xi uses that size as stock.... with more wight and more BHP

and yes, think $250 each for big name brands
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Offline weebl

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2005, 04:51:07 pm »
If you are not hung up on brand names, Kumho and Hankook make really good tires that sell for less than the big brands.  Sumitomo has some kind of interesting tie to Dunlop, so they've got tire experience as well.

I personally have a set of Kumho winter tires and am very happy with them.
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Offline syzygy

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2005, 05:02:34 pm »
Unless I'm totallly out to lunch, the Mazda 3 and the Focus are the same platform and possibly the same bolt pattern and offset. I would strongly recommend a separate set of 15 or 16 steel rims for the winter for three reasons; 1) Your nice new, shiny alloy rims don't take a beating from salt and sand.  2)15 and 16 inch tires are cheaper, and 3)by going up to a higher profile and a  narrower tire you keep the same stance on the vehicle and take advantage of a narrower tires ability to "bite" into the slush and snow. More weight on a smaller contact patch is a good thing on snow and ice even though it seems counterintuitive. I've got Blizzaks ws-50s and am very happy with them in the winter.
You may want to look at Falken tires for the summer as well. They seem to be in the same price range as the Kumhos and Hankooks and I haven't read anything bad about them...My $.02
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Offline blackdiamond

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2005, 05:04:49 pm »
Hi Ragabeat,

if you look into the 215/45/17 size, which I believe is the same overall size as our OEM tires, you get a lot more choice with a nicer price range. For instance, you can get the Falkens ZE-512 for around $150 each.

Good luck.

PS: How many kms did you put on the RS-As? I am interested as I have a 2005 Mazda3.
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Offline HeliDriver

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2005, 05:18:27 pm »
Unless I'm totallly out to lunch, the Mazda 3 and the Focus are the same platform

In Europe, yes. Over here, the two cars have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

the only one with an "all-season" designation being the Kumho 712 Ecsta Supra.

Kumho markets this tire as an ultra high performance summer tire. One might quibble about the "ultra-high" part, but there's no question about the summer-only part.
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Offline weebl

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2005, 05:28:09 pm »
Kumho markets this tire as an ultra high performance summer tire. One might quibble about the "ultra-high" part, but there's no question about the summer-only part.

My mistake, I must have meant their ASX.  Regardless, I wouldn't try any of these tires in the winter.
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Offline morty

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2005, 12:00:48 pm »
The 712 is definitely not an all-season. Good economy and decent performance. ASX is the all-season and has a treadwear rating of 420, which is high compared to most tires in the catagory. if you are looking for something a little higher end consider the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Nice tire and you can save a little extra as Michelin offers a rebate of $50 on 4 tires until June 25th.

Of course if you are looking for all out summer performance then you would look at tires like the BFG KDW, Bridgestone S03 which are rather expensive, but wonderful. However, you mention the price factor and some good options would be the Hankook K104, Kumho 712 and if you want unbelievable value the Sumitomo HTRZII is a great Ultra-high peformance tire and price is the lowest in the catagory. Good reviews on this tire.  

The 215/45/17 is an option, but keep in mind it is about 1/2 inch shorter and the stock wheels are quite narrow.



TireTrends - $50 Instant Rebate on 4 Michelin Tires until June 25th!
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Offline chaser

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2005, 04:27:40 pm »
You can't down-size them to 15-inch because they won't fit the big rotors.
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Offline vz64

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Mazda 3 Tires Too Expensive
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2005, 06:36:32 pm »
And I thought my $320 PS2 a tire were a bargain... As some suggested, go with Kumho or Hankook; if you don't go to a race track/auto-x you will not notice any difference vs top-of-the-line PS2, T1R, S03, or GS-D3. Well, I guess Kumho will be less comfortable, but not by much.
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