Topic: 05 Mazda3 GT (sedan) A/S tires

[carcrazy]

My 05 Mazda3 GT sedan  needs new shoes before the winter comes. I will go for A/S tires (I know most would say summer/winter is better and I agree with, but for various reasons I prefer A/S) and after doing some research I narrowed down my choice to Goodyear Assurance TripleTred or Michelin HydroEdge. I would like to get the best A/S money can buy.
I lean towards the Goodyears b/c they seem to get a slightly better rating, plus they come in the exact specs as the stock tires: 205/55R16 89H.
Any advice?
I'm also trying to figure out if I should buy them from and get them installed and balanced at a tire shop or buy them and get the dealer to install/balance them.
The thing is that I will have the wheel alignment done at the dealer anyway so I was wondering if it's worth the hassle to go to two different places. I guess what I’m looking for is pros and cons for each scenario.
it's my first new tires replacement on a new (or relatively new) car so not too much experience with the tire shops nor the dealership on this matter.
While I'm at it, any tire shop recommendation in the GTA?

[tortoise]

I suggest getting the tires mounted at the same place you bought them.  That way if there's a problem you won't have the dealer and tire shop blaming each other.

Dealer: The tire is faulty, we can't get it to balance properly.
Tire Shop: The dealer has no idea what he's doing.
Repeat.

You may enjoy the better handling provided by a V (or higher) rated tires.

The BF Goodrich Traction T/A's get great reviews and their tread looks like it would perform well(ish) in snow.

http://www.tiretrends.com/tire_info.php3?detailID=16862

[carcrazy]

It makes sense. Most likely the best would be to buy them and bring them to the dealer to have them installed and balanced. This is in case I can get a significantly better price from the tires elsewhere. I know the dealer can supply them, but I don't know the price yet.
I checked few places and the Goodyears are quite expensive - $190 a piece. The Tire Rack has them for $115 US. With the Canadian dollar at par it might be worth a drive to Buffalo to buy them before the winter comes....

[MX5 Miata Guy]

There is only ONE real all-season tire in this entire world...that being the Nokian Hakkapeliitta WR, which they refer to as an "all-weather" tire.

Everything else is a three-season compromise.

Nokian's Hakka WR stacked up about fourth or fifth overall in a non-complete winter tire test that Consumer Reports did last year...against all sorts of brands of winter tires (not including Nokian's vastly superior winter tires).

[carcrazy]

Thanks. I will look into it.

[carcrazy]

I think I'm set on the Nokian WR. The only thing I have to figure out is which one should I get: 91H or 94V provided the price is the same?
Is there any noticeable benefit in getting the V vs. H provided that both are rated above the maximum speed limit of the car?

[tortoise]

Go with the V.

Probably not an apples to apples comparison (especially given the 1" smaller rims) but I notice a definite difference between my summer V rated tires and the winter H's. 

If handling isn't a top priority, then don't worry about it.  But then, why'd you buy the 3?

[mmret]

The car will feel considerably better with the V-rated.

Personally I would not consider H-rated for my summer/three season tires...doesn't feel hunkered down like the V/W rated tires.

[carcrazy]

Thanks for your suggestions guys.
After researching the Nokian WR tire, I was a bit surprised to learn that this tire has the "Severe Winter Emblem" (winter tire), is good for all weather (dry, wet, snow) and is also V-rated.
Why anybody would buy another A/S tire if this tire does it all?

I'm sure it's not as good as a dedicated performance summer tire or a dedicated winter tire, but if it's above average in all-weather conditions it seems like THE choice for those running A/S year round. The price I've got, $157+tax installed, is not out of this world either. I guess it just sounds too good ...

The handling is important to me, but I guess I was thinking to get the most balanced tire for year round.

[mmret]

Thanks for your suggestions guys.
After researching the Nokian WR tire, I was a bit surprised to learn that this tire has the "Severe Winter Emblem" (winter tire), is good for all weather (dry, wet, snow) and is also V-rated.
Why anybody would buy another A/S tire if this tire does it all?

I'm sure it's not as good as a dedicated performance summer tire or a dedicated winter tire, but if it's above average in all-weather conditions it seems like THE choice for those running A/S year round. The price I've got, $157+tax installed, is not out of this world either. I guess it just sounds too good ...

The handling is important to me, but I guess I was thinking to get the most balanced tire for year round.

Could be many reasons....
1. Nokian isn't as well known as the big players, Michelin / Goodyear / Bridgestone and doesn't have nearly the kind of market penetration of those brands.
2. Nokians also aren't cheap like Crappy Tire / WallyWord specials.
3. The WR does give up something in the dry, which is inevitable. Some people buy A/S tires with no intention of using them in the winter (myself included), and thus want more warm/dry/wet/noise performance than a severe-service tire.

If you want to run just 1 set of tires, on the other hand...