Topic: Winter tires cost difference Canada vs USA, question about importing under NAFTA

[mmret]

Yes I did -1.

Summers 215/50/17 (95W XL)
Winters 215/55/16 (91H)

[CyberNick]

Oh well. Hope winter comes soon.

Me too! And I'm not going to put on my 3d's until the temps go down...


Hey, post a pic when you get a chance would you?

[mmret]

Oh well. Hope winter comes soon.

Me too! And I'm not going to put on my 3d's until the temps go down...


Hey, post a pic when you get a chance would you?

I will as soon as I can find my miniUSB cable for the digicam. 

CyberNick: Any reason why you picked the 3D over the M3? When I checked they were about $85 vs. $110 per corner and the treads looked nearly identical, backed up by the nearly identical ratings...

[CyberNick]

Yes I did -1.

Summers 215/50/17 (95W XL)
Winters 215/55/16 (91H)

CyberNick: Any reason why you picked the 3D over the M3? When I checked they were about $85 vs. $110 per corner and the treads looked nearly identical, backed up by the nearly identical ratings...

I did -1 as well but on the width too... M3's are not available anymore in 205/60R16. When they were, they were at the same price as the 3D's for that size... I looked at both and thought I'd go with the latest model...

[quadzilla]

Yes I did -1.

Summers 215/50/17 (95W XL)
Winters 215/55/16 (91H)

I know you have probably only driven a little bit on them so far but how do you find the turn in and sidewall stiffness.  I would imagine the sidewalls on your summer are somewhat stiff to begin with.

[mmret]

Yes I did -1.

Summers 215/50/17 (95W XL)
Winters 215/55/16 (91H)

I know you have probably only driven a little bit on them so far but how do you find the turn in and sidewall stiffness.  I would imagine the sidewalls on your summer are somewhat stiff to begin with.

Quite impressed so far. Seemed better this morning than last night, guess it was a bit cooler or maybe its just the break-in process (about 150km yesterday on them).

[CyberNick]

Today it is 20 degrees here and sunny, yet I can't wait for winter...

I desided that I'm going to put some wax on these wheels to protect 'em form the winter conditions and before starting I did a test fit of one wheel...

[airbalancer]

Nice look for the winter

[Benhaze]

I like these wheels!   

I'm trying to decide if I'll go for 17" or 18" for the MSP6 and if I choose 18" wheels, it will be the exact same model. I think I like them more than the Mazda wheels... I probably will buy the E1 model if I decide to downsize to 17" wheels.

We can also see you painted you calipers. Nice!

[mmret]

Very nice. They fit the car neatly.

Looks like the downsize to 16 did not affect the look of the car much.

I cannot say the same for myself though wish I got the same wheels you did instead of paying up for the E2s. Own fault.

[quadzilla]

(I'll add this here as it seems we three have the same tire)

I had the winters put on today. Dunlop 3D - 205/60/16 (-1 setup) on Mazda steel wheels.

Did about 200kms of highway/city driving to give them a first test.

I actually found them quiet, possibly quieter than my OE tires which are and the end of their life. My biggest concern was soft sidewalls which give sloppy/slow turn in and I'm happy to say these are quite good considering its a -1 size so I can only imagine that the 17" size would be as good as the OE summer tires. The steering feels a little looser than the summer (which it should) but not as bad as my last set of winters (reason I upgraded).  Ran them up to 149.9kph and the felt great and I think most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and the OE tires. In the city they were great offering a slightly softer ride (60 vs 50 series) which soaked up the cracks better.

Dry traction was very good but the front pig heavy wagon can really push them if I turn to fast/sharp.

Can't wait to try them in the rain/snow....Ok, I can actually wait.

I'll try to add some pics tomorrow.

[mmret]

Entirely agree with your assessment of the tires, even if mine are (technically) different...I think one would be hard pressed to notice any difference between the 3Ds and M3s, even on a test track.

[gotak]

Where did you find Dunlops for 110 per corner?

[mmret]

TireRack had M3s in 215/55/16 for $85.

[gotak]

Right should have remember...

[CyberNick]

Hey, I missed your posting from 10 days ago regarding the 3d's.

I actually put them on two weeks ago now and I have done about 800km on them. For most of my driving I do not notice any difference between these and my OE tires. So far there is no significant waer on the tires inspite the warmish temperatures in the latt two weeks.

[Benhaze]

Hey, I missed your posting from 10 days ago regarding the 3d's.

I actually put them on two weeks ago now and I have done about 800km on them. For most of my driving I do not notice any difference between these and my OE tires. So far there is no significant waer on the tires inspite the warmish temperatures in the latt two weeks.

Can you post another picture, a side view of your car, to get a better idea of how these F10 wheels look like?

[mmret]

CyberNick / Quad: notice any decrease in fuel efficiency on the winter rubber? I guess I should have expected it but it seems to be almost 1L / 100km difference.

[quadzilla]

CyberNick / Quad: notice any decrease in fuel efficiency on the winter rubber? I guess I should have expected it but it seems to be almost 1L / 100km difference.

I've only done one trip which was back from Stratford after the tires were put on the car and I noticed my mileage was spot on the same as with my summers but I wouldn't call that a good test. We don't drive much in the city so I can't say anything about that besides my city mileage is terrible due to a problem with my right foot. I'm hoping to make a run to London (hopefully) in the next couple of weeks. If not, I'm heading to Tobermory the first weekend of December which I can report on.

Remember that you can also lose 1L/100 just due to the cool/cold weather.

I've been able to drive on some wet roads and the traction has been great. No heavy rain or snow yet.

[mmret]

Remember that you can also lose 1L/100 just due to the cool/cold weather.

True, although I was blasting the AC in the summer and generally driving faster. Oh well, the difference is somewhat less now that I put a bit more air in them.