First Mazda, unexpected complaint

[HotDog88GT]

We got our first Japanese car, a Mazda5 last night. I thought it would take me a few months of driving to list a few things that are weird, not-quite-right/why did they do this, etc.

I'm looking for winter tires it and am not happy with things so far. Why does Mazda put expensive tires on an $18,000 car? I just want snows for a for month winter and am looking at over $110 per. Looks like we'll be sticking with the stock tires at this rate.

[mountjonas]

buy some 16" steelies and 195/55/16 snows. tirerack has them starting at $76 per.

[Zoom5Zoom]

key point is steel rims for your winter tires not winters for your alloy rims....

hope that helps.

[jandree22]

Why does Mazda put expensive tires on an $18,000 car?
Because they're hot :p

I understand your complaint, though...

[canadianexpress]

Keep in mind that the worst winter tires are still better than the best all season on snow. Yes they were expensive (paid over $900 can. for wheels + tires), but if it saves me from that 1 accident, it has paid for itself many times over.

[the tortoise]

$110 for a winter tire is more than reasonable.

[HotDog88GT]

$110 for a winter tire is more than reasonable.

The only time I have ever paid more than $85US for a tire is for my 1988 Mustang GT, which came stock with Eagle VRs ($150 each back then). Have shod that car with Kelly and Yoko H and Z rated tires for much less. Former vehicle (replaced by new 5) was a GM minivan and snows never ran more than $60 each.

I live just south of the Tug Hill region here in Central NY. We can get buried in snow quickly if the lake effect bands set up in the right place. I see the point that good snows can pay for themselves in accidents avoided, I'm just not convinced an $18,000 car in 2006 should be wearing tires priced so. It's not a "performance" vehicle, thought it does handle nicely.

Nevertheless, I'm liking the car! BTW, my co-worker here has an 04 Camry Solara with the same size tires. Had same problem with pricey snows.

[Antonio DiMarco]

We got our first Japanese car, a Mazda5 last night. I thought it would take me a few months of driving to list a few things that are weird, not-quite-right/why did they do this, etc.

I'm looking for winter tires it and am not happy with things so far. Why does Mazda put expensive tires on an $18,000 car? I just want snows for a for month winter and am looking at over $110 per. Looks like we'll be sticking with the stock tires at this rate.

Mazda does this because they care about the way the car handles. Sure they could put on some cheap white wall donuts but the choice of tire size and profile is based on design goals (handling/braking) and aesthetics. That said the actual quality of the tire they use is poor. I replaced the Goodyears on my 3 and Toyo's on my 5 right away with expensive Michelin Pilot A/S's (sold the OEM's on eBay to recoup some of the expense). Although I live in MA the all season Pilot's are pretty good in snow. Of course MA is pretty good about plowing so I don't often need to worry about driving in deep snow.

I use to do Winter/Summer tires, but I had to find a middleground with my wife :-). I may move to Yokohama's S4's next time around though and save $50/tire.

FYI I actually like the Tire Rack's new marketing campaign comparing tires to shoes. It's an honest and accurate reason why buying good quality tires is important.

[HotDog88GT]

buy some 16" steelies and 195/55/16 snows. tirerack has them starting at $76 per.

I've started to look at doing this as well. Which size 16" wheel? 16x7? 16x8?

Also, the second tire size listed in my owner's manual is 205/55-16. That gives a overall tire diameter of 20.44", 0.60" lower than the stock tires (21.04"). Your suggested tire is 0.82" less than stock, although 195s would be better in the snow. Both of these tires will run my speedometer higher - an undesired result.

I'll play with the sidewall numbers a bit and see if there are any 16" tires that get close to stock overall diameter.

[Kansei]

^^ snows for the GM minivan were cheap because it had 15 inch wheels with massive sidewalls. It's an easy tie to make. Smaller sidewall = more pricey. Cars often have larger wheels to accommodate larger diameter brakes, such as the Mazdaspeed6 with its 18" wheels. Mazda puts the "zoom-zoom" into every car they make, and what good would sporty suspension do if it was paired with tiny wheels with big mushy tyres?

Sorry for the inconvenience with the "pricy" tyre packages, but you can always step it down to a 16" or even a 15" steel wheel for the winter.. yeah they aren't pretty to look at, but oh well it's winter people understand that.

[Kansei]

I'll play with the sidewall numbers a bit and see if there are any 16" tires that get close to stock overall diameter.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

definitely go with 16x6 if you can find that. 195s would fit great on a 6 inch wide wheel. An 8 inch wide.. I dunno how well 195s would fit on that.

[Kid Red]

I never understood all this winter tire/snow tire talk.

[Kansei]

I never understood all this winter tire/snow tire talk.

I hate you (pissed)(pissed)(pissed)

wanna trade places?

nah just kidding.. I'm here for school, once I have at least my B.S. I'll be looking south and west for grad school. I can't freakin stand snow!! gets the car all dirty and gross, and the salt makes her rust and makes my endlinks a disposable commodity haha.

[ladygrey]

I never understood all this winter tire/snow tire talk.

I know me either! Best kept secret in the world. It never f-in snows in Denver...

Hotdog - good luck figuring it all out.

[HotDog88GT]

I never understood all this winter tire/snow tire talk.

I'd take four distinct seasons over 95 degree, 100% humidity weather all year long any day. I've live in southern VA and in Denver and moved back to Central NY where traffic is light. Could not pay me enough to work and commute in areas with daily standstills. Taxes are oppressive but family is here.

Winter? Bought a pair of snowmobiles and a roof rake.

BTW: found a reasonable snow tire package just now that I didn't see last night for some reason. Less than $700. Thanks...

[paging_drburgos]

I like my tires. If Mazda sold this car with 15 inch rims and $40 tires i dont think i would have looked twice at the car. Instead they put all of these nice little finishing touches on the car. Remember Mazda of N America is located a few miles north of me in Irvine, and it doesnt snow here. :P
The office is located right off the 405 FWY and it's sandwiched in between the FWY and windy roads that lead to the pacific ocean.

[P_bouchr]

Anyways 16" and 17" are more than common nowadays. 15" are reserved only for subcompacts cars, like the Toyota Yaris and maybe the honda civic and some entry level corean cars...

I know I will buy a set of wheels and 16" snow for mine.

Before I returned the Jetta, I was lucky to get a set of president tires for like 550$cdn.

Anyway, good tires are a must. Noone should neglect them. Seeing how crappy my toyo are on wet roads, I don't even want to imagine on snowy roads...

[ProtoType5]

I really don't get the complaint....Mazda puts nice wheels on an $18,000.00 car and people start bitching???? Sorry dood, you're the one that lives in central New York, so you're the one that needs the snow tires....Just get some cheapo steelies and snow tires....I've got a set so I can run up over the pass without killing myself....

[canadianexpress]

^^ snows for the GM minivan were cheap because it had 15 inch wheels with massive sidewalls. It's an easy tie to make. Smaller sidewall = more pricey. Cars often have larger wheels to accommodate larger diameter brakes, such as the Mazdaspeed6 with its 18" wheels. Mazda puts the "zoom-zoom" into every car they make, and what good would sporty suspension do if it was paired with tiny wheels with big mushy tyres?

Sorry for the inconvenience with the "pricy" tyre packages, but you can always step it down to a 16" or even a 15" steel wheel for the winter.. yeah they aren't pretty to look at, but oh well it's winter people understand that.

Actually for the Mazda5, 15" would not clear the calipers, so 16" is the smallest you can go.

[Kansei]

fun. you can fit like 14s on the P5, but then again it's 5-600 pounds lighter so it makes sense.

[Apple Guy]

Hot Dog, Look at this thread. I too swapped out the OEM tires and rims for winter/tire combo for my wife's Mazda 5.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123647235

[Lazy Glen]

I live just south of the Tug Hill region here in Central NY. We can get buried in snow quickly if the lake effect bands set up in the right place.

Forgive them HotDog, they know not the power of the Tug Hill. I used to live in CNY and in college the XC ski team would drive up to the Tug Hill to hit the trails. The first time we went I think we were still running the trails instead of skiing. As the bus drove in I wondered at the 15 to 20 foot poles with safety orange spray painted tops stuck in the dirt on the shoulder of the road every 100 feet or so.

"Whats the deal with the poles?"
"Thats so the snow plows know where the edge of the road is!"
"Oh"

I grew up in CNY, so it aint like I didn't know snow, I just didn't know the quantity that the Tug Hill could get.

Living in RTP NC now and missing snow a lot. - Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Enjoy your 5 in the snow and do some slides for me.

Lazy Glen

[HotDog88GT]

I really don't get the complaint....Mazda puts nice wheels on an $18,000.00 car and people start bitching???? Sorry dood, you're the one that lives in central New York, so you're the one that needs the snow tires....Just get some cheapo steelies and snow tires....I've got a set so I can run up over the pass without killing myself....

The wheels are fine. My issue was about the cost of the rubber on an $18,000 family mini-minivan. It's something I would expect to deal with on a more pricey European vehicle, not on a relatively economy-priced rice burner.

[dommo_g]

The wheels are fine. My issue was about the cost of the rubber on an $18,000 family mini-minivan. It's something I would expect to deal with on a more pricey European vehicle, not on a relatively economy-priced rice burner.
It's called research. You shoulda done it before hand. Tire size isn't something that surprises you after you've had the car for a while. You can clearly see them before buying. There's 4 of them right there. You can get 205/50 17s for $125 each, and that's for a good tire. You can spend less for a lesser tire. That's not a bad price to me.

[HotDog88GT]

Hot Dog, Look at this thread. I too swapped out the OEM tires and rims for winter/tire combo for my wife's Mazda 5.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123647235

Thanks for that. I found a wheel/tire package on Tire Rack that they must have just posted. The tires are Dunlop's high-silica model (Graspic DS-2)and the wheels are 16x7 types like others I've seen in pictures here. Speedometer will be 0.5mph higher than stock. My friend bought a similar package for his Solara a few years ago. Same brand wheels, Blizzak tires, big bucks. Had to sell one of his horses to get 'em. :)

This package was less than $700 before shipping. Still pondering whether I shouldn't just get the tires and get 'em mounted and save the cost of wheels. Also, still going to check BJ's and Sam's Club to see if they stock this size in snows.

[was98strat]

Thanks for that. I found a wheel/tire package on Tire Rack that they must have just posted. The tires are Dunlop's high-silica model (Graspic DS-2)and the wheels are 16x7 types like others I've seen in pictures here. Speedometer will be 0.5mph higher than stock. My friend bought a similar package for his Solara a few years ago. Same brand wheels, Blizzak tires, big bucks. Had to sell one of his horses to get 'em. :)

This package was less than $700 before shipping. Still pondering whether I shouldn't just get the tires and get 'em mounted and save the cost of wheels. Also, still going to check BJ's and Sam's Club to see if they stock this size in snows.

Here's the thing.. If you use your Alloys in the winter, (with all the sand and salt on the roads) your alloys will look like garbage in a few short years. then you'll be wanting to replace them. Steelies are a cheap way to preserve the life of your alloys.

You either pay a bit now or pay a lot later.

[jlk_250]

The stock alloy wheels are painted so I don't see why it would make much difference if they are used in winter or not. It's unpainted alloy wheels that look like crap if used in salt environments. But I think it makes more sense to get cheap wheels to go with winter tires. It costs too much to get snow tires mounted, balanced, and dismounted each season.

Jon

[zr27]

buy some 16" steelies and 195/55/16 snows. tirerack has them starting at $76 per.

I was told by a Mazda service manager that the weight of steel wheels may put too much of a strain on the wheel bearings. Any thoughts? I just picked up my 5 speed Silver 5 (passed on the automatic after reading so many postings about the manual being more fun to drive) and am in the same boat. I am concerned about the lack of traction on these OEM tires and would like to put some snows on for less than one bill. When I called Tirerack they did not seem to have any wheels for that model. Anyone have some ideas?

[was98strat]

I was told by a Mazda service manager that the weight of steel wheels may put too much of a strain on the wheel bearings. Any thoughts? I just picked up my 5 speed Silver 5 (passed on the automatic after reading so many postings about the manual being more fun to drive) and am in the same boat. I am concerned about the lack of traction on these OEM tires and would like to put some snows on for less than one bill. When I called Tirerack they did not seem to have any wheels for that model. Anyone have some ideas?


Hmm, don't think so!!! Mazda's (Mazda Canada anyway) recommended winter config is steelies. (mind you some of that comes from wanting to sell them to you) The stock rims aren't exactly light!

I think we'd have some major issues if mounting steelies caused too much wheel bearing strain.

[Zoom5Zoom]

I was told by a Mazda service manager that the weight of steel wheels may put too much of a strain on the wheel bearings. Any thoughts? I just picked up my 5 speed Silver 5 (passed on the automatic after reading so many postings about the manual being more fun to drive) and am in the same boat. I am concerned about the lack of traction on these OEM tires and would like to put some snows on for less than one bill. When I called Tirerack they did not seem to have any wheels for that model. Anyone have some ideas?
Sounds like crap to me... lets play a game. How much does the stock Alloy weigh... now how much does a steel rim weigh.

Go figure

[chaosProtege]

I call BS!! think about the 24"s on an expedition or something. those are WAY heavier than the stock rims.

[HotDog88GT]

When I called Tirerack they did not seem to have any wheels for that model. Anyone have some ideas?

I checked Tire Rack last week and saw nothing in the way of steel wheels. Over the weekend the recommended tire package changed from $80 alloys to $50 steel wheels. Might be a get-em-while-they-last item. I ordered a set of steelies mounted with four Dunlop Graspics yesterday. If the wheels don't fit I'll post the info here so others can avoid them.

[airman_slacker]

Looks like we'll be sticking with the stock tires at this rate.

You may not be able to if you wanted. I (and I guess others has as well, (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123627383)) have been having the inside of the rear tires wear down REALLY fast. I've driven 18K in my 5 (up to upstate NY and back and such) and I've had to replace two of my tires already because they were worn down so much. I have kept up with my rotations and tire pressure and everything. My other two stock tires are now on the back and they are starting to show signs of wear already. This is a serious problem that Mazda needs to take care of.

[Kansei]

If it's wearing down that much you need an alignment. Rotations and tire pressure aren't going to fix it wearing down rapidly on the inside. That's not a "serious" problem at all. I guess I wouldn't be all peachy if my new car needed an alignment, but have you gone to the dealership to see if they'll do it under warranty?

[airman_slacker]

I've already tried and they won't. But the ting is that other people on this forum have had the same problem, got an alignment from the dealership, and still had the same problem afterward.

I'm not trying to thread jack or anything, I was just inputing.

[Kansei]

That's an interesting problem.

[airman_slacker]

All I'm saying is to be careful before you go and invest in some new tires (especially if they have a hefty price tag) because they could be unexpectedly ruined.

[zr27]

I checked Tire Rack last week and saw nothing in the way of steel wheels. Over the weekend the recommended tire package changed from $80 alloys to $50 steel wheels. Might be a get-em-while-they-last item. I ordered a set of steelies mounted with four Dunlop Graspics yesterday. If the wheels don't fit I'll post the info here so others can avoid them.

Was this for a 2006 or 2007 model 5?