Looking to upgrade tires.

S

Stargazer

I want to upgrade the tires, as I think it will probably result in a smoother/quieter ride (less reverberation from rough pavement, bumps, etc.). I was thinking about an all-weather tire upgrade. (I live around New York City, so the winters aren't too bad.) Any recommendations for a good all weather tire would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I'm going to try revising my question - Should I look at Bridgestone tires or Pirelli tires. I think both manufacturers have been mentioned on this forum.
 
Stargazer said:
I'm going to try revising my question - Should I look at Bridgestone tires or Pirelli tires. I think both manufacturers have been mentioned on this forum.
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I have heard good things about the BF Goodrich Traction T/A and suppose to have excellent treadwear and good overall performance in all weather.
 
Thanks, CanadianExpress. I'll take a look at the Goodrich.
 
canadianexpress said:
I have heard good things about the BF Goodrich Traction T/A and suppose to have excellent treadwear and good overall performance in all weather.
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Dude this guy owns a Mazda 5, not an MSP. Those tires are way way overkill for that car. Look into Avon, they have some good and cheap tires. Sumitomo also makes some nice performance oriented touring tires.
 
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Stargazer said:
I want to upgrade the tires, as I think it will probably result in a smoother/quieter ride (less reverberation from rough pavement, bumps, etc.). I was thinking about an all-weather tire upgrade. (I live around New York City, so the winters aren't too bad.) Any recommendations for a good all weather tire would be appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I run Michelin Pilot A/S's on my 3 and 5. Fantastic, strong, tire that does well at everything. Also have a rim guard. I hit a nasty pot hole the otehr day in my 3 and thought the tire had had it. But no damage to rim or tire. Even decent on light snow and slush. They're expensive but wearing well and NEVER hydroplane. Both cars feel like they ride on "rails". The set on my 3 have 22,000 miles and look like they'll last to around 40K.
 
Not to add to your dilemma, stargazer, but I had a set of Toyo Proxes 4s on my Focus and my only regret was that I couldn't keep them for the MZ5 (16s vs. 17s). Best tires I've had, even in the snow. Don't know if they're available in 17 in., but you might give them a look as well.
 
Well, I finally decided to go with the Michelin Pilot A/S. Now, for my next question... Are there any installation problems due to the tire pressure sensor? Also, is $187 (installed and balanced) too much?
 
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All season tires are a compromise. Neither good in the summer time(noise) or in winter( Low traction)
best performance is acheived with real summer tire and real winter tire.
When I got my 5 in November, I had the original 4 season tires removed and replaced by real winter tire.
Tomorrow, I' have a set of Michelin LX4 installed.
At the end of the road, it does not cost more
 
jackd said:
All season tires are a compromise. Neither good in the summer time(noise) or in winter( Low traction)
best performance is acheived with real summer tire and real winter tire.
When I got my 5 in November, I had the original 4 season tires removed and replaced by real winter tire.
Tomorrow, I' have a set of Michelin LX4 installed.
At the end of the road, it does not cost more
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What kind of winter tire did you use?

I do believe that the more expensive tires, like the Pilot A/S, are made better. I've had Dunlops, Bridgestones, Yokohamas and Goodyears and ALL of them didn't handle torture as well as my Michelins. In the Northeast potholes are a guarantee during the winter months. The lesser tires have always developed bubbles (Breaks in the steel belt) or simply blew out. The Michelins maybe a slight compromise during the winter months, but I'd trade that slight compromise for durability and performance any day. Massachusetts is very good about plowing. The Mass Pike is rarely a problem unless it's a blizzard.

Oh, part of the reason why I went to a all season was becasue my wife felt like I was buying tires all the time :). I wasn't too happy about having to compromise, but the Michelin Pilot A/S made it easier.
 
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I had a 2 flats early in the winter season (actually 1 flat and 1 w/ a bubble in the sidewall) so instead of replacing the OEM tires - I just put on winters on all 4. Now it's spring and I need to get summer dedicated tires. I'm considering getting a separate wheel/tire set (that's what I do with my other car) but I'm wondering...


...what's the deal is with the TPS?


Do I have to have them installed by the dealer? Usually I order the whole wheel/tire combo from tirerack and they ship them already balanced and mounted and I can just exchange them in my own garage instead of having to pay someone to do it.

The other option that I was considering is just getting summer tires and have the winters unmounted and the summer tires mounted - but I'm thinking that this could prove a real pain. Anybody do these yet?
 
As for upgrading tires, we can use any as long as we keep the rims right? I have navigation with uses the TPMS but I assume any tire works? I notice Costco had some nice low profiles, what would be some good options for us FLorida drivers?
 
Changed out the Toyos for a set of Kumho ASX (All-Season) about 3000 miles ago. Much better handling, smoother and quieter ride. I've had only good luck with Kumho's...this is my 3rd set overall. About $400 (incl. shipping) for 4 tires from Tirerack.
 
Same here, I ran Kumhos on my two previous cars to my P71 and you can't beat em for the price.

In fact, when people were complaining about the stock Goodyear RS-A's on the 3 we started stocking the Kumho ASX in the 17" size, as well as the more common 15" and 16" for Proteges.
People love 'em.
And when the Toyo's wear down on my 5, I'll be switching to the ASX.
 
I am running Pirelli Winter Carvings for my winter and leaning towards the BF Goodrich Traction T/A once my Toyo need replacing.
 
I just removed the stock 17" alloys and Toyo tires (for sale!). They did not provide enough sidewall protection for our crummy VT roads. Also I disliked the look of the low-profile tires. I installed the 16" TireRack rims pictured below with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. 2k miles so far and they are awesome in all conditions.
 

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hogansvt said:
I just removed the stock 17" alloys and Toyo tires (for sale!). They did not provide enough sidewall protection for our crummy VT roads. Also I disliked the look of the low-profile tires. I installed the 16" TireRack rims pictured below with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. 2k miles so far and they are awesome in all conditions.
Click to expand...

the RI, MA, CT roads I drive on are pretty brutal, I agree. At least they sound and feel brutal, I haven't noticed any actual damage, yet.
 
hogansvt said:
I just removed the stock 17" alloys and Toyo tires (for sale!). They did not provide enough sidewall protection for our crummy VT roads. Also I disliked the look of the low-profile tires. I installed the 16" TireRack rims pictured below with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. 2k miles so far and they are awesome in all conditions.
Click to expand...

Would Love to hear your reviews on the T/A tires in 6 months.

Thanks
 
Replaced factory 17" and Toyo w/ 16" and Potenza RE92 @ 181.
Ride was much smoother. However, steering was not as precise but it's well worth the sacrifice.
Replaced rear Potenza RE92 w/ Yokohama TRZ at 800.
No problem driving/braking in light snow/ice during Chrismas ski trip.
Currently 4825.
Potenza is a lot louder than TRZ on concrete pavement.
 
prulex said:
Changed out the Toyos for a set of Kumho ASX (All-Season) about 3000 miles ago. Much better handling, smoother and quieter ride. I've had only good luck with Kumho's...this is my 3rd set overall. About $400 (incl. shipping) for 4 tires from Tirerack.
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I had those on my 03 Maxima and they were great, I also looked at them for our 5 before we bought it, just to see what Tirerack had. I loved them in snow and dry, not noisey and I never came close to exceeding the grip limit, but I drive on public roads so even its spirited drving it usaully never going to push those limits. Plus they have the rim protector sidewall, why in the world Mazda would give us this 5 with the rim sticking out a good half inch past the tire I don't know, but seems silly and easily can damage your wheels.
 
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