Wheel and tire recommendations for P5?

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SixString95

Member
:
2003 Mazda Protege5
Hey guys,

I'm looking at getting a new set of tires in the near future for my P5. The ones I've seen the most positive reviews for are the Kumho Ecsta 4X's and ASX's. Problem is - none of the tire companies in the area carry those in-stock. So, would it be good to get a different-sized tire, or just upgrade to different-sized wheels and then buy tires for those? I'm thinking of getting some aftermarket wheels sometime anyway, so I'd love to hear opinions. Thanks!
 
The stock size 195-50-16 isn't real popular. Jump up to a 205-50-16 it's a more popular size. If you plan to get aftermarket wheels you can check out Tire rack they have a wide selection and offer tire and wheel combo deals although I'm not sure what brand tire they offer in the deal. If I were you I would go with a 17" wheel more tire/wheel choices.
 
Fresco said:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=filterTireProducts.do&fl=&pc=12589&counter=0&ar=50&rd=16&cs=205

hands down the best tire I have ever used, and it literally is a huge upgrade from stock
Click to expand...

Im ru ning that same tire now and very happy with it. Id also recommend the conti dws (all season) or dw (summer) if you dont mind spending a little more. If you stick with the stock wheels def go with the 205/50...as hat said, many more choices to choose from.
 
Defs go with the 205/50s, but I'm in the process of shopping for tires and had seen a lot of good reviews on the General G-MAX AS-03s. Plus there's a rebate on them now! Just a little added bonus.
 
I have the Kuhmo AST and love them. I also went up to 205s and was able to get them from Walmart.
 
Awesome, thanks guys! I'm definitely going to do some pricing and see which works best for me, but they all seem like good tires. Just out of curiosity, how many miles do you guys get out of your tires?
 
pkane said:
I have the Kuhmo AST and love them. I also went up to 205s and was able to get them from Walmart.
Click to expand...

I had the ASTs also and loved them at first but found out quick that after some tread wear they were horrible in even the lightest NE snowstorms. After getting stuck a few times in my own neighborhood, I decided to go with a dedicated winter set. Of course down there in GA you won't have to worry about that as much. ;)

SixString95 said:
Awesome, thanks guys! I'm definitely going to do some pricing and see which works best for me, but they all seem like good tires. Just out of curiosity, how many miles do you guys get out of your tires?
Click to expand...

Def. a lot more choices in that size which will make your wallet happy. Mileage has so many variables that it's hard to go off of - rotations, tire pressures, how the car is driven, alignments, etc. IIRC I got about 23K out of my ASTs but also cut their life shorter as I ditched them for a dedicated summer tire. My Conti DW tires gave me around 20K good miles and I loved them but due to a bad alignment they had uneven wear.
 
Oh yeah, one other thing I meant to ask was, do the 205's rub the wheel arches any, like during a sharp U-turn?
 
No rubbing with stock wheels even with lowering springs. Matter of fact I have 205-40-17 on 17x7+45 (maybe +42 offset I don't remember for sure) wheels and stock springs with no front rub at all, sometimes the rear will lightly rub when I hit dips in the road.
 
Last edited:
SixString95 said:
Oh yeah, one other thing I meant to ask was, do the 205's rub the wheel arches any, like during a sharp U-turn?
Click to expand...

Not at all, I'm lowered on Tokico HPs and Tein S-Techs and have no rubbing issues even with my winter set up 185/70/14s.
 
I am looking into wheels myself, i am currently running 16's but need new tires and i might as well get some new, hopefully lighter wheels. im just stuck in a dilemma... more torque with bigger wheels? or less weight with smaller ones?
 
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