Stock RSA's: Poor Tires

[rbart4506]

I knew these were bad tires for winter and were really quick wearing, but damn my X-ice seem to handle better then them in the dry. I know you might think I'm nuts, but I noticed it right away.

Let's go back a bit to when I first got my hatch, after driving a Mazda3 sedan for three years. I had replaced my stock A/S tires on the sedan with Micheling HydroEdge tires and was happy with how the car handled in wet and dry. When I got the hatch I noticed the car just didn't feel as tight on twisty roads and when cornering. I had attributed that to the fact I was now in a heavier hatch with a slightly higher centre of gravity.

Well...My first drive with the new X-ice and the tight feeling was back when cornering and on twisty roads...

I had intended on sticking with the RSA's since I had winters, but damn I want a nice handling car in the summer too....Of course now this means I have to come up with the cash to replace the rubber...Anyone wanna buy some slightly used RSA's :)

Honestly it is pretty sad that I'm finding my winters to be better then the stock A/S tires that come with the car...

[3GFX]

I'm surprised, but then again it depends. Keep in mind the RSAs are harder rubber in this weather than your winters. Come summer again your RSAs will handle better than the winters and I'd put money on it. But with these cold temperatures your winters would handle better all around.

Nothing beats a dedicated set of tires for summer and winter.

[WLS ZMZM]

They really are lousy tires... most of the members on this board have already traded them off... when I got my car I refused to take the car with them on it and had the dealer change them!

[rbart4506]

I'm surprised, but then again it depends. Keep in mind the RSAs are harder rubber in this weather than your winters. Come summer again your RSAs will handle better than the winters and I'd put money on it. But with these cold temperatures your winters would handle better all around.

Nothing beats a dedicated set of tires for summer and winter.

I had thought of that, but I go back to my sedan and I remember when switching from Michelin A/S to Michelin winters there was always a loss in dry handling. This time going from stock A/S to Michelin winters and the car just seems more stable...

I had always planned replacing the RSA's, but not until they needed it...

Now I think I'm going to be doing it in the spring...

[Fuman]

The RS-As are pretty good tires in the summer. Temperatures below 12-13 degrees and it sucks. I notice my braking distance increasing. The RS-As also do pretty well in the summer rain. What tire pressure were you running with the RS-As?

The X-Ice handles that good? You gotta take me for a ride! you running 16''s or 17''?

[rbart4506]

The RS-As are pretty good tires in the summer. Temperatures below 12-13 degrees and it sucks. I notice my braking distance increasing. The RS-As also do pretty well in the summer rain. What tire pressure were you running with the RS-As?

The X-Ice handles that good? You gotta take me for a ride! you running 16''s or 17''?

I've got 16" on steelies...

The guy at my tire shop recommended going to the 215's instead of 205's, that might be part of it...

I tried keeping the RSA's at 32psi...

I'm going to let the car loose a bit on York Road going home tonight...There's a nice little downhill with a twisty right left at the bottom that I have always measured the cars handling by. With the sedan I could whip through there at 85km/h no probs. With the hatch I have trouble hitting 80km/h, the car just seems more loose...

[Fuman]

I've got 16" on steelies...

The guy at my tire shop recommended going to the 215's instead of 205's, that might be part of it...

I tried keeping the RSA's at 32psi...

I'm going to let the car loose a bit on York Road going home tonight...There's a nice little downhill with a twisty right left at the bottom that I have always measured the cars handling by. With the sedan I could whip through there at 85km/h no probs. With the hatch I have trouble hitting 80km/h, the car just seems more loose...

interesting... hmmm.. maybe you are used to the weight shift of the sedan and not the hatch? Anyway, give me a ride sometime because I liked the RS-As's handling. Although, cause of work, I won't be at any meets for a while.

[mEtH]

ummm... I am looking for RSA's!
PM me with how long you been running them for and what you would be willing to sell them at. I need a set to return my car with.

[TurboEight]

the RSA arent really that bad, but then again, I only ran them for like 1000kms and off my stockers..lol

if you think the xice handle well...pick up some PAs...that's what I'm running.

[deedotpee]

Its my first time driving in the snow in the RSAs and i was sliding like crazy. Does anybody know the warranty for these stock RSAs?

[zedtech]

^^ 100% ditto! I loathe RS-A's!

[yearoftherat]

Its my first time driving in the snow in the RSAs and i was sliding like crazy. Does anybody know the warranty for these stock RSAs?

If you think that warranty will cover you against sliding in the snow...forget it. The RSA's are not a winter tire but a three season tire. Buy yourself some winter tires.

[Wild Weasel]

Also, tires that come on new cars aren't warrantied the same as those you buy after the fact.

I actually had a tire replaced years ago under warranty after I slid into a curb and tore open the sidewall. They were BF Goodrich tires and the pro-rated warranty seemed to cover damn near anything! :bana

[deedotpee]

no I'm wondering if I can get the RSA's covered under warranty for excessive tread wear or some other reason lol.

[brocklanders]

I've come from using the stock RS-A's on my old Cavalier Z-24. So I know the pain of these terrible terrible tires. I expected crap on fri. with the M3 but these tires are unbelievable. On a ~slight~ uphill grade the car wouldn't even move.
Even in the summer months the tires are garbage in even rain. I'd ditch them immediately :)

[flylice13]

it also depends on the weather too. winter tires are softer for the reason that when the temperature drops, they harden just enough to act like all seasons. From my own experience, Goodyear and Dunlop tires are absolute crap. I guess it's true, you get what you pay for.

[EvilDeadFan]

My Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires are far, FAR better than my RSA's. I compare my cold winters vs my hot RSA's here. Never mind about the phenominal grip of my winters. To be fair though, my winters are v rated. Not that I'll ever go that fast but got a wicked deal.

[Tokic_o]

They really are lousy tires... most of the members on this board have already traded them off... when I got my car I refused to take the car with them on it and had the dealer change them!

You can request the dealer to change the tires for you?! I never heard of that before.

lol and on the topic of RSAs, I think they aren't as bad as a lot of you are saying. They're pretty decent and handle quite well in the summer in both dry and rain. Not as great as dedicated summers but I have no complains.

[qycxzerqp]

Yeah, as what Tokic said. They are not that bad, they are just not good when it's cold.

[rbart4506]

They are not that bad, but they sure aren't good either....

[Slade]

I recently just picked up a dedicated pair of winter tires from a member on the board and cant even compare the RS-A's to strict winter tires. I have 40 000km on the stockers and will not be able to put them back on in spring. My RS-A's sucked huge in the snow last year and I promised myself never to drive in snow with them again.

Winter tires are probably one the best investments I have made into my car. I like the RS-A's in the summer, no complaint there, they kept me glued to the road.

[Kaz]

I've read a lot of posts stating that the stock RSAs suck and aren't that terrific in the rain. And I suppose since its raining today it made me start thinking about the tires I'll be getting on my 3 when I pick it up in June.

I was wondering if it would be worth my while to immediately get off the stock tires and put something else on them? Assuming I have the money to spend. Also, I'd be thinking of getting the Falken 912s and then in the fall get a winter set....would it be that big of an improvement over brand new RSAs? Safer in the rain? etc.

[RX9]

if you are leasing the car, save money, RS-A sucks at snow, but its not that bad at rain.
if you are buying the car, sell the brand new tires, then buy another set better tires.

[Kaz]

Thanks I'll be buying not leasing.

How much should I be able to get or ask for the brand new RSAs? (approximate price range?)

[RemaerdLacidar]

I haven't found the stock tires to be _THAT_ bad...

That being said, I drove on snow tires since the day I picked up the car (January 25th) still some time in April... so I only drove in the snow with the RSAs once and that was like .5cm of snow :P

It's been raining the past few days here in Ottawa, and I haven't really noticed poor performance from the tires.

[triniboi12]

This past winter i left my RSA's on and yea they stink in the snow... but rain is ok...

[Skarbro]

I find the RS-As to be adequate for daily driving, including rain. They wear terribly fast though.

[RX9]

Thanks I'll be buying not leasing.

How much should I be able to get or ask for the brand new RSAs? (approximate price range?)

you can ask your dealer how mouch you need to pay if you want other better tires from them with PDI. if you sell them on board, you may get around $400 b/c they are still new.

[Caz]

Nice name. LOL
I wouldn't worry about the RSA's in the warm months, save your money and make sure to get a winter tire and rim package in the fall. I personally don't have any problems with them in the rain or summer.

[mazdaagain]

I don't think anyone will pay you $400 for RSA's even new.

I think the RSA's are fine for non-winter driving and not worth the extra cost to put something on now. Use them up and get new tires once you have worn out the RSA's and YES the RSA wear really fast.

[Flagrum_3]

Save your money, I've got 55k+ on the RSA's and they have been good tires, rain or shine, not perfect but good. (alot depends on your driving habits of course).


_3


.

[b]

Pitch them and get better tires once they wear out. I upgraded when mine were toast around 30,000km. Until then why not use em.

[JiNuWiNe]

Are these good for drifting?? :chuckle hehe, i kid.

[matt9]

RSAs are fine for everything but snow...

[FLIPDADY]

You could always switch to the RSA's that were made for the BMW. Much better than the RSA's that Mazda chose for our cars.

[mazdathree]

I dont like driving in the winter with the RSA's....they suck!...I dont have any problem with them in the summer.....and I agree with some of you that they are only 3 season tires as opposed to all season...I got myself the GoodYear ultra grip ice for the winter from the dealer and must say they are very good!....i used them for 2 winters now and dont have any complaints...love driving with them during winter....:)

[mazdathree]

This past winter i left my RSA's on and yea they stink in the snow... but rain is ok...

+1

they are good except for snow and would recommend anyone new to at least change them in the winter to some specialized winter tires....i have used GoodYear ultra grip Ice for the winter and they are excellent...no complaints

[3GFX]

Merged threads. Same topic: RSA aren't rated very well by users.