Mazdaspeed3 Tire Upgrade Recommendations

[maplephin]

Ok, know I'm opening up a can of worms here but....
what are the recommendations for replacement tires for the MS3?
Stock size?
Balance between street & track?

[silvermist99]

I like michelin hydroedge. Got them on the honda odyssey for 3 years now and after 40000km they still look new and they are soooo good in the rain!!! They stick pretty well too in corners although sidewalls kind of soft.

but anyways I don't think they are avaliable in our size.
for performance tires, I know the falken 615 are popular here, with the track crowd at least.

Subscribed... when my re050 die i'll be in the market for some longer lasting tires.

[Unoriginalusername]

i picked up a set of 225 falken 912's that i mounted on my ms6 rims and am happy with them

[maplephin]

i picked up a set of 225 falken 912's that i mounted on my ms6 rims and am happy with them

How do the 912's compare to the stock Potenza's?

[silvermist99]

another question is do 225 width tires fit 7" inch rims safely?

[Unoriginalusername]

How do the 912's compare to the stock Potenza's?

A lot better in the rain. Being 225 i found the straight line and cornering grip to be as good if not better despite them having a 300 something wear rating vs. the 100 something on the OEM's so they will last a lot longer as well

[Unoriginalusername]

another question is do 225 width tires fit 7" inch rims safely?

yes allan at simply tire had a sizing guide that showed that tire was fine to be mounted to a 7" rim but i couldn't do the 235's. some people do anyways but it isn't recommended.

[maplephin]

A lot better in the rain. Being 225 i found the straight line and cornering grip to be as good if not better despite them having a 300 something wear rating vs. the 100 something on the OEM's so they will last a lot longer as well

Thanks UOU! Better in the rain sure is a good thing and a little longer life would be nice too.

[Unoriginalusername]

Thanks UOU! Better in the rain sure is a good thing and a little longer life would be nice too.

if you decide to sell your oem rims and tires let me know.

[maplephin]

if you decide to sell your oem rims and tires let me know.

I'm probably going to mount them on the oe rims, but after visting Allen things may change. I'll let you know if they do.

[Unoriginalusername]

I'm probably going to mount them on the oe rims, but after visting Allen things may change. I'll let you know if they do.

Cool thanks, i only ask as i am selling my ms6 rims and the tires on them (new this summer) but need OEM ms3 rims and tires (with enough juice to pass safety etc.) so figured a swap plus some cash would work out well


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[Fobio]

I'd consider a set of T1R's for the street and other enthusiasts I know are considering Proxes4, but it depends on the Toyo price I can get thru Team Toyo and my Toyo #...and I plan to have a set of dedicated track rims/r-compounds......

I thought my Falken RT-615's would be good for road and track...they are, but treadwear is nonexistent...I'm potentially going to go thru 2 sets for for the season, using them for road and track...never had traction problems in the rain, but starting to as they're at wear bar...

But Falkens have been on sale all season...so price-wise, the 912's or the 452's are hard to beat...

[Wild Weasel]

Wow... you guys are considering all-season tires for the extra life on them?

Just seems like a bit of a compromise on a car like this. I'd rather keep the performance and deal with replacing them every 3 years instead of 4...

[Unoriginalusername]

Wow... you guys are considering all-season tires for the extra life on them?

Just seems like a bit of a compromise on a car like this. I'd rather keep the performance and deal with replacing them every 3 years instead of 4...

the OEM tires are all season, and the 225 912 falkens out grip them in the turns and straights so really nothing to lose

[Wild Weasel]

The OEM tires are NOT all-season!!!

[Unoriginalusername]

The OEM tires are NOT all-season!!!

For $600 you can have a better performing longer lasting tire in the falken 912s... good bang for your buck imo

[silvermist99]

Wow... you guys are considering all-season tires for the extra life on them?

Just seems like a bit of a compromise on a car like this. I'd rather keep the performance and deal with replacing them every 3 years instead of 4...

There are a lot of other 250-300hp + family haulers in the market that uses all season tires... I think my car can pull it off too :chuckle

I would run no (all) season tires in the summer, they will be quieter, softer riding and last way longer then summers. I don't drive hard on the street at all, 99.9999% won't use potential of the tire. If I continue to track then I will pick up a set of R or summers which will only be used at the track.

[Wild Weasel]

Ah. I guess if you've got the r's for the track, giving up the performance on highway ramps and what not won't phase you at all. Makes sense. :)

[maplephin]

Wow... you guys are considering all-season tires for the extra life on them?

Just seems like a bit of a compromise on a car like this. I'd rather keep the performance and deal with replacing them every 3 years instead of 4...

I run Blizzak's in the winter, soooo..... not worried about an all season tire.
However, the OEM's have not even lasted 2 years and they are pretty well worn out.

Just looking for something that would give me a good balance between wear life and rain driving. Because you know T.O. is as dry as a desert.:chuckle

Not too agressive that I would have to replace them every year.

[mleblond]

The OEM tires are NOT all-season!!!

+1

putting all seasons tires on this car is a shame! Tires are the most important part on the car, if you cheap out there you might as well sell the car and get something with less power.

[Fobio]

There are performance tires out there with good treadwear and rain performance, and you sacrifice a bit on ultimate grip...but hey, what's a couple of seconds here and there on the way to work right?

I grabbed a set of used Dunlop Direzza D101 for the rest of the yr and maybe next season...great all around summer tire...not so great on ultimate grip, but these will be my street-only tires until I get a new set...

But considering the potential to unleash the horses in the car, I'm more along the lines of mleblond and prefer a more performance oriented tire...

silvermist on the other hand likes to have a car full of ladies...so I can understand why ride quality is more important than street grip...

But really...don't we all run like 3 sets of rims anyway?! =) (summer, winter, track)

BTW...even Jim Kenzie of Kenzie's Corner/Toronto Star says that all-season are NOT truly for all/no seasons/winter...then again, I've also ran Z-rated summer tires for a whole winter once...driving in snow and ice...but with this car, snows are almost a must...

[RX9]

the next tire i am getting will be Potenza RE-01R, Falken 615, or Toyo's @235/40/18. i knew the summer tires are short life complare to most All Seasons, but they will increase the fun, Why not? i dont drive the speeds to track anyway, i use RX7 in the track.