My wife has a Mazda 3 five door or whatever they call the hatchback. It has the low profile Goodyear RSA tires on the large rims. It sure does ride hard. Is it worthwhile to change tires to something like the Michelin that gets good reviews from Tire Rack or would you have to change aspect ratios and go to the tire size/rim size combination used on the standard Mazda 3. Thanks.

 

hey i have a Mazda 3 also and I had those goodyears but wasnt to happy with them, I did alot of research and found a great set of tires that are considered performance but are all seasons also, they are from Kumho Ecsta ASX. I purchased them personally and there a great tire and worth every penny. Let me know on what u decide

 

FALCON ZIEX 512'S i love them im ordering them for my rims here soon had a set on my focus........excellent tire and cant beat the price.....btw if you decide to get some from discounttiredirect.com (which is exactly the same as tirerack.com) i can get you a discounted price..let me know

 

yea i was lookin at those falcons also but i was not to impressed with the water traction of those tires. overall they were rated good but i find KUMHo makes a better tire.

 

looking at reviews is not a true pic of tires people are biast and want every thing perfect* thats not going to happen.....i had those tires for 6 months noticed no visable wear....and i could drive in the rain just as good as dry i was still doing 80 and 90 mph in the rain on the highway without a problem....and the price difference is not worth it in my opinion...yes it is may have a very little better reviews but its a kumho ppl love that name......like i said ppl are biast..... maybe what i am saying right now is biast but on my car right now are kumo ectsa i dont like them at all dont corner near as well and ive hydro plained 2 times allready, but ive had everything from goodyear,hankook,falcon,pirelli,sumitomo,kumho the best so far has been the falcon zie512's(for the price nothing even comes close to performance wet or dry) every one has there own opinion this is mine....those are going to be the only all season performance tire ill ever buy....

 

My issue is ride comfort. I'm looking for someone who got rid of the Goodyears and found something better as far as ride comfort.

 

wahtever you do dont get the bridgestone potenzas. any of them. i absolutley hate them.. .they suck suck suck... and theyre expensive. ive heard really good things about t he falkens. id go that route.

 

I have Potenzas (RE750) and they amaze me all the time. Care to elaborate on why bridgestone is apparently a shitty company in your eyes?

 

I'm still dealing with the crappy Goodyears, but my recomendation for comfort is Toyo Spectrums, if you have the 16" tires. Unfortunately, they won't fit the 17's.

 

The Mazda3s with the 17" wheels really wasn't designed to have a comfortable ride. It was designed to handle better than just about any other car in its class, and better than many that are in a "better" class. You can probably find squishier tires in the same size as OEM, but I'm not sure why you'd want to. Handling and steering response will both suffer. It almost sounds to me like she would have been better off with a less sporting automobile. You could also pursue 16" wheels, therefore allowing you to go with a higher profile (larger sidewall) tire. Again, it will result in worse handling and worse steering.

 

I have an '04 Mazda 3, bought new, and am just now rotating the tires. Very few miles on it. HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET THE WHEELS OFF?
(besides taking all the lug nuts off)

 

sorry for my smart *** but please tell me this is a joke....

 

No, it isn't. I know it happens specifically in the winter months, but the wheels can kinda corrode onto the rotors. You either have to pour hot water where they mate together or just kick the tires a few times and they'll come off.

 

oh ok i see now i didnt think about that....now it makes a lil sence

 

I guess I should have directed my comments to Mazda 3 owners only.
No, corrosion has nothing to do with wheels locking on to the hubs. There is no corrosion on this car. I called the dealer and was told this is a common problem with the 17" wheels. The tolerance is so tight between hub and wheel that it won't come off.
I sprayed all 4 wheels with penetrating oil, let it set, then beat the **** out the inside of the tires with a rubber mallet, front side then back side. They eventually came off but after a hell of a workout.
I immediately put one of the wheel back on, cranked the lug nuts tight, then tried to remove it again. Same problem.
Kicking the tires on the outside might work, but you'd better wear steel-toed shoes and be patient.
It appears that along with the jack and spare, I'll have to stow a can of oil and rubber mallet. A slightly bigger, heavier one. Kinda dangerous situation when you almost have to get partly under the car to beat on the tires.