Hello I have a 2007 Mazda 3S with 17 in rims.

I'm gonna have to replace my tires soon(at about 25,000miles) because the factory ones suck. Only problem is I live in Wisconsin and snow tires are probably a good idea.

Any suggestions on a good all season tire that could handle a Wisconsin winter or should I just get snow tires now and worry about new tires in the Summer. I will need to buy something this winter if I want to survive the snow.

Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks
~Brian

 

winter tires pay for themselves the very first time you need them. and believe it or not, your local auto shop (Canadian Tire up here) probably has nice ones right in the store. add studs and youll not only survive winter driving, youll take charge of it. go 16" on the steel rims though - wider tire selection. im from winnipeg. ***** hectic up here!

 

I found out real quick how bad the Goodyear RSA tires are this week, I just has to get new tires put on even though I just bought the car this summer and I have 10,000 miles on them. I bit the bullet and bought the Goodyear triple tread. Excellent tire for all year cause I had them on my previous car.

 

I have a 2008 Mazda 3 5-door and live in Northern Wisconsin and have been running Bridgestone Blizzak tires for two seasons now. They are amazing tires and are almost like having 4-wheel drive other than the ground clearance.

I purchased some 16" factory rims off a salvage yard Mazda 3, and with the higher profile of the Blizzak's the speedometer is dead on using my GPS to check it out. This way I don't have to deal with a tire shop each year to change out my winter tires.

One thing though, the Blizzak tires have a softer rubber compound than normal tires and need to be changed before the temp gets to around 50ºF to keep them from wearing out. I had Blizzak tires on my 2005 for three years and they were about half worn down when I replaced them with new ones when I purchased the 2008.

Tom

 

You've probably already done something about this by now. However, in the event you haven't...
If you're looking for a true all-season tire, including winter look into finding some Nokian WRG2 tires.

Outside of the Nokian, I don't know any manufacturer that actually produces a true "ALL-season" tire that is designed for our northern climates like Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. Short of that you're better off buying separate winter and summer tires.

I bought a set of Hankook W409 studded winter tires to get around this winter and I'll look at the Nokian for next year.

 

Nokian tires are great, although they are very expensive, which is why I didn't purchase them and got the Blizzak's instead, and you are correct I do have to deal with two sets of tires, one for winter and one for summer.

Studded tires are illegal here in Wisconsin.

Tom