So my wifes 2008 Mazda3 is at 17000 miles and the Goodyear RS-A that came on it are very worn already. I did some research and just about everyone who has these tires doesn't like them and I can see why. They wear quickly and the road noise is ridiculous. So her I Touring Value has 205/50/17's on them, any tires out there that any of you would suggest?

 

I inquired a while back about tires, did some research, and the best tire I could find is Yokohoma 520"s.
I decided to keep my Goodyears on till they wear out but, the noise is terrible.
I have read very good reviews on these Yokohoma tires, and they will definetely be the ones I will buy when the time comes.
Bob.

 

I went with the Sumitomo HTR ZIII, mainly for the price ($95).
Quite compared to the Badyears, better handling, especially in wet conditions.

It is a summer tire, not sure how it does in anything else, we'll see if I have to get winter tires or not.

 

I bought a set of the Yokohama YK520's a couple of months ago and am extremely pleased with them. There is a little more road noise than factory but so far they seem to be withstanding wear pretty well. They have a solid grip on the road in both wet and dry conditions and seem to take corners pretty well without too much slip. I paid right at $800 for mine at discount tire co with tax.

 

I put Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 205/50 R17s on my 2009 Mazda3 Touring nearly twenty thousand miles ago, and at this point I'd say they aren't even half gone yet. In addition, these tires are far easier to control the car (the car isn't nearly as squirrely), they have a crisper turn-in, and are far quieter than the OEM Goodyear Eagle RS-As.

The only real drawback is that they aren't cheap (although they are cheaper than the Goodyears).

 

My 2007 3 needed tires at 17K also. It was near lease end and I didn't want to spend a bundle. The dealer recommended Kumho's. I got a set of those in the same size (205/50-17) for $550 out the door at Kaufmann Tire, they had a 30K warranty. They were in the Ecsta line but I can't recall exactly which model, but were labeled "all season". They rode and handled much better than the Badyears and were quieter too. The dealer said they had tons of complaints on the early wear out issues with the Badyears. I know that size can be a little hard to find; Sam's Club had a Dunlop SP Sport in that size for about $540 OTD, but the guy said they were not that good of a tire for whatever reason. It's hard to go wrong with Michelin or Yokohama, it depends on how much longer you plan to keep the car and what your checkbook can absorb. I'd recommend the Kumho's if you're not going to keep the car a long time and/or cost is a big issue.

I have a 2010 3 on order, and I saw now they come with Yokohamas but I don't know which model; if I go by the dealer soon I will find out unless there's someone on the board here with a 2010 that can help us out.

 

For the record, Dunlop's are part of the Bad~Year line up.
There is one other, but I can't remember what name they go under.
From my experience, the Dunlop's friend's have owned (I never did personally) always rode a little harder, were certainly noisier, were not all that good in bad weather, even rainy, wet weather, cost a little more than some but overall wore pretty well. Not the best reason to buy tires, imo. To me that translates into a harder-than-usual compound for a performance tire, and a potentially dangerous one.

I am currently running the Kumho Exta ASX (all-season) which replaced Falken ZE-512's before. I liked the Falkens at first, but they wore fast and as they did got worse and worse on slick roads. The Kumho's are the third set my wife and I combined have owned. I will not be replacing the ASX's with the same.
On the other hand, my wife really likes the GT tires (KH-16's) I put on her Saturn over a year ago. The first of three sets for that car I can say that about. She has complained about every other tire on that car since day one, but she likes these.

 

Virgin1, just to clarify, what don't you like about the ASX?

 

On my car at least, they are as dangerous in the rain as the RS-A's were. They are wearing rather fast too. And though I have tried (experimented with) a number of pressure settings, I can't say I have been truly happy with any of them.

 

I was at the dealer today, the 2010 M3 GT's are equipped with Yokohama Avid S34's if that helps anyone. At least my car on order won't come with stinkin' BadYears...........