Hey Guys,
I don't think I have been on this forum for years now. Just curious tires all you guys have good or bad experience with for your Mazda3. I just bought a new set of Michelin Premier A/S (new Michelin tire model that just came out recently to replace the old primacy MXV4) for my 2010 Mazda3. Here are the pros and cons I have noticed so far.

Pros:
Very quiet, road noise is minimal, drive is smooth and less bumpy on the road.

Cons:
Can't feel the road that well anymore, like that feel been dampen.

This tire seems to be more for comfort and ride than performance. Wonder if any of the Mazda3 owners had that experience yet? And also would like hear suggestion of good tires to go for. They claimed this tire is designed to perform like brand new tires when it is worn. Only time will tell I guess.

Thanks.

 

I got a set of Pilot Cup Sports that I really like. They're super grippy and give awesome road feel.

 

Well to be honest I never heard of them before. But a little google search and I find out this is high end performance tire, pricy, probably can't afford it or more like wife gonna kill me for spending that much money on tires...lol Any other suggestion?

 

My FORTH set of tires on my 3, and the best overall I've had, probably ever on any car, are the set of Continental DWS that now have 45k miles on them. The difference is like night and day in wear, especially, ride quality, road noise and resistance to hydroplaning. They stick like glue in all but the worst conditions and have worn like iron. I'll get another 5-6k out of them before they're gone, and 50k on a Mazda3 is nearly unheard of, IMO.
The one con is the steering response is not as good as the OE Good Years, or the Falken's that replaced them. But neither set made it to 20k, let alone 50. I had a set of Kumho's before that were downright DANGEROUS and none of those had anything close to the attributes these Continentals have. A very worthwhile trade-off IMO.

Pros:
Reasonably priced (Mine, 225/45-17", were $125 ea when I bought them)
Fantastic wear (640 rated) I expect to get every bit of 50k out of these.
Excellent resistance to hydroplaning
Very good braking
Very good in light snow (Hey, 1.25" of snow here in Texas is actually A LOT!! A veritable snow storm!! I was actually able to pass a cop one morning. He was on Good Year RS-A's, the OE's that came with my car. LOLOL
Quiet (road noise)
Decent ride

Cons:
Steering response is slower than other HP tires I've had. (I've added a few lbs of air which doesn't alleviate the problem, but it helps.)
If that's the only trade-off, I'll take it!!

 

Running 3/4 of the year on 225/45r17 Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 and winter 205/55r16 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. Will continue with these 2 when time to replace them. 2011 Mazda3 S

 

How is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, it was what I intended to get originally, but Costco I went did not have that plus they have a special deal of $70 off for any set of 4 Michelin tires, didn't want to pass that up and went ahead got myself the premier A/S. Total including tax and fees plus Nitrogen air only cost me around $580. Is also my first new set of tires since I bought my 3 brand new. Stock tire lasted me 5 years 55k miles, I think it was Bridgestone Ecopia or something.

That continental dws tire sounds kind of like what I am experiencing with my Michelin premier A/S.

Overall so far I still don't know if I am regretting or glad getting them. Generally when I drive my car I like to be able to feel the road/traction and cornering more than comfort. But after driving with loud road noise on the 3 for so long that I also kind of wish for quiet type of tires sometimes. Well the next time I need to replace tires I have some ideas. Thank you for all the feedback and suggestions, more suggestions still welcome!!

 

The way I see it, you don't need a full-on HP tire for daily driving. You need confidence in the tires that are on the car. Confidence that they will grip when needed in a straight line and in the turns. That they will help stop the car should a panic situation be necessary. The Conti's have done all that and more for me, IMO. The car still rides hard and bumps can still be quite jolting. But I don't blame that on the tires so much as the design of the suspension.
The 3 is not built for a good ride anyway, or is it insulted from road noise all that well. The H&R springs installed on mine made it even worse. The Conti's soften the blow a bit is all.

 

You have a valid point. When it comes down to it, as long as the tire is safe (good grib on the road) and the price is decent, is all I ask for out of the tires for my car. But sometimes I just can't help it to wonder but what if I have gotten this tire instead, will I like it more?

 

My wife's 2013 Civic is clad with Michelin Defender 205/55/16 which is a good daily driver tire for her 30 mile highway travel in DC Beltway Traffic. Handles well in the rain and we will see how they do in the snow this winter. Panic stops are very controlled so she is quite happy with them. One thing in DC traffic you want great tires and Brakes.

I rather give up the mileage that the Defenders offer for increased traction in corners that the Pilot Sports AS3 provide. At 65 I might consider the new Nitto NT 555G2 if they offer it in 225/45/17 but its really geared towards the Camaro and Mustang GT in 19" or 20" wheels. We will see in November when the are released. I'm not one to hold on to my tires to get the max mileage out of them....when they start slipping and slidding in wet weather I begin to look for replacements. Other people will continue to put up with the loss of traction and drive slower to be safe...me I'll throw on new rubber and zoom!!

 

As to your last question, I really couldn't say whether or not you'd like the Conti's over the Michelins better. Probably not, but I have no experience with that partcular model, or even modern Michie's so I couldn't say. I was, as asked, expressing my opinion of the tires I'm running and are happy with now. My wife is on her second set, and the difference in her car (2006 Vibe) was also like night and day. I will likely go back to the Conti's when these wear out too.
I will say that at the time I was getting a little tired of crappy tires on the car and so I was looking for the best all-around alternative I could find. It's always a bit of a crap shoot anyway. Even the Kumho's (ASX's) I had on before rated pretty well, and a few people I talked to said they liked them. But the absolutely sucked on my car.
I looked at Michelins then too. I forget the model that rated similarly to the Conti's at that time, but do remember them costing about another $25(+/-) per tire.