Looking for some input on new tires for my Mazda6. OEM size is 225/45 R19;s. I live in Mn and need to get some good tires, ones that will get me through the snow in the winter. I am open to all suggestions. Be it summer vs winter tires and rims to a solid set of all seasons. I am not too lazy to research this on my own as I will be but would like to know what some of you folks have used that live in northern/snowy states

Thanks!

 

My recommendation is that you use TireRack for research, if not as a place to buy tires. I have Michelin X-Ice 3 on my Mazda 3 for the winter and I am waiting for the stock tires to wear out before I buy summer tires. (I have 75,000 miles on the car and both sets are in great shape.)

While I have not had any issues with my tires, I will still defer to TireRack when I make my next purchase. I would prefer to base the decision on their larger sample size and expert reviews.

 

Yep, my research so far has definitely included Tire Rack. When looking at them, I am leaning to separate wheels/tires for winter along with them being a smaller size. ie 16 or 17 inch vs 19.

Thanks!

 

The smaller the wheels the better winter traction and pothole survival. The narrower the tread, the better winter traction. You need to make sure you get wheels that are large enough to clear the brakes. I worked from TireRack's recommended winter wheel/tire combinations for my Mazda. From the list of wheel options, I picked one that matched as closely as possible to the width and offset of the existing wheels and made sure that the total diameter of the tire was as close to original as possible. I am not sure if I had to go to this level of similarity but figured it could not hurt.

The wheels I bought cost a little more than the cheapest steel wheels but look like they could be stock (to anyone who does not know what a stock Mazda wheel looks like.) The wheels were Sport Edition and they have held up extremely well for the 3 seasons I have had them so far.

 

I have Yokohama Advan Sport All Seasons on my mazda 6 and it handles great.

While I live in WA and don't see the same kind of snow you do they did OK (I didn't really test them out as I was in the car with my wife/baby) on about 2-3 inches of freshly fallen snow that was ontop of compact snow/ice.

Felt responsive but again didn't really test it.

 

My favorite tire is Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 225/45ZR19 92W - $188.99

DWS stands for dry/wet/snow BUT really this is a REALLY GOOD high performance all season tire and I would not recommend using for the winter.

You can buy 17" wheels and winter tires.

I always get my local tire dealer to match the prices at
www.tiresdirect.net

Good LUck.