New Tire Question
 

I have a 2005 Mazda3 2.3l and it is time for new tires. I am not concerned with high performance or anything and just reliability. I drive mainly on the highway and was wondering if it is okay to ditch the low-profile tires and move to regular tires. If this is possible what type should I get? I am ditching the low-profile tires because they are expensive and typically only give around 30,000 miles before they need to be replaced. I drive about 100 miles per day so it sucks having to drop $500-$600 every year on tires.

Any responses are appreciated,
BJ Hayden

You're smart! The 17" wheels look cool and make your car handle somewhat better--these are their big advantages. But, yes, low profile tires cost much more, usually wear out more quickly, ride harder, and make the suspension system work harder. Also, they transfer more of the "slam" from a pot hole hit to the wheel, which is why you often see so many damaged larger wheels in tire/wheel shops. Wider/low profile tires are usually not the best for winter use, either.

If you are mostly interested in using your car for commuting, get a set of stock 15 inch steel wheels; there are many good 195/65 R15 tires available. If you still want to keep most of the looks and handling of the larger wheels, you can get some nice 15" alloy wheels. Then get tires with stiffer sidewalls, like the Bridgestone RE960. These are very good tires, do not cost an arm & leg, and will improve handling while still giving good tire life. (Michelin's Pilot Exalto is another great tire in this size.)

Just to mention, Dunlop makes a very good inexpensive all season tire that works very well in snow, has a 70k mile life and is low cost: SP60. Will not handle as well as the RE960 or Exalto, but not bad, long life, great wet/dry/winter traction--and inexpensive.

I drive 500 miles per week and have experience with many tires, including the above tires.

The smallest wheel you can go with for the 2.3L engine is a 16", a 15" wheel will not fit around the brakes.

Buy some Nitto Neogens. They're inexpensive and very highly rated I run them.

Good point on the brake size... 15" wheels are fine on my Mazda3 2.0L. Tirerack.com has a good website to check proper fitment. Select your car and see what wheels and tires fit.

The 2 liter has small rotors than the 2.3.

Is that still the case with the newest Mazda3's? Because the 2.0 3i comes standard with 15" wheels, but if you get the 2.0 Touring Value Edition, it comes standard with 17" wheels.

Perhaps. Check into it for us.

The BF Goodrich G-force...there are three styles all serve slightly different purposes. High performance, all season and something else...anyhow I got the mid priced one the G-Force Sport...they're great. Not super expensive (over the internet) road noise is minimal... handling is the best I've ever seen out of a "normal" tire. Mine have lasted me about 45,000 miles and replacement isn't too far off.

Yes. The TVE comes with bigger wheels, not bigger brakes. Those are still different between the 2.0 and 2.3.

I use 16" wheels with 205 55 16 tires for winter instead of the 205 50 17 that are the stock size for my 2.3. When I go to the taller sidewall I notice a definite difference in the handling and even a little wander in the car. I dont know if it is due to the blizzak tred, but I sure can't wait to get the 17's back on.

Nokian WR-G2 all season tires
 

I just put these on my 2007 2.3L 5-door, and they're fantastic. I kept my rims and got the 205/50/17 size. The tires are from Finland and can be hard to find in the States and rather pricey (pays to call around local places to get the best deal). Nokian specializes in winter tires, and they are well-regarded as the best in the world. The company also uses "green" canola oils in the manufacturing process, if that's important to you.

They're quieter and more comfortable than my Eagle RSAs, with equivalent dry-handling from what I can tell. Where these tires beat the snot out of every other all-season is the snow and slush. They carry the government's severe service emblem (snowflake on a mountain), just like a winter tire would. I've never seen another all-season tire that had this. I believe they are made from an all-season compound, so they have a treadwear warranty of 50k miles and can be driven in the summer without excessive wear. But they have an aggressive tread-pattern for snow, mud, and slush.

It's been snowing here in Wisconsin the last couple weeks, so I've had a chance to test them out. They're not stellar on ice, you'd need a super-soft winter compound if you plan to regularly drive on ice, not an all season. But they're far more sure-footed in the snow than the stock RSAs (then again, what wouldn't be). What I like about these is that if you live in a non-remote, urbanish area that gets plowed regularly and do lots of highway driving, these tires don't feel mushy and sloppy on dry pavement or high speeds. They make somewhat of a compromise in the snow vs. dedicated winter tires, but unless you're plowing through 1-2 feet of powder on a regular basis I doubt you'll have a problem. Nokian developed these as winter tires that could be driven all year, not an all-season with some snow capability. I plan on leaving these on year round.

Bottom line: these tires promise the best of all worlds, and they come closer to delivering that than any other tire I've looked at. They're not cheap, but have excellent long-term value. I'm really glad I put these on my car, they makes driving so much more pleasant. Check the web, you'll find similarly glowing reviews.