Tire Help
 

Hi,

I have a 2006 Mazda 5 with 38K miles. At 21K, a tire took a nail and it tore up the tire. I bought a Kumho tire for $150. We noticed a whooshing sound while driving so I took it to a dealer yesterday. He showed me that the Kumho (front passenger side) is totally unevenly worn and he said it needed to be replaced. He also said the other tires had to go. So, two questions for gurus:

1) Did the Kumho do this or maybe it was alignment? I know I will get a new alignment when I buy the new set of tires. Do I go back to the Goodyear place and tell the Kumho is crap?

2) What kind of tires should I get? The manual says P205/55R1689H or P205/50R1789V. The original tires seem too small to me, should I get something different?

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks,

Humberto

Hey Humberto, welcome to the club. :)


1. when was the last time your car was aligned? Was the old tire wearing weird, or did this all start with the Kumho? What did the wear look like (were the outside treads more worn, or...?) I've had pretty good luck with Kumhos on my Miata.

2: I got a set of BFGoodrich KDW2s for my Protege5, and liked 'em so much that I bought a set for my other car...and I even talked my mom into getting a set for her Jag!
I don't know much about tire sizing and the Mazda5, so I can't really help you out with that one...sorry.

>1. when was the last time your car was aligned?

Never.

>Was the old tire wearing weird, or did this all start with the Kumho?

Started with the Kumho. My wife was driving it when she hit the nail and she may well have taken some pretty hard bumps (there's railroad track by our house) on a flat front tire. I guess I should have aligned right then, but the tire guy didn't suggest it and I didn't think of it.

>What did the wear look like (were the outside treads more worn, or...?) I've had pretty good luck with Kumhos on my Miata.

About 2 inches on the inside (near the engine) part of the tire was really wavy. You could feel it and even see it.

H

Just joined the club. I don't own a 5 but I've wanting to get one, but I do know a little something about cars and tires.

Few things to check about the worn tire if you're so inclined: was each tire pressure properly inflated? Was the Kumho the same size as the others? Was the rim bent? Any suspension damage (ie, ball joint) from hitting bumps near the railroad track? Not that you should know about these things (except tire pressure), that's what the mechanics are supposed to tell you, not you tell them. I feel it's odd to just change 1 tire, especially considering the other have 38k miles on it already. At least change 2 (either front or rear) so it's even.

Regarding changing tire size, what do you mean they seem too small? The diameter is too small or the sidewall too thin? If you think the sidewall is too thin you can probably get taller sidewall tires (to a degree). The tires should maintain the original diameter as to maintain the same rolling distance and the speedometer and odometer won't be off. The tires you mentioned are 16" and 17". You can't swap between 16" and 17" unless you change the rims as well. Your 5 came with EITHER 16" or 17", but both sizes are available from the factory so that's what the manual was referring to.

Thanks for the feedback.

I did a bunch of research and learned about tires and sizes. Eventually, I bought a set of Falken ZIEX 512s. They are 235/50RR17 and the original tires were 205/50R17. It was a weird experience with a Discount Tire dealer. I ordered the Falkens and made an appt. When my wife got there, they said they didn't have them, but they would put a set of Continentals on that cost more. She said OK. I looked at Consumer Reports and they did not like the Contis. They loved the Falkens. We finally decided that if you take the time to do all this research, you might as well stick to it. So, we took it back and they put the Falkens on. I am very happy with them. I know I'm going 3 mph faster than what the speedo says, but it seems to handle and ride better. No snow now, so we'll see what happens in the snow.

I still have a bit of a mystery though. The wheel alignment guy (at a Midas) told me the car is not out of alignment. He said the frame could be bent and that I should take it to the dealer. We still need to do this. Can you think of any other reason besides alignment for scalloped wear on two tires on the passenger side?

Not that it answers your question, but how do 235 tires look on the car? That sounds really awesome. How is the ride quality? Does the steering pull you around or anything with those tires? When I ran 215 (stock is 195 for me) it pulled around a lot (like slow speeds coming to a light it would track grooves in the pavement), but I didn't know if it was just the tires.

Be glad you got away from Continentals when given the chance, they've always been bad news for me. Meanwhile, those specific Falkens always get rave reviews.

Neither my wife nor I are particularly aggressive drivers, but she just agreed with me that rides it better than before. The real issue is going to be how it does in the snow. The original Toyo tires were terrible. I got stuck in my alley twice and my Civic had no problem. I also think the tires look really nice.

Going from 205 to 235 tires is a pretty big jump. Plus they didn't change the aspect ratio, which means you now have taller sidewalls. Usually taller sidewall is considered a less sporty look, but plusher ride and slightly less aggressive handling response. Going from Toyo or Kumho to Falken, you may have picked up extra ride and/or handling so going by sidewall height alone doesn't tell the whole story. If your wife likes the ride and handling, that's what really counts. One thing I did notice is these are directional tires, so you can't rotate left/right.

If both passenger tires are wearing similarly unevenly, it doesn't sound likely that alignment is the issue. Bent frame can possibly be a cause, or worn suspension parts (as suggested here: http://www.procarcare.com/includes/c...dtirewear.html). Or it still could be an alignment issue, but you rotated the tires front to back so however it's worn on one end also wore out the rotated tire.