[kms1990]

If you vote please post a reason for your vote, I want to know why you suggest I get the set of tires you voted for, Thank you



I am looking for tires and have posted a poll and links to all the products mentioned in the poll, please vote if you have had and liked a certain tire in the poll or know someone who has. I need a well rounded tire that's not overly loud but I am willing to sacrifice quiet for handling and longevity basically there is the triangle of tires and you get 2 but not 3 quiet, long lasting, good all around grip (wet,dry) pick 2 of those or suggest a tire that has something I am looking for. I have experience with many tires such as the Michelin a/s3 and liked that one hated the yokohama yk580 if that gives you a baseline of what I am looking for. I am on a budget so a/s3's and a/s3+'s maybe out of my price range at this time but the a/s3+ will be in the poll. I currently have firestone firehawk wide oval a.s on the car (bought car with them) they are still really new but they sound horrible especially at low speeds and don't grip well at all, so they just are not doing it for me, if they where loud and gave great grip ok great, if they where quiet and gave the grip they give now, again fine but the combo as it is SUCKS! so please vote and if none in the poll are to your liking please vote other and post the other suggestion, Thanks

Below are links to every tire I listed in the poll, all of which I have thought about, but cannot make up my mind on spending limit, brand etc. so I am asking for opinions and suggestions, sticking with all seasons please as I live in texas and it does get cold enough here (right now we are 36 degree) to make summer tires not work well for a few months, but we do not get much snow/ice so that is the lowest priority in my all seasons, just mainly need them due to cold temps for 3 or so months a year I do want good dry and wet grip and If the tire is noisy but grips awesome so be it, if its quiet and is good at grip that's fine, I just don't want loud and no grip together like the firestones on it now.

continental extreme contact dws06: Continental*ExtremeContact DWS 06

Michelin pilot sport a/s3+: Michelin*Pilot Sport A/S 3+ (W- or Y-Speed Rated)

Kumho Ecsta 4x2 : Kumho*Ecsta 4X II

sumitomo htr a/s p02: Sumitomo*HTR A/S P02 (W-Speed Rated)

Hankook Ventus s1 noble2: Hankook*Ventus S1 noble2

Falken Pro g4 a/s: http://www.discounttire.com/en/buy-tires/falken-pro-g4-a-s/p/28530

Continnetial Control Contactsport a/s: http://www.discounttire.com/en/buy-tires/continental-control-contact-sport-a-s/p/19183

Goodyear Eagle sport a/s: http://www.discounttire.com/en/buy-tires/goodyear-eagle-sport-a-s/p/17097

Bridgestone potenza re97 a/s: http://www.discounttire.com/en/buy-tires/bridgestone-potenza-re97-a-s/p/15463

If I reply and you feel it was negative I am not trying to argue on this thread just put things out in a logical manner and explain anything someone asks or suggest to me, Thanks

 

[Chazzy J]

As always, I recommend Conti DWS 06. However, since you're in Ft Worth, I highly doubt you'll be able to take advantage of the "snow" part of DWS (DryWetSnow). But I can attest they worked great during my 35 mile commute to work in snow. I've got them on my 18s and 19s -- that's how much I love them. Fairly quiet tire too

 

[kms1990]

As always, I recommend Conti DWS 06. However, since you're in Ft Worth, I highly doubt you'll be able to take advantage of the "snow" part of DWS (DryWetSnow). But I can attest they worked great during my 35 mile commute to work in snow. I've got them on my 18s and 19s -- that's how much I love them. Fairly quiet tire too

yeah the dws 06 seems to be popular around here Im just kinda at the point where im not sure if ordering tires online is the way to go as warranty if I get a road hazard I could imagine would be a nightmare I really only have one car I could use my dad's truck if needed but I drive from site to site at work and 30 miles one way to work 5 days a week so a few days without my car is a lot and so is the extra gas money his truck would eat driving that 200-400+ miles, discount can get them for me though. I almost want to stick with a tire that a place like discount that has many locations and good hours, stocks regularly at a store somewhere close by so if I do have a problem with one I can get another quick instead of having to prorate and spend more on a different set. I can do most all the regular repair on my car with a jack in the driveway or wait til the weekend and drop the car at a shop, but tire stuff many times cant wait and I don't have a tire machine at the house so....

I also have a touch of anxiety and that leads to worry about anything that breaks on the car causing more issues and it snowballing etc, I usually keep this at bay by fixing the issue myself and saying no to anything else at the shop if I have to take it in before I see that it is broken or needs replacement for myself. I am mechanically inclined so that helps a lot but sometimes tools or space is too limited in the driveway or time is a factor so a shop is needed. I have a couple of shops I can trust one does tire installs but charges each time you need a rotation or balance (local joes mechanic type shop, but honest guys) and that's something I don't want to deal with $30 every 5000-7500 miles pay more for rotation and balance when I can get discount to do it for the life of the tire for that same price.

I worry about things too much and I know this but so far nothing has helped so I will just be ocd I guess forever

 

[Road Trip]

Conti DWS 06's are terrific tires. Can not go wrong with them.

However, I voted for the Michelin A/S 3+ for they are an outstanding tire also, and have hsd duccess after success with Michelin tires on many different vehicles of mine. Until that changes, will continue to buy Michelins. Here's TireRack' comparison of the two.

 

[stevenvillatoro]

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ gets my vote. It ticks all the right boxes for superb well-rounded performance, comfort, and longevity. After reading and watching every current online review, I called and talked to three different people at Tire Rack who each emphatically stated that the competitive Continentals and Pirellis were nowhere close to the Michelin in this tire category, comparatively speaking. On sale this month at Costco, BTW.

I wish somebody would try these Michelins on the 2017 Mazda3 for a direct comparison with the Dunlops. I'd bump up to 225s, for sure.

 

[BrianU]

BFGoodrich G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S

 

[kms1990]

BFGoodrich G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S

I guess I should have stated that in my original post but I had a set of these on my 08 3 that just would never balance. I had to go back and have them balanced 5x in less then 5,000 miles because they violently shook if I went above 70mph on them, we tried many balances at different places, (oddly every place said the last place balanced them wrong) I went to a wheel specialist to have my wheels checked for bends or other out of round issues, none where found, and I had the whole suspension and steering system looked at, and nothing was found out of spec. only did getting them off and replacing them with another brand of tire did my issues get resolved. That and FIRESTONE branded tires are the 2 I will not consider. BRIDGESTONE I will as they get better reviews then firestones but those comp a/s 2s will never be on another car I own ever again. I don't know if the tread pattern caused the wheel to move as I went down the many grooved highways here, or if it was just a bad design that had too much tread squirm, or if it was indeed and internal issue with the tires, but I was a test guinea pig with them as I got them right as they came out, no reviews yet at all. if you look at reviews of that tire on their site or any other tire store site that posts reviews you can see many people with the same issues I had with that tire. It maybe the first few runs had a defect and I got a bad set, but the way bfgoodrich handled the warranty (claiming my car was broken when I had evidence it clearly was not) and me and the manager of the NTB I had them installed at fighting with them over the phone about it left a bad taste in my mouth and I don't know that I will ever buy bfgoodrich branded stuff anymore because of it. Michelin owns Bfgoodrich but they operate separately, and the Michelin side is much better. I had some a/s3s on an older car that did not last til the warrantied mileage, the sales rep called Michelin they asked if I had the tires routinly rotated as I did and they stated that and the Michelin reps said ok, that's all we need give him the prorated mileage warranty and I went back with the a/s3s again because they stood behind their product. I have only ever had 1 set of a/s3s not last til close to 45k or even longer

 

[kms1990]

Conti DWS 06's are terrific tires. Can not go wrong with them.

However, I voted for the Michelin A/S 3+ for they are an outstanding tire also, and have hsd duccess after success with Michelin tires on many different vehicles of mine. Until that changes, will continue to buy Michelins. Here's TireRack' comparison of the two.

Yeah I have had many sets of the a/s3s and so has my dad on several cars I know they are great tires and agree. I had 1 set not last till the warrantied mileage, but after a quick call to Michelin and them confirming my rotations where regular they told the shop to prorate them (as they where at 2/32nds) and I went with another set of the a/s3s I mainly am looking at other sets due to money. the a/s3+ is between $148 and $165 a tire for this car, I want to see if there is another set that costs less that can perform near them or adequately enough for my commute to work at 70mph or so. with a few fast on/off ramp takes and some hard corners (mainly just commuting though)

 

[BrianU]

I guess I should have stated that in my original post but I had a set of these on my 08 3 that just would never balance. I had to go back and have them balanced 5x in less then 5,000 miles because they violently shook if I went above 70mph on them, we tried many balances at different places, (oddly every place said the last place balanced them wrong) I went to a wheel specialist to have my wheels checked for bends or other out of round issues, none where found, and I had the whole suspension and steering system looked at, and nothing was found out of spec. only did getting them off and replacing them with another brand of tire did my issues get resolved. That and FIRESTONE branded tires are the 2 I will not consider. BRIDGESTONE I will as they get better reviews then firestones but those comp a/s 2s will never be on another car I own ever again. I don't know if the tread pattern caused the wheel to move as I went down the many grooved highways here, or if it was just a bad design that had too much tread squirm, or if it was indeed and internal issue with the tires, but I was a test guinea pig with them as I got them right as they came out, no reviews yet at all. if you look at reviews of that tire on their site or any other tire store site that posts reviews you can see many people with the same issues I had with that tire. It maybe the first few runs had a defect and I got a bad set, but the way bfgoodrich handled the warranty (claiming my car was broken when I had evidence it clearly was not) and me and the manager of the NTB I had them installed at fighting with them over the phone about it left a bad taste in my mouth and I don't know that I will ever buy bfgoodrich branded stuff anymore because of it. Michelin owns Bfgoodrich but they operate separately, and the Michelin side is much better. I had some a/s3s on an older car that did not last til the warrantied mileage, the sales rep called Michelin they asked if I had the tires routinly rotated as I did and they stated that and the Michelin reps said ok, that's all we need give him the prorated mileage warranty and I went back with the a/s3s again because they stood behind their product. I have only ever had 1 set of a/s3s not last til close to 45k or even longer

I have the BFGoodrich G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S on my wifes 2007 V6 Accord coupe. Just around 5000 miles and back from a trip from Houston to ST Louis and back. I picked these tires because of the feedback on the TireRack and couldn't be happier. They are quite,didn't seem to impact fuel mileage 27.5 -28.5Mpg on the freeway, great in the Houston rain and performed very well in the sleet and freezing rain in the upper midwest.

Everyone has different experiences with tires and it's sure possible that you recieved a bad tire or two. If I had the same experience as you and the seller wouldn't take them back for a replacement set I would NEVER again by from that manufacture or seller, so I undertand your decision. I've never heard a bad word about the Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

 

[kms1990]

I have the BFGoodrich G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S on my wifes 2007 V6 Accord coupe. Just around 5000 miles and back from a trip from Houston to ST Louis and back. I picked these tires because of the feedback on the TireRack and couldn't be happier. They are quite,didn't seem to impact fuel mileage 27.5 -28.5Mpg on the freeway, great in the Houston rain and performed very well in the sleet and freezing rain in the upper midwest.

Everyone has different experiences with tires and it's sure possible that you recieved a bad tire or two. If I had the same experience as you and the seller wouldn't take them back for a replacement set I would NEVER again by from that manufacture or seller, so I undertand your decision. I've never heard a bad word about the Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

yeah, It may have been a bad set, and I am fairly sure that's what it was, NTB did work with me but that particular shop I do not know if I will go back to anymore. I had to poke and prod pretty hard to get them to do anything, they (the corporation, NTBs are corporate, not franchised) make millions upon millions a year and this guy acts like he cant afford to refund me or help me out on another set. I understand it affects the bottom line when I return a bad set of tires and want a refund, or discount on another set, but its not the end of the world. That's how he acted though. I understand the higher ups give you quotas and you HAVE to meet them at a regular basis or they will find someone else who will. I was willing to pay for the new tires and install, just wanted a discount to help since I had just bought a set and they wont balance, and you have documentation of this. Finally he got BFG on the phone and after me and him arguing with them for 45 minutes they agreed to buy back 2 tires at 100% and 2 at 50%, well that works that's in the middle of what I wanted, it wasn't thathard man. But BFGs stipulation was I had to get another set of BFG or Michelin tires so I went with Michelin pilot sport a/s3 and they where great, as the several sets of them I had in the past where. I went with different ones that time because they where a better price, and similar warranty and the sales guy said they are the new tires from bfg and supposed to outperform the a/s3 I did not see them out performing the a/s3 even if they had not vibrated and not balanced they grip well and steering and braking response was good but the a/s3 was a notch better. the a/s3+ is supposed to be better compounds according to Michelin reps so better cold and wet grip, which it already had wet grip like no other a/s I have had. snow I did not know as texas get 1 snow storm every few years and the roads ice, so driving is almost impossible when that happens anyways

Things I learned from that experience 1: Discount tire is more willing to help when you have an issue with their tires 2: BFG hates to warranty things, but Michelin does not (dealt with warranty through Michelin before) 3: don't listen to a sales guy even if he doesn't get commission as they stand behind a counter for a living and probably know nothing about the stuff they sell in the real world, just the marketing BS the manufacturers and corporation they work for feed them.

That's why I am here with a poll this time, getting feedback from mazda 3 owners of a similar demographic to me as to which tires have worked well for how the car drives, how they drive it , and their overall experience with the tire(s) so I can glean info from people like myself and go in knowing what I want. The a/s3+ is what I am slowly leaning towards but the dws 06 looks like a fantastic tire that maybe up to or above the a/s3 tier and costs a little less then they do. but I am keeping options open right now to see what people recommend

 

[stevenvillatoro]

Rather than look at the initial cost of the tire, you may want to consider its expected longevity as a better basis for value.

 

[GANC3]

I voted DWS 06 because I love them on my Audi and I think they are a lot of tire for the money. However, the A/S3+ is also an excellent tire. I also have the Goodyear Eagle Sport All Seasons on my Mazda, they were a warranty replacement for my Horrendous OEM Dunlop SP500s. They seem like a fantastic tire so far, but I haven't even had them for a tank of gas yet so too early to recommend.

 

[BrianU]

I went with different ones that time because they where a better price, and similar warranty and the sales guy said they are the new tires from bfg and supposed to outperform the a/s3 I did not see them out performing the a/s3 even if they had not vibrated and not balanced they grip well and steering and braking response was good but the a/s3 was a notch better. the a/s3+ is supposed to be better compounds according to Michelin reps so better cold and wet grip, which it already had wet grip like no other a/s I have had. snow I did not know as texas get 1 snow storm every few years and the roads ice, so driving is almost impossible when that happens anyways

Things I learned from that experience 1: Discount tire is more willing to help when you have an issue with their tires 2: BFG hates to warranty things, but Michelin does not (dealt with warranty through Michelin before) 3: don't listen to a sales guy even if he doesn't get commission as they stand behind a counter for a living and probably know nothing about the stuff they sell in the real world, just the marketing BS the manufacturers and corporation they work for feed them.

That's why I am here with a poll this time, getting feedback from mazda 3 owners of a similar demographic to me as to which tires have worked well for how the car drives, how they drive it , and their overall experience with the tire(s) so I can glean info from people like myself and go in knowing what I want. The a/s3+ is what I am slowly leaning towards but the dws 06 looks like a fantastic tire that maybe up to or above the a/s3 tier and costs a little less then they do. but I am keeping options open right now to see what people recommend

After living in the Houston Texas area for 26 years I've learned NOT to drive in any snow, sleet or freezing rain around here unless you want someone to hit you.

My criteria for tires are an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire that can take the heat and Texas deluge when it “rains”! My replacement tires on my old 2007 Accord V6 6-speed were the General G-MAX AS-03s, another older Ultra High Performance All-Season tire. Overall good tires but the g-Force COMP-2 A/S are newer model and are working well for me on my wife’s Accord. I always carry my Discount Tire card with me!

Read the reviews and make your best decision!

My Mazda6 Touring manual, G-MAX AS-03s on my old 2007 Accord V6 6-speed sedan, my wifes Accord with the g-Force COMP-2 A/S in Saint Peters, MO a couple of weeks ago!

 

[kms1990]

Rather than look at the initial cost of the tire, you may want to consider its expected longevity as a better basis for value.

great point, and I have. I know about how long a/s3 tires last and put up tires with similar ratings for lifespan according to their manufacturers warranties for treadlife. I am doing this to see if I can get a better bang for the buck then the a/s3 which I already know well. like say the kumho ecsta 4x2 in the poll which is a 40,000 mile warranty tire lasts that long but costs me $85 a tire where as the Michelin pilot sport a/s 3 is 45,000 mile warranty and lasts about that long for me usually which would be the better value on life alone? the kumho by about 45% as I would get about 5,000 less miles out of them but I could buy 2 sets for the price of 1 set of the $161 a tire Michelins. price per mile is not my biggest concern, if the a/s3+ is the best choice all around then I will get it, I am looking for what my best option is in cost, treadlife, overall grip in wet and dry, cornering manners, steering feel and noise. the Michelins tick all but the cost for me, so I am asking opinions of our fellow forum members to see if there is a better choice whether due to price or grip or noise. I want a grippy tire that is not overly loud (I understand grip usually means louder tire, but not always) but noise is not the primary concern either overall grip and tire performance is the biggest thing I am after here, then noise and cost. the firestones on the car now are noisy all the time and never grip well and on center feel is mushy, if a tire is loud like these but grips and feels better through my steering wheel so be it that's a fine tire to me. but if its loud like the ones now, and lacks grip again like mine now, then we have a problem no matter the initial cost.

I also want to ensure I get a tire I can go buy again and get the same consistent quality. that should be a no brainer but many tires are not like this. take the comp a/s 2 mentioned earlier I got a set that vibrated and would never balance right, many others are happy with them, yet there are also reviews with similar issues like I had. That tells me there is a manufacturing issue with these tires not coming off the line consistently from run to run. I want to avoid this

 

[kms1990]

After living in the Houston Texas area for 26 years I've learned NOT to drive in any snow, sleet or freezing rain around here unless you want someone to hit you.

My criteria for tires are an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire that can take the heat and Texas deluge when it “rains”!

good criteria as I had yokohama yk580s on an old protégé 5 that where terrible in a drizzle I spun the car in an avoidance maneuver, thank god I did not hit anyone or anything, lady cut over from a lane that was ending and cut me off. So yes that's kinda what I am after myself as I am just further north in the DFW area so similar weather patterns (you guys get more humidity though eck) we also need just a touch of cold weather prowess in our tires too as it is snowing and 25 degrees as I type this, granted its not sticking to the roads yet but that means ice later! so you need tires to handle a smidgen of that as well, and I am not about to but 2 sets of tires and wheels to switch for the seasons or as we say here the week or so of winter. that would be a waste of time, effort and money

by the way those g max's are mean looking tires I would be afraid of the same issues as the comp 2 a/s though as they look similar. I was looking at those on tire rack myself

 

[DMshadow]

DWS06, only had them for about 2k but much quieter (have catback exhuast so overall noise is relative to speed) but they handle great and are a decent weight if that matters to you. I don't get snow but would recommend.

 

[GANC3]

DWS 06 does fantastic in the snow. There is a video out there somewhere of my Audi with those tires on it doing a quattro vs 4matic, X drive etc.

 

[BrianU]

by the way those g max's are mean looking tires I would be afraid of the same issues as the comp 2 a/s though as they look similar. I was looking at those on tire rack myself

The Gmaxs had about 35,000 miles on them in that picture; overall a very good tire with no drone.

 

[Rdrokit]

Not sure if these are available in your country but all the new Mercedes and BMWs are shoed with this tire in Thailand. I put some on my 3 and it the quietest tire I have ever had and I have been driving for over 50 years.

 

[kms1990]

DWS06, only had them for about 2k but much quieter (have catback exhuast so overall noise is relative to speed) but they handle great and are a decent weight if that matters to you. I don't get snow but would recommend.

idont get snow either, we got a"snowstorm" yesterday that dusted the grass and stuck to a few untreated bridges but that was it and thats usually all it ever is here.