New tires for 2010 Mazda 6

[Ddub]

Hi BITOG, My older son is using our 2010 Mazda 6 while he is in college. He's a sophomore and the car has about 75K well maintained miles on it. Current tires are a Discount Tire exclusive Yokohama (can't remember the designation right now, YK something I think) that we put on several years ago when it was my wife's car. It has been a serviceable tire that will wear out a little prior to its treadlife warranty so we'll get a small warranty consideration when replacing. The car will need new tires within the next few months, and I want to replace them with a mid-tier mid-priced A/S touring tire with a decent treadlife warranty. The car will spend most of its time in AZ and TX, so snow performance is really not a high priority for me right now. If he keeps this car after graduation he'll be paying to maintain it, so this will most likely be the last set of tires I buy for it. In size 215/55-17 and purchasing from Discount Tire, I'm thinking about the following as they all meet my criteria: - Cooper Evolution Tour $99, 60K warranty - Falken Sincera SN250 $102, 75K warranty - Nokian Entyre 2.0 $105, 80K warranty I've owned a set of Copper Zeons on a different car once that were great but wore out very quickly, otherwise the Falkens and Nokians would be new to me. I'm also open to other suggestions as long as the cost is $120 or less per tire and the treadwear warranty is at least 60K miles. Any opinions on the 3 tires I am considering or other alternatives that fit my criteria? I'd prefer 1st hand knowledge/experience if possible. Thank you.

 

[krzyss]

Out of these Nokian. They make decent tires but their winter ones have super premium pricing. Krzys

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I was considering the Nokian 2.0 for my vehicle but it seems to have a reputation for quicker wear vs. some of the competition that's affirmed by a couple consumer rags. A tire that has impressed me in the roughly $95-$100 price range in your size is the Nexen AH8...replacement not OEM...and that might be worth looking into. I put these on my commuter car earlier this year and I've been impressed by both the ride/handling combination and the value proposition of quality vs. price. I believe there's a 70K mile warranty. These tires are supposedly good performing wet/light snow tires for all seasons so that might add to the value choice versus something else....although being TX and AZ, it likely wouldn't matter unless it's being driven in a place like Flagstaff.

 

[LazyDog]

You might want to look at General AS-05.

 

[SatinSilver]

I have the Nokian eNTYRE now, not the 2.0 just the regular one. It does wear very fast. Starts out at 11mm per the Amazon info(if that's correct). Per the built-in tread-wear indicators I have 5.5 mm left after 15 mos/23k miles. Price was right when I bought them for size 205/55R16, $48 with no rebates to deal with. Now the price is around $68-72. So I may only get two years out of these tires since I need decent tread for winter time. The sidewall is very stiff so the tires seem very durable. The downside is the ride is a bit stiff and hitting the smallest of bumps in the road is felt. It's almost like the tire crashes over the bumps, kind of jarring. Even reviews mention this with cars that have a very soft suspension but these tires make the car ride like a work truck. It has many good aspects like traction in the snow but I'll prob opt for something different next time. I wanted to like these tires a lot more than I do. Oh well at least no more white knuckle rides when the snow comes like I had with the previous Hankooks, 5 yrs/65k miles on those. Out of the 3 options I'd go with the new Cooper. However, I think I'd go for the Kumho Solus TA31 for $75/tire with a 60k warranty. Good reviews also. https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/kumho-solus-ta31/p/10513

 

[AZjeff]

No 1st hand experience with the tires you list but a fatherly heads up, you didn't mention where he is in Az but if he ever was to go to Prescott or Flagstaff in the winter months snow is a possibility and when the roads get bad they can stay bad for a while. A tire that doesn't suck on bad roads would be nice. I find Tirerack reviews to be more helpful than what's on Discounttire FWIW.

 

[SirTanon]

I don't know why it was that your Cooper Zeons wore out quickly, but I have had quite the opposite experience with mine. My 2010 Fusion (somewhat similar platform to the Mazda 6) has had the same set of Cooper Zeon RS3-A tires on it now for approximately 31 months, and 52,000 miles, and they show no signs of stopping. At last check, they were between 5/32" and 6/32", too. I get them rotated roughly ever 10,000 - 12,000 miles, so I'm sure that helps. Keep in mind, the treadwear warranty is 40,000 miles, so I'd say I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of them. At this rate, I expect they'll be good for between 60,000 and 65,000 miles before I replace them around 4/32". If I keep them to 3/32" (probably won't), then I bet I can get 75,000 miles out of them. All the tires you've listed are decent, but if it were me picking them for my car, I'd go with the Coopers. .. also since you mention he'll be doing most of his driving in AZ and TX, I should add that I live in Phoenix, and do all the driving on the Fusion here, including during the 115+ degree summers. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[Ddub]

Originally Posted by AZjeff

No 1st hand experience with the tires you list but a fatherly heads up, you didn't mention where he is in Az but if he ever was to go to Prescott or Flagstaff in the winter months snow is a possibility and when the roads get bad they can stay bad for a while. A tire that doesn't suck on bad roads would be nice. I find Tirerack reviews to be more helpful than what's on Discounttire FWIW.

Good stuff, thank you. He goes to school at ASU in Tempe, but does drive up to Flagstaff infrequently, and has also been to Prescott several times for retreats and other activities. We live in the DFW area, where it rarely snows, but we do typically get a good ice storm once or twice a year that shuts things down for a couple days.

 

[Ddub]

Originally Posted by AZjeff

No 1st hand experience with the tires you list but a fatherly heads up, you didn't mention where he is in Az but if he ever was to go to Prescott or Flagstaff in the winter months snow is a possibility and when the roads get bad they can stay bad for a while. A tire that doesn't suck on bad roads would be nice. I find Tirerack reviews to be more helpful than what's on Discounttire FWIW.

Good stuff, thank you. He goes to school at ASU in Tempe, but does drive up to Flagstaff infrequently, and has also been to Prescott several times for retreats and other activities. We live in the DFW area, where it rarely snows, but we do typically get a good ice storm once or twice a year that shuts things down for a couple days.

Originally Posted by SirTanon

I don't know why it was that your Cooper Zeons wore out quickly, but I have had quite the opposite experience with mine. My 2010 Fusion (somewhat similar platform to the Mazda 6) has had the same set of Cooper Zeon RS3-A tires on it now for approximately 31 months, and 52,000 miles, and they show no signs of stopping. At last check, they were between 5/32" and 6/32", too. I get them rotated roughly ever 10,000 - 12,000 miles, so I'm sure that helps. Keep in mind, the treadwear warranty is 40,000 miles, so I'd say I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of them. At this rate, I expect they'll be good for between 60,000 and 65,000 miles before I replace them around 4/32". If I keep them to 3/32" (probably won't), then I bet I can get 75,000 miles out of them. All the tires you've listed are decent, but if it were me picking them for my car, I'd go with the Coopers. .. also since you mention he'll be doing most of his driving in AZ and TX, I should add that I live in Phoenix, and do all the driving on the Fusion here, including during the 115+ degree summers. Take that for what it's worth.

Hmm. I wish I had the same experience as you did. Good advice, and thank you for sharing. Yes, those 2 cars are very similar. Lots of Ford parts on that Mazda (and vice/versa) and I think they were actually built at the same factory in Michigan if memory serves. I had the Zeons on a 2009 Cadillac DTS and barely got 25K miles out of them. Replaced them with P7s and they were much better wearing if a little less sticky. He lives in Tempe (Fear the Fork!) and we live in the DFW area.

 

[Mr_Joe]

https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us...oduct-sheet/cinturato-p7-all-season-plus I just got a set of these Pirelli Cinturato all-season-plus tires for a Vibe. I'd at least put them in the upper-mid quality level, nice tires. Never been a Cooper fan, just a small step above Uniroyal.

 

[MParr]

Take a look at the Hankook Kinergy ST or the Ventus S1 Noble2. Base your choice on the OE tire specs. The 215/55/17 for the Mazda 6 was either H or V speed rated. You may want to stay in that range of tire.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

See if they can get some Hankook Kinergy H737.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The Cooper CS5 Ultra is $123/tire, but DTD will have their Black Friday sale which will bring the price down a bit, to below your $120 limit It has a 70k warranty and is the Official Tire of BITOG

 

[Ddub]

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog

The Cooper CS5 Ultra is $123/tire, but DTD will have their Black Friday sale which will bring the price down a bit, to below your $120 limit It has a 70k warranty and is the Official Tire of BITOG

Thanks for the suggestion. I am open to that idea, but also, looking into this a little further I am seeing the Continental Pure Contact is very price competitive with the current rebate. This seems like a well reviewed and regarded premium tire at a value price with the rebate.

 

[Ddub]

I've decided to pull the trigger during the the black Friday sales at Discount Tire and am down to 2 choices. Prices listed are for 4 tires installed with road hazard certificates and after all eligible rebates. General Gmax AS-05 (50K warranty UHP tire) = $398.50 Continental True Contact Tour (80K warranty touring tire) = $466 I will listen to any reasonable suggestions, advice, or insights, and (based on previous experience) will assume that the tires will actually last 10%-20% less than the treadware warranty. I am leaning towards the Continental based on a lower $$ per mile and a greater chance of them being the last set of tires I actually put on this car. Thank you, and have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[NO2]

I went to discount tire, and got a strange (and incorrect story) from the sales guy, who seemed confused about both of the tires below. Consumer reports rates these two tires very highly (both made by Continental) Continental PureContact LS - Brand new tire, available at discount but not at the web site. You have to go in to the store. They have a factory $70 rebate through Nov 30. About $475 after rebate, but before any additional markdowns/install/taxes. Has a better warranty too. I'm going to get these for a Honda Accord on Black Friday. (90K miles) General RT43 - No rebate, but very highly rated. We have these in our Subaru and they handle as well as the Michelin Premier A/S we had previously, with greater tread depth. Also about $475. (70-80K miles)

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted by NO2

I went to discount tire, and got a strange (and incorrect story) from the sales guy, who seemed confused about both of the tires below. Consumer reports rates these two tires very highly (both made by Continental) Continental PureContact LS - Brand new tire.....

I wouldn't be too down on the DT counter guy. Having researched Contis recently because of the rebate, imo the naming for Conti Tires is a tad confusing. Another member recently mentioned similar here while looking for tires. And if a new tire and not on their website yet, unsurprising imo it would be unknown to him. New Yoko Avid Ascend GT similar, replaces the previous Yoko Avid Ascend. As long you know what you want, ime they can/will get it for you.

 

[NO2]

That is exactly what happened. DT sales guy confused ProContact with PureContact, and I ordered what I wanted. IDK why Conti has these ridiculously confusing names. They were about $530 out the door with taxes and installation after rebates.

 

[ET16]

I have the regular Entyres, not 2.0. I like them a lot.

 

[Brigadier]

Get the General RT43. With them, your car will do 0-60 in 3.0 seconds flat, win the Baja Championship and the Indy 500, and you can drive to the top of Mt. Everest in the snow. You will also get 60 MPG, and be able to drive thru rivers, and the tread will last the life of the vehicle. Case closed.