Best Tires for the Mazda 3 2.2D 150

On paper, these were a good match to my Mazda 3 2.2D for long-distance motorway driving, and occasional blasts along country lanes, and they are responsive with plenty of grip, but one critical annoyance means I need to leave this negative review. Since fitment, I had persistent periodic vibration when travelling at speed on motorways, and this did not go away after multiple attempts at balancing and/or swapping wheels between corners of the car. A specialist with a Hunter Road Force Elite tester checked everything (rims, damage, runout, brake discs, you name it), and diagnosed that one tire was right at the usual limit for passenger vehicle road force variation at 90N, with the other 3 at about half that value.

All 4 tires were basically from the same batch (ordered at the same time, same week codes on each). Pirelli apparently don't have tight QC when it comes to this parameter, which is a significant factor in ride quality at speed. I'm now chasing them for a warranty claim on a tire barely 1/10th through its expected lifespan.

I fitted these tires to a Mazda 3 diesel 2.2 and they coped well with the torque under spirited acceleration/driving. They seemed to pick up quite a bit of road noise but i think that was due in some way to the Mazda, i say this because when i bought the Mazda (on worn Pirelli tires) i noticed far more road noise than my previous cars.
The Road X's performed well all the time i had the Mazda, no issues.

I needed (wanted) a new set of tires for my recently purchased car, not being a boy racer or brand snob i reviewed the sub £80 per corner offerings and decided to go with the Roadx's.
I'd never had any before so i was a little apprehensive about them, but i needn't have worried, they are really good tire that suits my car and driving style (spirited when safe to do so).
Dry handling is impeccable as is the wet handling, decent feedback through the wheel and comfortable. Unsure of the longevity because i've only had the tires fitted a few months but given all other attributes i'm confident they'll last fairly well.
If they keep performing as they are doing, i'll definitely be buying them in the future. (Distant, i hope!)

I have used these for 20.000 km on a Mazda 3. engine is a remapped 2.2 turbo diesel with 210 HP and 480nM. it's not slow but spinning in 3th gear in wet roads is excessive. even my winter tires (Dunlop wintersport 5) put down more grip . dry grip is fine, steering is very wobbly, the sidewalls are too soft so it dances around in fast corners. not a fan, will change to Michelin pilot sport 5.

I bought the car with a brand new set of Chinese-brand tires the previous owner had just fitted to sell. I hated them. The car slid pulling away from the lights when there was even just a shine of moisture on the road (accelerating with everyone else driving during a commute). Sounds worse than it was, as I only noticed that the car had more power, presumably as the traction control was no-longer limiting the engine power once I changed to these Dunlops. But that, at some 15-20k+ miles later, I was so glad when I finally got rid of them. (The car chewed through the inner edges, as the REAR wheel tracking was out* - I suspect was the reason for it having the new tires when I bought it).

The Dunlops are SO much quieter than what I had on before - I actually took to wear ear-plugs for long journeys as there was so much road-noise from the Chinese tires. Also the Dunlops gripped the road so well that I actually thought the car was now 'twitchy' - as in if I moved the steering wheel at motorway speeds the car immediately changed direction. I had the tracking re-checked after my first journey, as it has been adjusted, and I just wasn't used to that (tracking was still spot-on).

On the whole I really liked these tires, especially the Rim Protection feature - as few tires are currently have that. I live in a Victorian terrace, no drive, so have to parallel park every day. Once or twice a year, usually in the dark and rain, I am glad for the extra rubber to keep the kerb off the alloys. Also I am changing them as I just had a blow-out due to a nail causing the a rear tire to slowly deflate. I strongly think the extra load capacity (XL) and rubber of the rim protection (RP) saved me from scrapping the rim. My passenger and I didn't notice anything until I started to slow down to turn off the motorway, only then the tire started to make a strange noise. I think I must have driven for many miles with the shredded tire - it has several large holes in the sidewall, so zero air. I would certainly not recommend doing that again, a narrow escape, they are not 'Run Flats' (and nor would I buy these; and no, I was not wearing ear plugs at the time).

I would say these tires are very good indeed. Well well worth the extra money - especially compared to 'budget' tires. I remember the Chinese 'Eco' somethings cost about £65each to get like-for-like in 2018. But I hated them, besides I recon my fuel economy went UP because of the extra grip; but for me the main selling point is the grip in the wet (never every felt like they were slipping - even now with the tread approaching the limit), and certainly the low noise. I got 35000 miles from my last set of Dunlops. Very happy with them, so despite looking into alternatives I have just bought exactly the same again.

*Final point is that 4-wheel tracking (£96) is sometimes worth the extra money vs the usual (much cheaper) 2-wheel one. At the MOT it was noticed both front Dunlops wearing in the same way as the Chinese tires (inside edges). I had 2-wheel tracking done when the Dunlops were fitted, but when the uneven wear continued (actually faster) I had the 4-wheel tracking done - expensive but cost less than one new Dunlop, so... Since I had the car properly set up, the wear became even across the whole tire. So I have just ordered 4-wheel tracking with the new set of four tires I have just bought, as a precaution - I figure it is OK once every 35k+ miles, especially as I know how quick they will wear, if it is out. Like I say, I am very happy with these tires. Others may have a slightly better dB rating (Michelin Primacy has 69 vs 71dB), but I know these are quiet enough, and have definitely served me (very) well.

I bought these tires since they are winning test across Europe. I'm mainly comparing to Nokian winter tires, which I've had on one Ford Fiesta, and two Hyundai Getz's. The Blizzak is fine in dry and wet conditions, but fails in snow, icy or general cold conditions. It can hardly stop or steer in a thin layer of snow, without ice underneath. However, if you are going side ways, it is excellent in slowing down the car, and helping you to crash head on, by straighten up your car. The front tires are already down to 4-5 milimeters, and some of the lamellas are not cut all the way to this depth. I drive apprx. 20k km/year, and switches between summer and winter tires, and I don't think the Blizzak will have a third season on the front tires. A bit disappointing considering it is a some what expensive tire. Maybe I'll try another "premium" tire, or revert to Nokian.

I only drive 3000Km. Somehow I expected more but the grip is pretty average. At the very beginning, the tires were awful. They had no grip at all. Now over the time they have gained more grip.

Fitted a set of these to my Mazda3 Sport Nav. I've always been a fan of Hankook tires but have had various on different cars, Michelin to Budget.

First thing you notice with these tires is just how much they improve the ride. The car had stock Dunlop Sport Maxx TT tires and while these gave a sharper steering feel you felt every little ripple in the road. The Hankooks certainly smoothed things out, with only a small trade off in steering feel. Next is the grip. In both wet and dry I've been known to do some pretty stupid things, but I've yet to trigger the ABS or lose grip with these tires. They grip and go. Aqua planing isn't any more of an issue than any other wider tire.

Downside to this tire is wear - front tires down to 2mm after just 19k but expected with a 2.2d fwd car. Even then no noticeable loss in grip. Regarding noise it seemed quieter when I first put the tires on, however these Mazda3's aren't the quietest and there is a lot of road noise coming through. Unsure if this is the tire itself or the actual car, but on a previous vehicle (Seat Ibiza) I noticed a similar intermittent droning noise when switching from the Ventus V12 Evo to the Ventus V12 Evo2. Will be trying the Michelin PS4 now that it's available in this size, as had on an A3 S Line Saloon, found I got around 30k on the front tires and they're only £10 per tire more.

This is my first impression as I drove only around 3000 miles on those tires here in Ireland. My mazda 3 has a firm suspension and those tires soften the ride quite a bit. At beginning it felt strange, you may feel it is too soft, but after a while I just love it. It calms you down and the car feels more like a cruiser, they are also a bit quieter, especially on motorways, very happy with it. Also, as I was changing them just before 'the Best from the East' winter, had a chance to see if they are as good on snow as advertised. I have many years of experience with dedicated winter michelin tires back in Poland, I can honestly say those crossclimates don't disappoint at all. Had no problems starting and breaking on snow and slush. The conclusion is that perhaps those are the best tires for the current climate here in Ireland (and UK), they give the best of both summer and winter tires without the need of changing them every 6 months.

Brilliant tires for the price. Little bit noisy at higher speeds but saved £150 against Pirelli. Have really good grip in all weathers for a budget tire and are a bit better than the dunlops they replaced. Would reccomend.